Hückeswagen ) is a town in the north of Oberbergischen Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the governmental district of Cologne. Geography Hückeswagen is situated on the river Wupper. Two dams, Bevertal dam and Wuppertal dam, are near the city. Hückeswagen's location in the narrow valley and well as the castle mountain are notable. It is located approximately 40 km away from Cologne. Nearby towns are Radevormwald, Wipperfürth, Wermelskirchen and Remscheid. The coat of arms of Hückeswagen The arms were granted on August 9, 1892. The arms show in the upper part the lion from the arms of the Counts of Berg, who bought the area in 1260 from the Counts of Hückeswagen. The lower part is a symbol for the textile industry, which has been important to the town since the late Middle Ages. The combination of lion and spindle appears first in a seal from 1555. History Hückeswagen was an ancestral seat of the counts of Hückeswagen and in 1085 became for the first time a Franconian Salhof, or saddle court, in form of a "confirmation of a donation of the genotypes of the Essen abbess Svanhild among other things by emperors Heinrich IV. (HRR)" mentions documentary. (Documentary first namings oberbergische places v. Klaus Pampus). Between 1220 and 1240 the counts of Hückeswagen moved to Bohemia and built the "Hukvaldy" and "Altischein" castles. Between 1490 and 1508 the "Nikolaus church" was built. Later the "Paulus church" was established after a fire. Town privileges were given to Hückeswagen on 4 April 1859 according to Rhenish town order. From 1861 to 1920 Hückeswagen consisted of the municipality and Neuhückeswagen, a juridically rural community. On 1 March 1920 the juridically independent municipalities were combined. On 18 October 1875 the still young city was connected to the railroad network. During the period of industrialisation Hückeswagen had a significant textile industry. Cloth available in Hückeswagen today testifies to the great prosperity of the industrial families. The importance of the town as the center of the local area has been reduced in last few decades as the neighbouring town Wipperfürth received some municipal and public facilities to establish itself as an important center. Because of municipal reform, in 1975 the town lost the share of Bergisch Born in Remscheid. On July 12, 1969 Joachim Kroll murdered Maria Hettgen, 61, near here. Population On 31 August 2004 Hückeswagen had 16,541 inhabitants; 1,209