Arnsberg

Arnsberg (German pronunciation: [ˈaʁnsbɛʁk] (listen); Westphalian: Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg's administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochsauerlandkreis.

This article is about the city in Germany. For other uses, see Arnsberg (disambiguation).
Arnsberg
Coat of arms
Location of Arnsberg within Hochsauerland district
Olsberg
Arnsberg
Arnsberg
Coordinates: 51°23′N 8°5′E
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionArnsberg
DistrictHochsauerland
Subdivisions15
Government
 • MayorRalf Paul Bittner (SPD)
Area
 • Total193.45 km2 (74.69 sq mi)
Elevation
212 m (696 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total73,456
 • Density380/km2 (980/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
59755, 59757, 59759, 59821, 59823
Dialling codes02931 Arnsberg
02932 Neheim-Hüsten
02935 Wennigloh
02937 Oeventrop
Vehicle registrationHSK
Websitewww.arnsberg.de
Propsteikirche

Geography

Location

Arnsberg is located in the north-east of the Sauerland in the Ruhr river valley. The river Ruhr meanders around the south of the old town of Arnsberg. The town is nearly completely encircled by forest, and the nature parkArnsberger Wald lies to the north".

Arnsberg is connected by Federal Motorway 46 (Autobahn 46) Brilon in the east and (using the Federal Motorway 445) Werl in the west. It is also connected by several railroad stations, which provide a connection to the major city Dortmund and the Ruhrgebiet. There is also a regional airport, located in the city district of Vosswinkel, which is exclusively used for small private aircraft.

The municipal territory spans a distance of up to 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the southern to the northern limits.

Neighbouring municipalities

Subdivisions

After the local government reforms of 1975 Arnsberg consists of 15 boroughs (Ortsteile):

  • Neheim (23,448 inhabitants)
  • Arnsberg (19,355 inhabitants)
  • Hüsten (11,304 inhabitants)
  • Oeventrop (6,713 inhabitants)
  • Herdringen (4,118 inhabitants)
  • Bruchhausen (3,337 inhabitants)
  • Müschede (2,870 inhabitants)
  • Voßwinkel (2,523 inhabitants)
  • Niedereimer (2,082 inhabitants)
  • Holzen (2,022 inhabitants)
  • Rumbeck (1,305 inhabitants)
  • Wennigloh (1,004 inhabitants)
  • Bachum (959 inhabitants)
  • Breitenbruch (219 inhabitants)
  • Uentrop (346 inhabitants)
Jewish cemetery

History

Arnsberg was first mentioned in 789 in the Carolingian records (Urbar) as belonging to the abbey of Werden. The town was built by the counts of Werl in the 11th century. They built a castle there whose remains can still be visited and are occasionally used for public celebrations. It was destroyed in the Seven Years' War in 1769.

In the 12th century, old Arnsberg became the seat of Westphalian jurisdiction (whose coat of arms is still used today by the Hochsauerlandkreis). Later, the city lost its independence and was subject to the Archbishops of Colognea. In 1816, it came under Prussian rule and was made a local administrative centre.

In 1794 the French attacked Cologne, so parts of the treasure of the Cologne Cathedral were brought to safety to Arnsberg, also the relics of the Biblical Magi. In 1804 the treasure was returned to Cologne. A plaque in the Propsteikirche reminds of those years.

The current city of Arnsberg was created in 1975 by merging 14 cities and municipalities into one city. Old Arnsberg itself and Neheim-Hüsten are the two urban parts, while the other parts are very rural. Neheim and Hüsten were merged in 1941.

In the Second World War, Arnsberg first suffered widespread destruction and catastrophic loss of lives when RAF Lancasters breached the dam of the Möhne Reservoir in the night from 16 to 17 May 1943 (Operation Chastise). The nearby Abbey Himmelpforten was completely washed away.

Later, dozens of Arnsberg citizens were killed in several British air raids aimed at destroying the railway viaduct. The targets were finally destroyed on 19 March 1945 using a Grand Slam bomb.

Demographics

Religion

Arnsberg's population is mostly Roman Catholic. Arnsberg belongs to the Archdiocese of Paderborn. Catholic churches include the "Propsteikirche" or the "Heilig-Kreuz Kirche"; the "Auferstehungskirche" is a Protestant church. There is also a New Apostolic congregation. In the last years Arnsberg's Muslim minority grew considerably. There's a mosque. The cemeteries are mostly Catholic but there is also a Jewish cemetery.

Arts and culture

The Kunstverein Arnsberg operates in Arnsberg. Founded in 1987 and devoted to contemporary art, Kunstverein Arnsberg has presented solo exhibitions by artists including George Baselitz, Thomas Ruff, Karin Sander, Dan Perjovschi, Boris Mikhailov, Gregor Schneider, Erwin Wurm, the Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz and the Marcel Duchamp Prize winner Laurent Grasso.

Government

City arms

The arms of the city depict a white eagle on a blue field. Earlier it was a white eagle on a red field, introduced in 1278 and as used by the counts of Arnsberg . In the 17th century the red was changed to blue, reflecting the Bavarian blue of the House of Wittelsbach.

Mayors

Mayors of the new town Arnsberg

YearsMayorParty
1975–1984:Gerhard TerietCDU
1984–1999:Alex PaustSPD
1999–2017:Hans-Josef VogelCDU
2018–today:Ralf Paul BittnerSPD

Twin towns – sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Arnsberg is twinned with:[2]

Notable people
Statue Franz von Fürstenberg in Münster
Buchenwald memorial
  • Arnsberg
  • Glockenturm (Bell tower)
  • Marienhospital (hospital)

See also

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2019" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  2. "Partnerstädte". arnsberg.de (in German). Arnsberg. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
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