Schwerte
Schwerte | |
---|---|
![]() Church of St. Victor | |
Location of Schwerte within Unna district ![]() | |
Coordinates: 51°26′45″N 7°33′55″E / 51.44583°N 7.56528°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
Admin. region | Arnsberg |
District | Unna |
Government | |
• Mayor (2018–23) | Dimitrios Axourgos[1] (SPD) |
Area | |
• Total | 56.2 km2 (21.7 sq mi) |
Elevation | 120 m (390 ft) |
Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 46,571 |
• Density | 830/km2 (2,100/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 58239 |
Dialling codes | 02304 |
Vehicle registration | UN |
Website | www.schwerte.de |
Schwerte (German pronunciation: [ʃveːɐ̯tə] ; Westphalian: Schweierte) is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
[edit]Schwerte is situated in the Ruhr valley, at the south-east border of the Ruhr Area. South of Schwerte begins the mountainous Sauerland region.
Division of the town
[edit]After the local government reforms of 1975 Schwerte consists of the following districts:
History
[edit]Schwerte received civic rights in the 12th century.
The railway facility in the eastern district of Schwerte became a branch of the Buchenwald concentration camp in April 1944. The camp had 445 prisoners in August and 670 in November 1944. The number of escapees was comparatively high; in November 1944 48 prisoners escaped. The camp in Schwerte was disbanded in December 1944 and the remaining prisoners were brought back to Buchenwald.[3]
Main sights
[edit]- The Romanesque church of St. Victor has a carved altar of 1523, and stained glass of the 14th and 15th centuries.
- The Wuckenhof is a timber-framed house built in the 16th century.[4]
- The Ruhrtalmuseum is situated in a former town hall, that was built in 1547.[5]
- The Rohrmeisterei was built in 1889 by a water purification company. It was a pumping station until 1924. Today it is part of the German route of industrial heritage (Route der Industriekultur).[6]
Economy
[edit]Today, there are some industries left, which are confined to the manufacture of iron and steel goods.
Twin towns – sister cities
[edit]Béthune, France (1960)
Bruay-la-Buissière, France (1965)
Violaines, France (1969)
Allouagne, France (1975)
Hastings, England, UK (1982)
Cava de' Tirreni, Italy (1984)
Leppävirta, Finland (1992)
Pyatigorsk, Russia (1992)
Ioannina, Greece (2022)
Notable people
[edit]- Johannes Goddaeus (1555–1632), jurist
- Heinrich Rehkemper (1894–1949), baritone singer
- Erwin Rösener (1902–1946), SS-Obergruppenführer Nazi officer executed for war crimes
- Werner van der Zyl (1902–1984), rabbi
- Detlef Lewe (1939–2008), sprint canoer, lived in Schwerte
- Paul Kevenhörster (born 1941), political scientist
- Wolfgang Kleff (born 1946), footballer
- Rosemarie Trockel (born 1952), artist
- Carmen Rischer (born 1956), rhythmic gymnast
- Thomas Kroth (born 1959), footballer, lives in Schwerte
- Violetta Oblinger-Peters (born 1977), Austrian slalom canoeist
- Jens Ewald (born 1983), slalom canoeist
- Lasse Sobiech (born 1991), footballer
References
[edit]- ^ Wahl des/der Bürgermeisters/in Stadt Schwerte 04.03.2018, accessed 30 June 2021.
- ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ Benz, Wolfgang; Barabara Distel; Angelika Königseder (2006). Der Ort des Terrors: Geschichte der nationalsozialistischen Konzentrationslager (in German). C.H.Beck. pp. 572–574. ISBN 978-3-406-52963-4. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
- ^ Teil VI: Die Freiherren von Syberg zu Schwerte, Hees und Sümmern (German)
- ^ Das Ruhrtalmuseum (German)
- ^ Rohrmeisterei Schwerte (German)
- ^ "Die Schwerter Arbeitskreise". staedtepartnerschaft.schwerte.de (in German). Schwerte. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
External links
[edit]- Official website (in German)
- Heimatverein Ergste Internet site of the local history society of Ergste
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