ESCHWEILER

city, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), western Germany, on the edge of the Eifel Mountains. First mentioned in the 9th century, it belonged to the duchy of Jlich until the French Revolutionary Wars and was annexed by Prussia in 1815. The chief city of the Aachen coal basin, its chief products include coal, iron, steel, limestone, textiles, and plastics. Pop. (1989 est.) 53,516.