The Rur River in Jülich

Jülich is located on the Rur. The surrounding area lies in the north of the Jülich-Zülpicher Börde. The urban area is bounded in the north by the city of Linnich, in the northeast by the municipality of Titz, in the southeast by the municipality of Niederzier, in the south by the municipality of Inden and in the west by the municipality of Aldenhoven. The largest extension from east to west is 13.3 km and from north to south 10.9 km. The highest point of Jülich is in Bourheim at 110 m (except for the Sophienhöhe), the lowest at 70 m in Barmen. In addition to the core city, Jülich consists of 15 other districts.

Very nice nice place with all the things you need on a bike tour.

Historical overviewJülich was founded in Roman times as a road station along the Roman road from Boulogne-sur-Mer to Cologne (Via Belgica). The vicus (Iuliacum) gained a certain importance due to its strategic position at a ford on the Rur and was fortified with a castle in the 4th century. In the 5th century the town fell into Frankish hands and developed into the centre of a district, the so-called Jülichgau, from which the county and, in 1328, the Duchy of Jülich later emerged.Jülich was elevated to town status possibly in 1234. In the war against the Archbishop of Cologne, the town was destroyed in 1239. On October 14, 1279, the Counts of Jülich concluded the Peace of Pingsheim with Siegfried von Westerburg, the Archbishop of Cologne. In the 14th century, the town received new fortifications, of which the Witches' Tower and a remnant of the wall in Stiftsherrenstraße have been preserved.