Business

The incorporation of territory on the left-bank of the Rhine into the French republic – and later into the Napoleonic Empire – fostered an economic upturn. The reason for this was a unified economic area with modern commercial laws and freedom to do business. The banning of English competitors, under the Continental System of 1803, also favoured textile production, meaning that the area around Mönchengladbach, Rheydt and Krefeld developed into a prominent Rhenish industrial landscape.

On the occasion of his Rhine trip, A.Klebe reported on the new commercial freedom:
"This freedom to carry on any kind of business has resulted in an incredible number of taverns, coffee-houses and restaurants, especially on the left bank of the Rhine… In order to stand out from the crowd, especially those shops belonging to the French display huge signs and large notices inscribed with very appetizing contents, painted in garish, striking colours."
(A. Klebe: Reise auf dem Rhein, 1806, Frankfurt a.M., S. 80f.)

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