Eil, Cologne

Eil is a suburb of Cologne, Germany, located in Porz, south-east of the city centre. With an area totalling 16,23 km², it is the largest district in the entire city in terms of area, although not all of the land is built up.

Location

The center of Eil is located in the southwest of the urban district. To the north is a substantial industrial zone area incorporating a large distribution centre belonging to the retailer Kaufhof. In the east the district incorporates much of the Wahner Heide nature reserve as well as the walled grounds of “Castle Röttgen” (Schloss Röttgen) .

History

The village of Eil first appears in the records in 268. At that time the inhabitants were very poor, and made a living, when work was available, working for the local landowners in nearby Röttgen und Leidenhausen. In the later medieval period Eil passed into the ownership of Porz in the Berg territory. During the rapid urbanisation of the nineteenth century, Eil became the largest settlement in the Heumar administrative region, but still without its own church. In 1903/1904 the church of St Michael was built, and in 1917 Eil finally acquired its own priest.