In North Rhine-Westphalia, Mönchengladbach is a city made up of a group of boroughs around the historic towns of Gladbach and Rheydt. The thing that unites these settlements is the abundance of parkland; Mönchengladbach is bursting with green spaces, like the Bunter Garten, which cuts Gladbach in two. Some of these parks are medieval properties, with Baroque and Renaissance palaces like Schloss Rheydt and Schloss Wickrath at their heart.
Many foreign sports fans will know the city for its football team, Borussia Mönchengladbach, who regularly finish above bigger clubs in the Bundesliga. And for culture, the Abteiberg has acclaimed modern and contemporary art in an astonishing postmodern building praised by the likes of Frank Gehry.