Goch
Goch (archaic spelling: Gog, Dutch: Gogh) is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated close to the border with the Siebengewald in Netherlands, approx. 12 km (7 mi) south of Kleve, and 27 km (17 mi) southeast of Nijmegen.
Goch | |
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Protestant Kirche am Markt in Goch | |
![]() Coat of arms | |
Location of Goch within Kleve district ![]() ![]() | |
![]() ![]() Goch ![]() ![]() Goch | |
Coordinates: 51°41′2″N 06°9′43″E | |
Country | Germany |
State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
Admin. region | Düsseldorf |
District | Kleve |
Government | |
• Mayor | Karl-Heinz Otto (CDU) |
Area | |
• Total | 115.38 km2 (44.55 sq mi) |
Elevation | 18 m (59 ft) |
Population (2018-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 33,825 |
• Density | 290/km2 (760/sq mi) |
Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
Postal codes | 47574 |
Dialling codes | 02823, 02827 (Kessel, Hassum, Hommersum) |
Vehicle registration | KLE |
Website | www.goch.de |
History
Goch is at least 750 years old: the earliest mention of Goch is in a document dated 1259. It was a part of the Duchy of Cleves. During World War II, the city was completely destroyed by Allied bombers during Operation Veritable.[2]
- Siege of Goch in 1625, by Jan Luyken
- Goch during Operation Veritable, February 21, 1945
- Watertower
- View to a street: Am Steintor
- Vicarage Goch Hommersum
- St Peter church and vicarage Goch Hommersum
Notable natives and residents
The city is the birthplace of:


- Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, (980-1002),
- Johannes von Goch, (c. 1400-1475), Medieval theologian
- Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen (1540-1589), Count of Afferden and Blijenbeek, war observer
- Aenne Biermann (1898-1933), photographer
- Hubert Houben (1898-1956), athlete
- Josefa Idem, (born 1964), Italian sprint canoer and politician
- Arnold Janssen, (1837-1909), founder of the Society of the Divine Word, a Roman Catholic missionary congregation
- Luisa Wensing (born 1993), soccer player at the VfL Wolfsburg
The city is the deathplace of:
- Francisco de Moncada, (1586-1635), Spanish author, military leader, and governor of the Spanish Netherlands
Twin towns - sister cities
Goch is twinned with:
Veghel in the Netherlands Redon in France Nowy Tomyśl in Poland Andover in England, UK
References
- "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2018" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- "Stadtgeschichte". Stadt Goch. Retrieved 30 May 2013.