Leverkusen
Morsbroich Palace
Leverkusen
Coordinates	51°02′N 6°59′E / 51.03333°N 6.98333°E / 51.03333; 6.98333Coordinates: 51°02′N 6°59′E / 51.03333°N 6.98333°E / 51.03333; 6.98333
Administration
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Cologne
District	Urban district
Mayor	Reinhard Buchhorn (CDU)
Governing parties	CDU / SPD / Bürgerliste
Basic statistics
Area	78.85 km2 (30.44 sq mi)
Elevation	60 m  (197 ft)
Population	160,772 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	2,039 /km2 (5,281 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	LEV
Area codes	0214, 02171 & 02173
Website	www.Leverkusen.de/English

Leverkusen ( /ˈleɪfərˌkuːzən/; German pronunciation: [ˈleːfɐˌkuːzn̩]) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the South, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne and to the North is the state capital Düsseldorf.

With about 161,000 inhabitants, Leverkusen is one of the state's smaller cities. The city is known for the pharmaceutical company Bayer and its associated sports club TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

History[link]

Dating to the 12th century as Wiesdorf, the Leverkusen area was rural until the late 19th century.

Chemical facility

In 1860, Wiesdorf was chosen by the apothecary Carl Leverkus for establishing a dye factory. The factory was taken over by the Bayer company in 1891. The company moved its office to Wiesdorf in 1912, turning the town into the centre of German chemical industry. In World War II, the Bayer (Standard Oil/IG Farben) plant [1] was bombed on August 22, 1943,[2] and during the Battle of Berlin (air) on November 19/20 and December 10/11, 1943.

Leverkusen was founded in 1930 by merging Wiesdorf, Schlebusch, Steinbüchel and Rheindorf. In 1975, Opladen (including Lützenkirchen since 1930), Hitdorf and Bergisch Neukirchen joined. The present city is made up of several villages, originally called Wiesdorf, Opladen, Schlebusch, Lützenkirchen, Steinbüchel, Rheindorf and Bergisch-Neukirchen.

Main sights and places of interest[link]

Japanese Garden in front of the Bayer tower

BayArena

The BayArena is the stadium and home of Leverkusen's football team Bayer Leverkusen. After the extension the stadium now holds place for over 30,210 people.

Bayer Cross Leverkusen

The Bayer Cross Leverkusen is one of the largest illuminated advertisements in the world. It has a identifying meaning for Leverkusen's population.

Freudenthaler Sensenhammer

the Sensenhammer is a 'living' industrial museum. The permanent exhibition includes manufacture of scythes and sickles and the use of those tools in farming. The museum itself is the biggest exhibit. The museum is also used in a different way, for example for concerts or theater.

• Schloss Morsbroich - moated castle in the baroque style, now a museum for contemporary art
• Water Tower Leverkusen-Bürrig - 72.45-metre-high (237.7 ft) water reservoir containing an observation deck
• Neuland Park - large park beside the Rhine
• Japanese Garden - A garden created by Carl Duisberg at 1923
• Colony of workers - historical urban district in the center of Leverkusen
• Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit - historical Boat bridge next to the Rhine between Wiesdorf and Rheindorf
• Mausoleum of Carl Duisberg - mausoleum in the center of the Carl Duisberg Park next to the Casino
• NaturGut Ophoven - educational center for nature in Leverkusen-Opladen

International relations[link]

BayArena

Leverkusen is twinned with:

Notable people[link]

• Jörg Bergmeister (born February 13, 1976), racing driver
• Uta Briesewitz, cinematographer
• Bärbel Dieckmann (born March 26, 1949), politician (SPD), mayor of Bonn 1994-2009
• Paul Janes, football player
• Heidemarie Ecker-Rosendahl (born February 14, 1947), athlete and olympic medalist
• Danny Ecker, athlete, son of Heidemarie Ecker-Rosendahl
• Wilhelm Fucks (June 4, 1902 - April 1, 1990), physicist and former rector of the RWTH Aachen University
• Hans Kühne, plant manager of IG Farben's (Bayer) plant in Leverkusen during World War II, acquitted of crimes against humanity in the IG Farben Trial ^[4]
• Dietmar Mögenburg, athlete
• Sabine Moussier, telenovela actress
• Ralf Schmitz, (born 1974) actor and comedian
• Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963), former NBA basketball player
• Felix Sturm (born January 31, 1979), middleweight boxer
• Wolf Vostell, painter
• Werner Wenning (born October 21, 1946), former chairman of the board of Bayer AG
• Goran Bakaric (born January 11, 1974), Semi-professional poker player famous for his bad luck when holding KK V 72o G-Unit Industries

See also[link]

Germany portal

• Nazi concentration camps
• Research Materials: Max Planck Society Archive
• Subsequent Nuremberg Trials

References[link]

Literature[link]

• Blaschke, Stefan (1999): Unternehmen und Gemeinde: Das Bayerwerk im Raum Leverkusen 1891-1914 Cologne: SH-Verlag, ISBN 3-89498-068-0 (German)
• Archive of Leverkusen (2005): Leverkusen. Geschichte einer Stadt am Rhein. Bielefeld: Verlag für Regionalgeschichte, ISBN 3-89534-575-X (German)
• Franz Gruß (1987): Geschichte und Porträt der Stadt Leverkusen. Leverkusen: Verlag Anna Gruß, ISBN 3-930478-03-X (German)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leverkusen

• City of Leverkusen
• City of Leverkusen
• City of Leverkusen (German)

v t e Urban and rural districts in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany Urban districts Bielefeld Bochum Bonn Bottrop Dortmund Duisburg Düsseldorf Essen Gelsenkirchen Hagen Hamm Herne Köln (Cologne) Krefeld Leverkusen Mönchengladbach Mülheim Münster Oberhausen Remscheid Solingen Wuppertal Rural districts Aachen Borken Coesfeld Düren Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis Euskirchen Gütersloh Heinsberg Herford Hochsauerlandkreis Höxter Kleve (Cleves) Lippe Märkischer Kreis Mettmann Minden-Lübbecke Oberbergischer Kreis Olpe Paderborn Recklinghausen Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis Rhein-Erft-Kreis Rhein-Kreis Neuss Rhein-Sieg-Kreis Siegen-Wittgenstein Soest Steinfurt Unna Viersen Warendorf Wesel

Son Heung-Min

Personal information
Full name	Son Heung-Min
Date of birth	(1992-07-08) 8 July 1992 (age 19)
Place of birth	Chuncheon, Gangwon, South Korea
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Forward, Winger
Club information
Current club	Hamburger SV
Number	15
Youth career
2008	Dongbuk High School
2008–2010	Hamburger SV
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2010–	Hamburger SV	40	(8)
National team‡
2008–2009	South Korea U17	15	(7)
2010–	South Korea	8	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2011

Son Heung-Min (Hangul: 손흥민) (born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean footballer who plays for German Bundesliga side Hamburger SV.^[1]

Club career[link]

Hamburger SV[link]

In 2008, Son dropped out of FC Seoul Academy and joined Hamburg’s youth academy at the age of 16.^[2] He was impressive in the 2010–11 preseason, by leading the team with nine goals and signed his first professional contract on his 18th birthday.^[3] After scoring against Chelsea F.C. in August, he was injured for two months due to a foot injury. He came back on 30 October 2010 scoring his first league goal against 1. FC Köln in the 24th minute. The goal made Son the youngest HSV player to have scored a goal in Bundesliga at 18 years, thus breaking the previous 39-year record held by Manfred Kaltz.^[4][5]

Son signed a new deal with Hamburg, which will keep him at the club until 2014. Due to his performances in the pre-season he is being affectionately nicknamed "Korean Müller" and received praise from Franz Beckenbauer who said that Son had what it takes to become the next Cha Bum Kun.^[6]

During the 2011–12 pre-season, Son scored 18 goals in 9 games.^[7] After missing the opening game due to a fever, Son scored two goals within three games.^[8] Unfortunately, mirroring last season, Son picked up an ankle injury in the 4-3 loss to 1. FC Köln on 27 August and was initially projected to be out of action for four to six weeks.^[9] Fortunately, Son's recovery was quicker than expected, and he returned to action only three weeks later as a substitute in the 1-0 loss against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 17 September. Over the course of the 2011-2012 season, Son made 30 appearances for Hamburg and scored 5 goals, including crucial goals against Hannover and Nurnberg at the end of the season to help ensure that Hamburg remained in the Bundesliga. ^[10]

International career[link]

Son has made multiple appearances for South Korea at the senior level, netting one goal in the process against India in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. National team coach Cho Kwang-Rae acknowledged that Son has not been given enough chances at the international level and has promised greater consideration for Son's role in future matches.^[11]

Son initially missed the first two games of South Korea's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign on 2 and 6 September due to an ankle injury, but he returned on 7 October in a friendly against Poland, and he also played in the 11 October World Cup qualifier against the United Arab Emirates.^[12][13] His selection for national team play was a point of concern for Son's father, however, who caused a stir by asking the Korea Football Association not to select his son for the national team in the immediate future so he can rest and mature more as a player. South Korea coach Cho Kwang-Rae responded by saying that he would continue to call up Son when needed.^[14]

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

International goals[link]

Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	18 January 2011	Al Gharafa Stadium, Doha, Qatar	India	4–1	4–1	2011 AFC Asian Cup

Style of play[link]

Son is known as a versatile attacker due to his ability to use both feet equally well; he can play either as a striker, attacking midfielder, or winger on either side. Son has confirmed this, saying, "I don't care where I play. The main thing is I'm in the game. I can play right, left, as a forward or behind it. What the coach says, I'll do. I don't have a favorite position. I'll be anywhere and always on the throttle."^[15] Other strengths of Son include his explosive pace, dribbling abilities, composure in front of goal, and hard-working nature.^[16]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Son Heung-Min Profile at HSV.de
• Son Heung-Min at National-Football-Teams.com

v t e Korea Republic squad – 2011 AFC Asian Cup Third Place 1 Jung Sung-Ryong 2 Choi Hyo-Jin 3 Hwang Jae-Won 4 Cho Yong-Hyung 5 Kwak Tae-Hwi 6 Lee Yong-Rae 7 Park Ji-Sung (c) 8 Yoon Bit-Garam 9 Yoo Byung-Soo 10 Ji Dong-Won 11 Son Heung-Min 12 Lee Young-Pyo 13 Koo Ja-Cheol 14 Lee Jung-Soo 15 Hong Jeong-Ho 16 Ki Sung-Yueng 17 Lee Chung-Yong 18 Kim Bo-Kyung 19 Yeom Ki-Hun 20 Kim Shin-Wook 21 Kim Yong-Dae 22 Cha Du-Ri 23 Kim Jin-Hyun Coach: Cho Kwang-Rae