The Neandertal (; ) (sometimes called in English "the Neander Valley") is a small valley of the river Düssel in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located about east of Düsseldorf, the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia. The valley belongs to the area of the towns Erkrath and Mettmann. In August 1856, the area became famous for the discovery of Neanderthal 1, the first specimen of Homo neanderthalensis to be found.