The abbey and its adjoining villages grew into the town of Gladbach, incorporated in the 1360s, the origin of the present city of Mönchengladbach in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In 1802, the abbey was occupied by troops under the French occupation and secularised; its great library was dispersed.
In 1835, the city authorities acquired the main building to replace the old Rathaus, which was demolished.
The remaining monastic buildings were also acquired by the city one by one, for the accommodation of municipal offices.
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