Starting with the development of industrial spinning, weaving and finishing machines in the 19th century, the entire textile industry in Germany developed very positively. This also resulted in a great demand for skilled workers and managers in the city of Mönchengladbach and the surrounding area, which was strongly influenced by this industry.

For this reason, weaving and spinning schools developed in Mülheim am Rhein, Krefeld, Elberfeld and Aachen in the middle of the 19th century.

In Mülheim am Rhein, today's Cologne-Mülheim, such a "Höhere Webenschule" was also founded in 1851 to provide a good apprenticeship for the workers and employees of the surrounding industries. At that time, the weaving mills in the Rhineland processed a great deal of linen and half-linen, jute and cotton. The need for trained workers and employees was high. In addition to the burgeoning development in mechanical engineering, the invention of synthetic dyes in 1870 also led to ever-increasing production in the textile industry. Due to the development of dyes, fashion became colorful and boosted fabric production. Thus, the Chamber of Commerce demanded a higher number of technicians to meet this need in the textile industry. The existing schools were uniformly reorganized and expanded by the Prussian state.

The Prussian state also complied with this demand for the expansion of schools in Mönchengladbach, where in 1897 the Mönchengladbach Chamber of Commerce agreed with the town councils (Mönchengladbach, Rheydt, Odenkirchen), the municipal councils (Gladbach Land, Wickrath, Hochneukirch), the district president and the commissioner of the Minister of Trade to establish a "Höhere Fachschule" for the textile industry.

On June 8, 1899, all representatives decided to establish a "Höhere Fachschule" and stipulated that the costs be covered, that land be purchased, that plans be drawn up for the teaching education and factory building, and that teachers and construction technicians be hired. Two years later, on April 15, 1901, the school, located on the city limits of Mönchengladbach/Rheydt, began operations and was granted legal status by the Prussian King on May 24, 1901.

The "Prussian Higher School for the Textile Industry" thus opened was the foundation stone for the Textile Engineering School, which emerged from it in 1936.

The educational content of the Prussian Higher School for the Textile Industry was decided by the school board from 1901. It was made up of representatives of the town, the school and the local industry. The first timetables included the subjects of spinning and weaving. These were supplemented in 1902 by subjects in dyeing and apparatus. The apprenticeship in all specialisations ran for 2 years full time.
In addition, the school offered two- and three-year master craftsman courses as continuing training for employees of the surrounding textile companies. For the continuing training of middle employees, there were master craftsman courses of two and three years' duration.

The school, which was founded in Mülheim (Cologne) in 1851, was closed in parallel with its foundation in Mönchengladbach in 1901 and continued in Mönchengladbach. Mr. Schaab, director of the Mühlheim Higher Weaving School, continued his office as principal in Mönchengladbach.

This was supplemented in 1912 by the establishment of the ready-made clothing department. At the beginning, the apprenticeship in this department was only in the haka industry. Over the next few years, the apprenticeship in the ready-to-wear department was expanded. Women's outerwear, lingerie, workwear and sportswear were added to the curriculum.

Thus the "Prussian Secondary School for the Textile Industry", at that time unique in Germany, bundled a wide range in the field of textile and Clothing Technology apprenticeship. The number of students rose sharply.

In addition to teaching education, the examination of fabrics produced in the surrounding industrial plants became increasingly important, leading to the founding of the "Öffentliche Prüfstelle für Spinnstoffe" in 1910 and the Warenprüfungsamt in 1912. A wide range of quality testing procedures were carried out here for the textile and clothing industry, trade, authorities and associations.

In the field of teaching education, a one-semester course for textile merchants was added in 1924. Two years later, in 1926, the apprenticeship for the cloth industry started.

In 1932, the total duration of the day courses doubled from 2 to 4 semesters in order to provide more intensive apprenticeship in textiles and machinery. In addition, the course offerings were supplemented with subjects in the field of labor and business administration.

Due to the high number of students in the clothing departments, this department developed into the only one of its kind at all German technical colleges and was renamed "Höhere Bekleidungsfachschule" in 1932. Subsequently, in 1936, the school became the first in Germany to receive authorization for the apprenticeship of garment engineers. The Ministry elevated the school to the status of an engineering school, and a number of subjects were added to the curriculum, such as cost accounting, business organization, and performance and work planning.

In 1935, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Otto Mecheels (1894-1979) was appointed as the new head of the engineering school in Mönchengladbach. He came from Reutlingen and taught there in the field of textile chemistry. This choice of a chemist, which was rather unusual for the textile schools, strengthened the orientation of teaching education towards chemistry. Thus, in 1937, he introduced a dry cleaning department at the textile college.

The National Socialists recognized textile production - preferably without raw materials from abroad - and the associated research and apprenticeship as a decisive factor for the economy and armaments. Few technical restrictions and corrections were made. Only the employment of cotton, a raw material considered foreign, was somewhat restricted. At this time, uniforms played a greater role in Clothing Technology. The school thus continued to provide apprenticeship almost without restriction until the war destroyed about 90% of the teaching building in Mönchengladbach in the winter semester of 1944/45.

The principal, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Otto Mecheels, was unable to continue the advanced course. On November 13, 1944, the Reich Ministry for Science, Education and National Education ordered the transfer of the Mönchengladbach Textile Engineering School to Münchberg. Here, Prof. Dr. Otto Mecheels felt the resistance of the responsible persons at the new place of work already in his first contact. The construction management in Bayreuth also did not work cooperatively with him. Contrary to his instructions to wait in Mönchengladbach, Prof. Dr. Otto Mecheels had already been followed to Münchberg by a number of university teachers / lecturers who were now unable to find a place to stay there and were unwanted. Out of necessity, the professor moved with them to his home town of Bönningen am Neckar, where he continued to work as a makeshift. This emergency solution was the foundation stone for the creation of the Hohenstein Institutes.

In Mönchengladbach, school operations resumed after the end of the war in the winter semester of 1946/47. Teaching education focused on spinning, cotton and rayon goods production, wool and semi-wool goods production and finishing, as well as a Clothing Technology department. With the help of volunteer students, the buildings of the textile engineering school were rebuilt.

In 1963, the school was renamed the Mönchengladbach-Rheydt School of Textile Engineering. Two years later, in 1965, it was given the surname "State School of Engineering for Textiles". The engineering apprenticeship that existed in Krefeld at that time, with some traditional fields of teaching, was integrated into the apprenticeship in Mönchengladbach, much to the displeasure of Krefeld. In 1969, in preparation for the change to a university of applied sciences, the curricula were revised and the apprenticeship was divided into four faculties: Textile Production, Textile Finishing, Clothing Technology and Business and Industrial Engineering. These were the prerequisites for the school to receive the status "University of applied sciences Niederrhein" at the Mönchengladbach location through the reform of the textile engineering school system in North Rhine-Westphalia in 1971.

Thus, the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology henceforth combined in Mönchengladbach the faculties of the former State School of Textile Engineering in Mönchengladbach, the textile technology and art departments of the former State School of Textile Engineering in Krefeld, the State Higher Technical School for the Clothing Industry in Cologne, and the State Higher Technical School for the Clothing Industry in Bielefeld. The textile apprenticeships in Aachen and Wuppertal were also moved to Mönchengladbach in 1978. The first dean of the new university of applied sciences for Textile and Clothing Technology was Prof. Dr. Rolf Klinke (1971-1994).

From 1975, the apprenticeship at the university of applied sciences was carried out according to the examination regulations for Textile and Clothing Technology and was very successful. As early as 1974, the Textile Prize of the Entrepreneurs' Association of the Lower Rhine Textile Industry was awarded for the first time to the best annual graduate.

Instruction was given in all areas of the textile and clothing industry. The focus was not only on theoretical knowledge but also on intensive practical application of the apprenticeship. Numerous laboratories and workshops were available for this purpose, such as the chemistry laboratory, the sample weaving mill, the art and cloth darning mill, the finishing department, the dyeing mill, the hand printing shop, the rouleaux printing shop, the ironing shop, and the clothing departments with assembly lines for HAKA and DOB.

In 1980, the introduction to the title "Diplom-Ingenieur (FH)", for the apprenticeship at the university of applied sciences Niederrhein, took place with the change to the new university law.

Hereby the University of Applied Sciences Niederrhein with the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology offered the students an educational opportunity from the fiber to the ready-made part, over all stages of quality management, design and realization of textiles in teaching education and research.

The number of students increased: in 1986, 2000 students from 35 nations were registered in the various studies of Textile and Clothing Technology. Numerus clausus was introduced to Clothing Technology in 1984 and to Textile Technology in 1986. This limited the number of new students per semester to 300. Due to the concentration of textile and apparel education in Mönchengladbach and the increasing number of students, a new building was constructed in 1986 with laboratories for broad and narrow weaving, warp knitting and knitting, braiding and lace making, as well as technical textiles, including laboratories for CAD applications.
In 1992/93, the second phase of construction was followed by a chemistry finishing and colorimetry laboratory and a technical center for apparel with corresponding machines and CAD applications. Development work was shifted to the faculty, especially in the field of technical textiles. In 1994 Prof. Dr. Klinke, the founding dean of the faculty 07, retired.

In the years 1994-2001, various cooperations and shifts in the focus of education took place. In 1994, the new examination regulations led to the creation of additional non-focal areas of study in the textile and clothing sector. In 1998, an agreement with the Dresden University of Technology enabled UAS graduates to be admitted to doctoral studies. Many cooperations were also established in the field of development and research, as well as in mechanical engineering. As a result, the University of Applied Sciences Niederrhein always had state-of-the-art machinery in all laboratories and more than 90% of all diploma theses could be carried out with cooperation partners in Germany and abroad. Contacts in the field of dyestuff, fiber and yarn manufacturers could also be further developed. Together with its numerous industrial partners, The Hochschule Niederrhein Faculty 07 held the first "MG ZIEHT AN" fair for young textile professionals on campus in 1999.

Due to the ever increasing proportion of international students, as well as international cooperations, the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology offered the degree "Bachelor of Textile and Clothing Management" for the first time in 1999 and the degree "Master of Textile and Clothing Management" one year later. In 2004, these offers were supplemented by the possibility of dual studies, a degree in an apprenticeship recognized by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and the Chamber of Tax Advisors (Steuerberaterkammer), as well as a Bachelor's degree.

Research in the textile and clothing sector was becoming increasingly important. Topics such as textile filters, nanotechnology, plasma technology, digital printing, embroidery protection or electrically conductive textiles wanted to be researched further. This led to the establishment of the Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB) at the Hochschule Niederrhein in 2005. This institute was intended to strengthen research at the university.

Internationality also became more and more important. In 2012, an agreement was reached with Tianjin Polytechnic University in Tianjin, China, for the introduction to the "International Textile and Clothing Management" degree programme with a German-Chinese double degree. The first students received this degree 2 years later.

The university became bigger and bigger. New buildings were erected on the campus. A large teaching, laboratory and research building in 2013 ("multifunctional or Z-building") on Richard-Wagner-Strasse was followed in 2015 by the opening of a new Hochschule Niederrhein library in the NEW-Blauhaus.

In April 2017, the foundation stone was laid on the campus of the Hochschule Niederrhein on Webschulstraße for the Textile Academy Mönchengladbach, a nationwide training and further education academy for the textile and clothing industry. Up to 350 students a year are to be trained here for the industry.

All the positive developments at The Hochschule Niederrhein were honored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in July 2017. It was awarded the title "Innovative University" and, as a result of this distinction, will receive support of 6.3 million euros over the next 5 years for the targeted promotion of knowledge and technology transfer at universities.

The starting signal was given for the "Center Textile Logistics" by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics and the Hochschule Niederrhein on the campus in Mönchengladbach.

We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the status of the History section on our website through their interest, conversations, exchanges and information. We would like to express special thanks to Prof. Dr.rer.nat. H.K. Rouette, who has provided crucial material through his edited works, especially with regard to the illustrations. Extremely cooperative, he allowed the use of his sources and provided extensive, historically valuable material as a donation during the development of our website.

Also to be mentioned are the following authors: A.Lindner, B.Siegel, S.Kromert, F.von Klitzung, B.Goebels, H.Westphal

To create the detailed history and chronology of The Hochschule Niederrhein, as well as the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology, different sources were used for the texts and the illustrations. For further information, please refer to the following bibliography and the following list of figures.