Monheim am Rhein is rich in history and stories, because the oldest documented references to the town date back to the years 1151 and 1157. Both documents mention a "wilhelm de munheym" (Wilhelm von Monheim).

Towards the end of the 12th century, the Counts of Berg gained a foothold in the Monheim area. Incidentally, it is they who gave the local area its name: the Bergisches Land.

The rule of the counts of Berg (dukes as of 1380) lasted for about 600 years. They elevated Monheim to the rank of a "free town" sometime between 1390 and 1408. That gave Monheim a status that was close to that of a city and with which, for example, things such as market rights were associated. The "FreiheitMonheim" was newly fortified from 1423 onwards, and the Rogue’s Tower still bears witness to this today.

From 1806 onward, the Bergisches Land and thus also Monheim were under the rule of the French Emperor Napoleon. The Congress of Vienna awarded the area to Prussia in 1815. Monheim formed a joint mayoralty with Baumberg, Hitdorf and Rheindorf.

In 1960, Monheim finally received its city charter, and a phase of rapid growth then began. The incorporation of the districts of Monheim and Baumberg into Düsseldorf in 1975, which was decided by the state parliament, was a major caesura in Monheim’s history , but remained merely an interlude. After independence was restored in the middle of 1976, the city was able to continue its successful progress.

Since 1994, the city’s name has officially been Monheim am Rhein, i.e. Monheim on the Rhine. It emphasizes the town’s unique geographical location and distinguishes it from a second Monheim in Swabia (Bavaria).