Grefrath
Grefrath () is a municipality in the district of Viersen, in the western part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated in the Lower Rhineland region (German: Niederhein), which is located between the river Rhine and the borderline between Germany and the Netherlands. Geography The river Niers crosses through the municipality from the south to the north. The villages of Grefrath and Vinkrath are located on the westerly bank of the small river, whereas Oedt and Mülhausen are situated on the easterly bank. Towns and municipalities adjoining Grefrath are (clockwise, beginning in the north): Wachtendonk Kempen Tönisvorst Viersen Nettetal The nearest bigger cities are Mönchengladbach ( to the south-south-east), Krefeld ( to the east) and Venlo ( to the west). History The town of Grefrath was first mentioned in 1177, at that time bearing the name of Greverode. This stands for "The Earls' Clearing" (German: Rodung der Grafen). . In 1243 Grefrath was acquired by the county of Geldern (since 1339: duchy of Geldern) to which it belonged for the next centuries. In 1543 the duchy of Geldern was given to the Burgundian Netherlands, also called the Spanish Netherlands after the division of the House of Habsburg. During the Eighty