Goch

County of Guelders 1259-1339
Duchy of Guelders 1339-1393
Duchy of Jülich 1393-1423
Duchy of Guelders 1423-1473
Duchy of Cleves 1473-1521
United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg 1521-1614
Duchy of Cleves 1614-1622
Spanish Empire 1622-1625
Duchy of Cleves 1625-1666
Brandenburg-Prussia 1666-1701
Kingdom of Prussia 1701-1757
Kingdom of France 1757-1762
Kingdom of Prussia 1762-1795
French Republic 1795-1804
French Empire 1804-1815
Kingdom of Prussia 1815-1871
German Empire 1871-1918
Weimar Republic 1919-1933
Nazi Germany 1933-1945
Allied-occupied Germany 1945-1949
West Germany 1949-1990
Germany 1990-present

Goch is at least 750 years old: the earliest mention of Goch is in a document dated 1259. It was a part of the Duchy of Cleves. During World War II, the city was completely destroyed by Allied bombers during Operation Veritable. On September 8th, 2011, A Magnitude 4.5 struck the town, causing damage to infrasctructure and to homes.

Goch is twinned with:

• Andover, England, United Kingdom
• Meierijstad, Netherlands (formerly Veghel)
• Nowy Tomyśl, Poland
• Redon, France

• Otto III (980-1002), Holy Roman Emperor
• Johannes von Goch (c. 1400-1475), Medieval theologian
• Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen (1540-1589), military commander in the Netherlands
• Francisco de Moncada (1586-1635), Spanish author, military leader, and governor of the Spanish Netherlands, died here
• Aenne Biermann (1898-1933), photographer
• Hubert Houben (1898-1956), athlete
• Josefa Idem (born 1964), Italian sprint canoer and politician
• Arnold Janssen (1837-1909), founder of the Society of the Divine Word, a Roman Catholic missionary congregation
• Rita Kersting (born 1969), art historian
• Luisa Wensing (born 1993), footballer

Vincent van Gogh, according to his name, which translates to "Vincent from Goch", has ancestors likely native to this location.