Eitorf

Eitorf
Municipality
Aerial view of the town center
Coat of arms
Location of Eitorf within Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district
Eitorf Eitorf
Coordinates: 50°46′11″N 7°27′6″E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Köln
District	Rhein-Sieg-Kreis
Subdivisions	58
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Rainer Viehof (Ind.)
Area
• Total	70.06 km2 (27.05 sq mi)
Elevation	95 m (312 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	19,269
• Density	280/km2 (710/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	53783
Dialling codes	02243
Vehicle registration	SU
Website	www.eitorf.de

Eitorf is a municipality in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approx. 25 km east of Bonn city.

History

Early history

The area encompassing Eitorf was originally inhabited by the Sicambri, who were ultimately almost completely annihilated by the Romans. The area belonged to the unoccupied German settlement region Germania Libera. Afterwards, the Ripuarian Franks emerged from the Tenkterer and other Frankish people in the region and would go on to have a lengthy and complex relationship with the Romans – first as their opponents, then their vassals, and finally their heirs in ruling over all of France and Germany. The names of Frankish settlements from the time frequently have an -ingen ending, of which Köttingen is the only remaining local example. Upon the splitting of the Frankish Kingdom under Charlemagne, the area belonged first to the Kingdom of Louis the German and later to the Duchy of Lorraine. Under the Ottonian Dyanasty, the area belonged to the Duchy of Lower Lorraine in the Holy Roman Empire. Under Emperor Maximilian I, the Rhine-Sieg district belonged to the Lower Rhine District, which spread from the Meuse (German: Maas) to Bremen. The Duchy of Berg later arose in this same area.

Middle Ages

The first documented mention of Eitorf comes from a document by Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III of Germany in which the Stift of Vilich was confirmed, among other things, to have received the Villa Eidtorph in 978. There were several manor homes that were constructed in the area, including Welterode Fortress, part of which remains to this day.

Modern era

In the 16th century, Eitorf became the seat of a Landesgericht. Eitorf was affected by several wars including the Thirty Years' War, during which one out of every three inhabitants died in 1631.

Tourism

Best ranked hotels and B&B's in Eitorf

• Landhotel Steffens
• Gut Heckenhof Hotel & Golfresort an der Sieg

People

• Alexander Neu (born 1969), politician (The Left)