Finnentrop

Finnentrop is a Gemeinde (municipality) in Olpe district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Finnentrop
Bamenohl castle
Coat of arms
Location of Finnentrop within Olpe district
OlpeWenden
Finnentrop
Finnentrop
Coordinates: 51°10′N 07°58′E
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionArnsberg
DistrictOlpe
Subdivisions40
Government
 • MayorDietmar Heß (CDU)
Area
 • Total104.34 km2 (40.29 sq mi)
Highest elevation
651 m (2,136 ft)
Lowest elevation
220 m (720 ft)
Population
 (2019-12-31)[1]
 • Total16,955
 • Density160/km2 (420/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
57413
Dialling codes02721, 02395, 02724
Vehicle registrationOE
Websitewww.finnentrop.de

Geography

Finnentrop is situated in the Sauerland, near the forks of the rivers Bigge and Lenne. Finnentrop shares borders with Sundern and Eslohe (both part of Hochsauerland district), Lennestadt and Attendorn (both in Olpe district), as well as with Plettenberg (Märkischer Kreis district). Finnentrop is divided into the following constituent communities:

Ahausen with Ahauser Mühle, Dahm
Altfinnentrop
Bamenohl
Bausenrode
Deutmecke
Elsmecke
Faulebutter
Fehrenbracht with Fretterspring
Finnentrop
Fretter with Delf, Giebelscheid
Frettermühle with Mißmecke
Frielentrop
Gierschlade with Schwartmecke
Glinge
Heggen
Hollenbock
Hülschotten with Tiefenau
Illeschlade
Lenhausen
Müllen
Ostentrop
Permecke
Ramscheid
Rönkhausen
Sange
Schliprüthen with Schliprüthener Mühle, Becksiepen, Kuckuck, Steinsiepen
Schöndelt
Schönholthausen with Besten
Serkenrode
Weringhausen
Weuspert with Klingelborn
Wiebelhausen
Wörden

History

While the municipality of Finnentrop didn't come into being before 1 July 1969, the history of the constituting villages dates back from the Middle Ages. In 1162 Lenhausen and Rönkhausen were mentioned for the first time. Until 13 July 1908, the place now known as Finnentrop had three names: Habbecke, Neubrücke (“Newbridge”) and, once the Ruhr-Sieg railway was built, Bahnhof Finnentrop (“Finnentrop Railway Station”). Neubrücke consisted of only one building at the forks of Bigge and Lenne (Reuters Haus, first mentioned in 1847). The “new bridge” seems to have already been built by 1847, as the “Reuter” had to charge tolls.

The new municipality was cobbled together in 1969 from parts of the old Amt of Serkenrode (Meschede district), the communities of Schliprüthen and Oedingen and parts of Attendorn-Land and Helden. This restructuring also saw the municipality pass from Meschede district (which was abolished in 1974) to Olpe district. The municipality’s name is drawn from the original centre of Finnentrop situated a few hundred metres up the Bigge river, now known as Altfinnentrop (“alt” is German for “old”). The ending —trop comes from trop or torp, meaning “village”. The High German word Dorf is a cognate, as is the English word thorpe.

The municipal arms shows a rose under a wavy chevron. The rose stands for the Lords of Finnentrop (von Vinnentrop) and dates back to the year 1358. The chevron stands for the two rivers, the Bigge and the Lenne, which merge in the municipality. The colour green refers to the great swathes of greenery in the municipal area.

Finnentrop maintains partnership arrangements with:

Mayors

The mayor is since 1997 the jurist Dietmar Heß (* 1955) (CDU). In September 2020 Achim Henkel (CDU) has been elected. The 53 year old first chief police officer used to be in charge of the policestation in Olpe for many years.

Culture and sightseeing

Theatres & Museums
  • Schützenhof Lichtspiele, 1954-vintage movie theater renovated in 2006 with 170 seats
  • Heimatstube Schönholthausen (museum)

Buildings
  • St. Georg in Schliprüthen
  • Mariä Himmelfahrt in Schönholthausen
  • Matthiaskapelle in Altfinnentrop
  • Haus Bamenohl
  • Schloss Ahausen
  • Schloss Lenhausen
  • St. Georg hall church in (Schliprüthen), dating from before the 12th century
  • Romanesque Catholic parish church Mariä Himmelfahrt in Schönholthausen, dating in parts from the 13th century
  • Matthiaskapelle chapel in Altfinnentrop from 1383
  • Haus Bamenohl castle in Bamenohl (14th century)
  • Schloss Ahausen castle close to Heggen
  • Schloss Lenhausen castle in Lenhausen (13th century)
  • Reiterstellwerk (historic signal box)

Regular events
  • Schützenfest (marksmen's festival) in the larger villages
  • Prunksitzung by the Lenhausen Carnival Club (LCC) (revue, Saturday before Altweibertag – Old Women’s Day)
  • Prunksitzung by the Festkommitee Finnentroper Karneval (revue)
  • Waldfest “Im Schee” Finnentrop (“forest festival”, weekend before Whitsun)
  • Spritzenfest of the fire station Bamenohl (second weekend in August)
  • Open-air concert at Haus Bamenohl (third weekend in August)
  • Bürgerfrühschoppen of the fire brigade on German Unity Day
  • Christmas market at the town hall (second weekend in Advent)

Economy and infrastructure

Among the nationally known companies in Finnentrop are Eibach (automotive springs), Metten Fleischwaren (meat processing) and a plant of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG.

Transport

Finnentrop station is situated at the Ruhr–Sieg railway, from where the Bigge Valley Railway connects to Olpe. The Attendorn-Finnentrop aerodrome (ICAO airport code: EDKU) is situated close to the village of Heggen.

Public institutions
  • Rathaus Finnentrop (town hall)
  • Erlebnisbad Finto (natatorium)
  • Jugendherberge Bamenohl (Germany’s first private youth hostel after the Second World War)
  • Jugendherberge Heggen (hostel
  • Finnentrop volunteer fire brigade with eleven fire stations

Education

There are six primary schools, one Hauptschule, one Realschule and one Gesamtschule.

Famous people

Honorary citizens
  • Erwin Oberkalkofen, former mayor
  • Ernst Vollmer, former municipality director

Sons and daughters of the municipality

Famous people who have worked in the municipality

Further reading
  • Bitter, Franz, Finnentrop Sauerland. Das Pfarrdorf, seine Industrie, der Eisenbahnknotenpunkt und seine Bewohner. Finnentrop 1955. edited by Sasse, R., 2005.
  • Feldmann, Thomas, Die Finnentroper Chronik. Finnentrop 1994.
  • Pickert’sche Sammlung, written by Voss, W., edited by Sasse, R., 2005,
  • further collection of literature from the Arbeitskreis für Geschichte und Heimatpflege in der Gemeinde Finnentrop e.V.

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2019" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
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