View source for Goch

{{Expand German|topic=geo|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox German location
|type              = Stadt
|image_photo       = St peter church vicarage goch hommersum.jpg
|image_caption     = St. Peter Church and vicarage Goch Hommersum
|name              = Goch
|image_coa         = DEU Goch COA.svg
|coordinates       = {{coord|51|41|2|N|06|9|43|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan        = Goch in KLE.svg
|state             = Nordrhein-Westfalen
|region            = Düsseldorf
|district          = Kleve
|elevation         = 18
|area              = 115.43
|postal_code       = 47574
|area_code         = 02823,<br>02827 (Kessel, Hassum, Hommersum)
|licence           = KLE
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 1 54 016
|website           = [https://www.goch.de/ www.goch.de]
|mayor             = Ulrich Knickrehm<ref>[https://www.wahlergebnisse.nrw/kommunalwahlen/2020/index_bm.shtml Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020], Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 21 June 2021.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2020&ndash;25
|party             = 
}}
'''Goch''' ({{IPA|de|ɡɔx|lang|De-Goch.ogg}}; archaic spelling: '''Gog''') is a town in the [[Kleve (district)|Kleve]] district of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], [[Germany]], close to the border with the [[Netherlands]], {{convert|12|km|0|abbr=on}} south of [[Kleve]] and {{convert|27|km|0|abbr=on}} southeast of [[Nijmegen]].

==History==
{{stack|{{Quote box |width=22em |align=right |bgcolor=#B0D4DE
|title=Historical affiliations
|fontsize=85% |quote=<poem>{{flagicon image|Armoiries Gueldre.svg}} [[Guelders|County of Guelders]] 1259–1339
{{flagicon image|Armoiries Gueldre.svg}} [[Guelders|Duchy of Guelders]] 1339–1393
{{flagicon image|Arms of Flanders.svg}} [[Duchy of Jülich]] 1393–1423
{{flagicon image|Armoiries Gueldre.svg}} [[Guelders|Duchy of Guelders]] 1423–1473
{{flagicon image|Cleves Arms.svg}} [[Duchy of Cleves]] 1473–1521
{{flagicon image|Armoiries Guillaume de Clèves-less fancy.svg}} [[United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg]] 1521–1614
{{flagicon image|Cleves Arms.svg}} [[Duchy of Cleves]] 1614–1622
{{flag|Spanish Empire}} 1622–1625
{{flagicon image|Cleves Arms.svg}} [[Duchy of Cleves]] 1625–1666
{{flagicon image|Brandenburg Flag 1657-1701 (new).svg}} [[Brandenburg-Prussia]] 1666–1701
{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1750}} 1701–1757
{{flagicon image|Pavillon royal de France.svg}} [[Kingdom of France]] 1757–1762
{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1750}} 1762–1795
{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794-1815).svg}} [[French First Republic|French Republic]] 1795–1804
{{flagicon image|Flag of France (1794-1815).svg}} [[First French Empire|French Empire]] 1804–1815
{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} 1815–1871
{{flag|German Empire}} 1871–1918
{{flag|Weimar Republic}} 1919–1933
{{flag|Nazi Germany}} 1933–1945
{{flag|Allied-occupied Germany}} 1945–1949
{{flag|West Germany}} 1949–1990
{{flag|Germany}} 1990–present</poem>
}}
}}
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]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Stadtgeschichte|url=http://goch.de/C1257500002B3047/html/088AFA719DF7C7ADC12575450052179F?opendocument&nid1=95841|publisher=Stadt Goch|access-date=30 May 2013}}</ref>
On September 8th, 2011, A Magnitude 4.5 struck the town, causing damage to infrasctructure and to homes.

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Goch is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Städtepartnerschaft|url=https://www.goch.de/de/inhalt-3/staedtepartnerschaften/|website=goch.de|publisher=Goch|language=de|access-date=2021-03-10|archive-date=2021-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413015444/https://www.goch.de/de/inhalt-3/staedtepartnerschaften/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]], England, United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|NED}} [[Meierijstad]], Netherlands (formerly [[Veghel]])
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Gmina Nowy Tomyśl|Nowy Tomyśl]], Poland
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine|Redon]], France

==Notable people==
* [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]] (980–1002), Holy Roman Emperor
* [[Johannes von Goch]] (c. 1400–1475), Medieval theologian
* [[Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen]] (1540–1589), military commander in the Netherlands
* [[Francisco de Moncada]] (1586–1635), Spanish author, military leader, and governor of the Spanish Netherlands, died here
* [[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
* [[Rita Kersting]] (born 1969), art historian
*[[Luisa Wensing]] (born 1993), footballer

[[Vincent van Gogh]], according to his name, which translates to "Vincent of Goch", has ancestors likely native to this location.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Goch 1625.JPG|''{{Interlanguage link multi|Siege of Goch|nl|3=Inname van Goch}}'' in 1625, by [[Jan Luyken]]
The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 B14779.jpg|Goch during [[Operation Veritable]], February 21, 1945
Goch, watertoren Dm82 foto2 2013-04-30 12.29.jpg|Watertower
Goch, straatzicht Am Steintor Dm6 foto7 2016-05-05 16.38.jpg|Am Steintor Street
Vicarage goch hommersum.jpg|Vicarage Goch Hommersum
G17-d-Goch-evKirche.JPG|Protestant church
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}

{{Cities and towns in Kleve (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Kleve (district)]]


{{Kleve-geo-stub}}