Brilon (;
Westphalian: ''Brailen'') is a town in
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
, central
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, that belongs to the
Hochsauerlandkreis.
Geography
Brilon is situated on the
Brilon Heights
The Brilon Plateau (german: Briloner Hochfläche) is a highland area in the county of Hochsauerlandkreis in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is surrounded by the Brilon Heights (''Briloner Höhen''), whose mountains reach a heig ...
at an altitude of about 450 m on the upper reaches of the river
Möhne. The town lies between the Arnsberg Forest nature reserve to the west and the Lake Diemel nature reserve and the Hoppecke to the south-east.
Neighboring municipalities
Division of the town
After the local government reforms of 1975 Brilon consists of 17 districts:
* Alme (1.273 inhabitants)
* Altenbüren (1.453 inhabitants)
* Bontkirchen (553 inhabitants)
* Brilon Town (14.513 inhabitants)
* Brilon-Wald (595 inhabitants)
* Esshoff (80 inhabitants)
* Gudenhagen/Petersborn (1.273 inhabitants)
* Hoppecke (1.330 inhabitants)
* Madfeld (1.395 inhabitants)
* Messinghausen (898 inhabitants)
* Nehden (503 inhabitants)
* Radlinghausen (129 inhabitants)
* Rixen (143 inhabitants)
* Rösenbeck (858 inhabitants)
* Scharfenberg (1.533 inhabitants)
* Thülen (1.088 inhabitants)
* Wülfte (421 inhabitants)
(Source of population figures
www.briloner-wirtschaft.de
/ As at: 31 December 2004)
History
The first documentary reference occurs in a deed of the
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Otto II
Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. ...
dated 973, confirming to the
Cathedral of Magdeburg all those possessions in
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
given to it by his father, including the ''Villa Brilon''. This reference must of course apply to a considerably older settlement than the present town, presumably what is now Altenbrilon. The Brilon estate passed later by exchange to the Archbishops of
Paderborn
Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...
, who endowed their steward ("''
Vogt
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
''") with it.
In about 1220
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Engelbert I of Cologne
Count Engelbert II of Berg, also known as Saint Engelbert, Engelbert of Cologne, Engelbert I, Archbishop of Cologne or Engelbert I of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne (1185 or 1186, Schloss Burg – 7 November 1225, Gevelsberg) was archbishop of C ...
acquired the Brilon lands of the brothers Hermann and Gernand of Brilon. The Archbishop laid out a fortified town and gave it municipal rights. Bloody conflicts followed between the Archbishops of Cologne and the
Bishops of Paderborn
The Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn (german: Fürstbistum Paderborn; Hochstift Paderborn) was an ecclesiastical principality (Hochstift) of the Holy Roman Empire from 1281 to 1802.
History
The Diocese of Paderborn was founded in 799 by Pope ...
over the rights of possession of the place. These ended when the Bishop of Paderborn, after being taken prisoner, waived his rights to Brilon (1256).
Thereafter Brilon developed under the rulership of the Prince-Bishops of Cologne into a thriving town of c 3,000 inhabitants with an active trading and mining life and far-reaching business connections. As a trading town Brilon was also a member of the
Hansa
Hansa may refer to:
Places
*Hanseatic League, a 13th–17th century alliance of European trading cities
*Hansa (shopping centre), in Turku, Finland
*Hansa-Park, a German attraction park
*480 Hansa, a main-belt asteroid, a minor planet orbiting th ...
. In 1350 Brilon had between 500 and 600 houses. At this time Brilon held the position of the second city of Westphalia behind
Soest. After the secession of Soest in 1444 Brilon was elevated to being the capital of Westphalia.
In 1655, after three years of negotiations between the town magistrate and the
Minorites
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
resident in Brilon, the ''Gymnasium Petrinum
was founded as a monastery school. It is thus one of the oldest
Gymnasium (school), ''Gymnasien'' ("grammar schools") in Westphalia.
But already in the 15th century conflicts and military actions were leading to an economic decline; and the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries brought unspeakable misery to this once flourishing little town.
During the
Napoleonic period Brilon passed to
Hesse-Darmstadt
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Darmstadt) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a younger branch of the House of Hesse. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse betwee ...
, in 1802. After the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
of 1816 it was transferred to
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
, which made it the center of the Prussian ''
Kreis'' or district. In this way, as the seat of government offices and schools, Brilon regained significance. The construction of traffic connections and various municipal measures brought about a strong development of crafts and trade.
In
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the town was initially spared from
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
air raids. But on 10 January 1944 there came an attack by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
bombers which destroyed whole streets, particularly ''Hoppecker Straße'' and ''Derkere Mauer''. A bomb broke through the roof of the Provost's Church but did not explode. In this bombing raid 37 people were killed, including 13 children.
After the war Brilon became part of the newly created state of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
. In the course of the local government reorganization of 1975 the following communities were added to the town: formerly administered by the ''Amt'' Thülen: Alme, Bontkirchen, Hoppecke, Madfeld, Messinghausen, Nehden (belonging to Thülen parish), Radlinghausen, Rixen, Rösenbeck, Scharfenberg, Thülen and Wülfte; and formerly belonging to the ''Amt'' Bigge: Altenbüren and Esshoff.
Population Growth
The following numbers only show the population of the town of Brilon, not of the municipality.
* 2,592 inhabitants (1784), including 63 Jews 1)
* 3,584 inhabitants (1844), including 111 Evangelicals, 84 Jews
* 4,471 inhabitants (1890), including 231 Evangelicals, 95 Jews
* 5,849 inhabitants (1925)
* 6,480 inhabitants (1933)
* 6,959 inhabitants (1939)
* 14,305 inhabitants (1966)
1) Source: ''Vergangene Zeiten'' (''Past times''), volume 1 incl. the dependent communities (''Filialgemeinden'') Wülfte and Rixen
Arms
The arms of Brilon are: Party per fess, in chief, argent, a cross sable, and in base, sable, a key in bend argent, wards to the dexter. They were granted on 28 January 1911, but in this form first appear in a seal of 1548. The cross in the upper part is from the arms of the state of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
. The key, a motif which appears already in medieval seals, is one of the keys of
Saint Peter
Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...
,
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
.
Twin towns – sister cities
Brilon is
twinned with:
*
Buckow
Buckow ( or ) is a town in the Märkisch-Oderland district, in Brandenburg, Germany. The water cure resort is the administrative seat of the ''Amt'' (municipal association) Märkische Schweiz and located in the centre of the eponymous hill range, ...
, Germany
*
Hesdin, France
*
Heusden-Zolder
Heusden-Zolder (; li, Heuze-Zolder ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian Limburg (Belgium), province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769. The total ar ...
, Belgium
*
Thurso
Thurso (pronounced ; sco, Thursa, gd, Inbhir Theòrsa ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great ...
, Scotland, United Kingdom
Culture and Sights
Museums
* Brilon Town Museum
Buildings
Brilon
* Derker Gate
* Evangelical Town Church (''built in 1856 to plans by Schinkel'')
* Geschichtsbrunnen (''History Fountain'')
* Church of St Nicholas
* Provost's Church of St Peter and St Andrew
* Town Hall and Market Place with the "Kump"
* Schultenhaus (''House of the Mayor'')
* Sauvigny House
* District Courthouse. Late Classical stuccoed building of 1877
* Residential buildings: Schulgasse 14, a two-storied rough stone building of 1431, 1659 and 1720 with half-timbered extensions; Steinweg 26, a half-timbered building of 1767 with older masonry
Parks
* Arnsberg Forest Nature Reserve
* Lake Diemel Nature Reserve
* Brilon Park
Regular Events
* Schützenfest, last weekend in June
* ''Schnadegang'' or ''Schnadezug'' (marking the town boundaries) every second year on the Monday after the Schutzenfest
* Brilon Open Air Festival (street theatre and live music) in July or August
* Old Town Festival, at the end of August
* Kirmes, last weekend in September
Economy and Infrastructure
Communications
From Brilon heading westwards, approx 30 minutes away on the Bundesstraße
B 7 is the motorway
A 46 at
Bestwig, in the direction of the
Ruhrgebiet. Heading eastwards, the motorway
A 44 at
Marsberg
Marsberg () is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
History
Although its origins are obscure, Marsberg was a prospering town by the 13th century (it was even minting coins). It was a free city until 1807, when ...
, in the direction of
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...
is about 40 minutes away. On the Bundesstraße
B 480 it is possible to reach the highway
A 33 at
Wünnenberg in about 30 minutes, in the direction of
Paderborn
Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...
/
Bielefeld.
Brilon Stadt station
Brilon Stadt (town) station is one of four passenger stations that are still in service in the town of Brilon in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located near the centre of Brilon. The former goods shed of the station is a listed b ...
is near the town center.
Brilon Wald station
The Brilon Wald station is a station on the Upper Ruhr Valley Railway (german: Obere Ruhrtalbahn) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It was opened 5.5 km south of Brilon in the forest (''Wald'') with the construction of the line o ...
is about 10 km from the town center. From here local trains leave every hour for
Warburg
Warburg (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Warberich'' or ''Warborg'') is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It ...
,
Hagen
Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...
and
Korbach via
Willingen.
From the air Brilon is accessible through the airport at
Paderborn-Lippstadt. Sports-airplanes can land at Brilon Airport in the Thülener Bruch.
Media
The regional daily newspaper is the ''Westfalenpost'', with a local edition for Brilon and the Hochsauerland district. Furthermore, there is the free weekly paper ''Sauerlandkurier'' with information from the whole of the
Sauerland
The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited.
The Sauerland is the largest tourist region in ...
. Also weekly is the ''Briloner Anzeiger'', a newspaper for Brilon, Olsberg, and Willingen.
Public Organizations
* Brilon District Court
* Brilon Finance Office
* District administration for the Hochsauerland District, Brilon Office
* Hospital "Maria Hilf"
Notable people
Honorary Citizens
*
Eduard Pape (1816–1888),
lawyer, contributor to the
Bürgerliche Gesetzbuch in 1887
Natives of the Town
*
Johann Georg Weishaupt (1716–1753), professor of law at the University of Ingolstadt
* Johann Suibert Seibertz (1788–1871), in
Arnsberg
Arnsberg (; wep, Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochs ...
), historian and judge
*
Franz Heinrich Reusch
Franz Heinrich Reusch (4 December 1825 – 3 March 1900) was an Old Catholic theologian.
He was born at Brilon, in Westphalia, studied general literature at Paderborn, and theology at Bonn, Tübingen and Munich. The friend and pupil of Döl ...
(1823–1900), in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
), Old Catholic theologian and church historian
* Paul Kleinschnittger (1909–1989), Automotive engineer and producer of the Kleinschnittger cars
* Fritz Dorls (1910–1995), politician, Member of Bundestag, founder and President of the banned extreme-Right-wing party, the
SRP
*
Edgar Selge
Edgar Selge (born 27 March 1948) is a German actor and writer.
Selge was born in Brilon in 1949, the son of a prison warden, grew up in Herford. He studied philosophy and German in Munich and Dublin as well as classical piano in Vienna. He gradu ...
(born 1948), actor
*
Friedrich Merz (born 1955), lawyer, Member of Bundestag from 1994 to 2009, Chairman of the
CDU since 2022
*
Birgit Schrowange (born 1958), TV presenter
Other
In Brilon is the start of the 184 km long newly opened ramblers' trail across the
Rothaar Mountains, the
Rothaarsteig
The Rothaarsteig is a 154.80 km long hiking trail along the crest of the Rothaargebirge mountain range in Germany in the border region between the states of North Rhine-Westphalia (NW) and Hesse (HE). It was opened in 2001.
Overview
Th ...
.
Brillion, Wisconsin
Brillion is a city in Calumet County, Wisconsin, Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,327 as of July 1, 2019. The city is located within the Brillion (town), Wisconsin, Town of Brillion, though it is politically inde ...
is named after Brilon.
References
Literature
* Provost's Office, Brilon(ed): ''Propsteikirche Brilon''. 3rd. edition, Brilon 1988
* Thomas Spohn: ''Brilon'' (Westfälische Kunststätten, Heft 84). Münster 1997
* Vergangene Zeiten - Geschichte aus Brilon Band 1 ()
External links
Official website Gymnasium Petrinum
{{Authority control
Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia
Hochsauerlandkreis
Members of the Hanseatic League