Neuss (German pronunciation: [nɔʏs] ⓘ; written Neuß until 1968; Limburgish: Nüss [ˈnʏs]; Latin: Novaesium) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

[citation needed] Neuss grew during the Middle Ages because of its prime location on several routes, by the crossing of the great Rhine valley, and with its harbour and ferry.

The citizens of Neuss withstood the siege and were therefore rewarded by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III.

[citation needed] In 1586, more than two-thirds of the city was destroyed by fire, and several wars during the reign of King Louis XIV of France resulted in worsening finances for Neuss.

Neuss regained its economic power in the 19th century, with expansion of the harbour in 1835, and increasing industrial activity.

There is however no indication that Neuss already had an organized Jewish community in 1096; It is however certain that there was one in the Staufer period from the late 12th century onwards, in the context of a general influx of merchants into the city at the time.

[6] According to Ephraim of Bonn, on 11 January 1197, multiple members of the Jewish community were put to death as revenge for the killing of a Christian girl by a mentally ill Jew.

They seem to have been allowed a Jewish funeral: their bodies were brought – presumably by boat – to Xanten, where they were buried alongside victims of the Rhineland massacres of 1096.

[6] The community in the High Middle Ages at first resided in the area where merchants lived, between the haven [de] and the market.

By the year 1300 however the Judensteg was now inhabited by Christians, the Jews having moved to the area around the Glockhammer, where their synagogue and school were also located.

[6] The city was hit by the Black Death in 1348–49, and the community suffered from gruesome persecutions during that time, as was the case elsewhere in Europe.

The Archbishop of Cologne Ruprecht von der Pfalz visited the city on 5 May and met with mayors, aldermen, and the council in an attempt to halt the expulsion, but to no avail.

[6] In 1794 during the War of the First Coalition, Neuss fell under French control, and all discriminatory anti-Jewish laws were subsequently abrogated.

It was only in 1808 however, in a context of nascent industrialization and population growth, that for the first time in centuries a Jewish family moved to the city: That of the butcher Josef Großmann, who had come from Hülchrath.

A fracture in this peace took place in 1834 however: In the Niederrhein area blood libel rumors spread around, leading to a wave of anti-Jewish violence: Synagogues were set on fire in Gindorf and Bedburdyck [de]; in Hemmerden [de], Wevelinghoven and elsewhere fierce fighting took place between vigilantes and hussars.

[6] On 29 March 1867, the Synagogue [de] was unveiled, designed by the Prussian architect Friedrich Weise and built in the popular Orientalist style.

The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: One sports club is Neusser Schlittschuh-Klub.