The Bergisches Land refers to the territories of the Medieval County and later Duchy of Berg. The name “Berg” is not to be confused with the translation of “Berg, ” which means mountain in German. The borders described here are thus essentially political ones. Many of the towns and villages just across the border to the East in the Märkisches Land region will look similar, and the people there speak the same dialect. Though no single dialect or linguistic attribute can characterize the region, regional identity is still strong in many parts, especially in the north. Locals will quickly correct your assumption if you cross the border from Lennep to Schwerte and ask if you are still in the Bergisches Land.

Astute readers of Wikipedia will note that the Duchy’s capital was Düsseldorf, a large city absent from my maps of the territory. The reason is that nobody in Düsseldorf thinks they are part of the Bergisches Land. Ask what part of Germany Düsseldorf is in, and the answer will be the “Rhineland” or “Lower-Rhine.” Cultural association with ancient kingdoms is unsurprisingly low in modern metropolitan centers.