Solingen is a city in the district of Dusseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia with about 160,000 inhabitants. The city is adjacent to Wuppertal and Remscheid for so-called Bergisch City Triangle (Bergisches Städtedreieck). Solingen is part of the region Rhine-Ruhr and a member of the Rhineland Regional Council.
The city is the worldly-known center of German cutlery industry, particularly in the manufacture of blades from Solingen - The blade companies that are based in Solingen belong to the world leaders in the cutlery industry. The town's name is protected as a geographical indication for those products by the Solingen Regulation. Since March 19, 2012 Solingen leads the official auxiliary blades city (Klingenstadt).
The most famous landmarks of the city include the reconstructed castle (Schloss Burg), the former residence of the ruling family of Berg. Furthermore, the highest railway bridge in Germany called "Müngsten Brücke" (107 meters high) is also located in Solingen, as well as the historic centers of "Gräfrath" surrounded by traditional houses and buildings in timber and slate style. The city is also exemplary for the Solingen industrial history - landmarks are the "Balkhauser Kotten" and the "Wipperkotten". In addition, Solingen has by far the largest catenary bus system in Germany. Approximately 500 meters from the accomodation lies the Industrial museum (Industriemuseum), that will take you on a journey of industrial history of the area.