History of Leverkusen in Timeline

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Leverkusen

Leverkusen is a city situated in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located on the eastern bank of the Rhine River. It shares borders with Cologne to the south and Düsseldorf, the state capital, to the north. Leverkusen is part of the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region, a significant urban area in Europe.

1912: Bayer moves headquarters to Wiesdorf

In 1912, the Bayer company moved its headquarters to Wiesdorf.

1930: Opladen Expansion

In 1930, Quettingen and Lützenkirchen were included to Opladen.

1930: Founding of Leverkusen

In 1930, the city of Leverkusen was founded by merging Wiesdorf, Schlebusch, Steinbüchel and Rheindorf and was posthumously named for Carl Leverkus.

August 1943: RAF bombs IG Farben factories

On 22 August 1943, the IG Farben factories were bombed by the RAF.

December 1943: Bombing of IG Farben factories

In December 1943, the IG Farben factories were bombed by the USAAF Eighth Air Force on 1 December and again by the RAF on 10/11 December.

1975: Leverkusen Expansion

In 1975, Opladen (including Quettingen and Lützenkirchen since 1930), Hitdorf and Bergisch Neukirchen joined Leverkusen.

1985: FIBA EuroBasket 1985 host

The Ostermann-Arena was one of the host arenas for the FIBA EuroBasket 1985 (the official European Basketball Championship).

2015: Uwe Richrath elected as mayor

In 2015, Uwe Richrath of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was elected mayor of Leverkusen.

2019: Bayer Giants Leverkusen in German ProA league

As of 2019, the basketball team Bayer Giants Leverkusen plays in the German ProA league and plays its home games in the Ostermann-Arena.

September 2020: Leverkusen Mayoral Election

On 13 September 2020, the mayoral election was held. A runoff was held on 27 September.

July 2021: Chempark explosion

On 27 July 2021, an explosion at the Chempark site in the city killed 7 people and injured 31 others.

2023: Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga win

In the 2023–24 season, the football team Bayer Leverkusen won its first Bundesliga title.