Hagen-Priorei

Priorei (officially Hagen-Priorei) is a small town on the River Volme in the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

district of Germany. Administratively a part of the independent urban district of

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 ...

(

North Rhine Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabi ...

) since 1975, it is situated some 12 km south of Hagen city centre. Priorei is best known for an ancient tree, believed to be over 1000 years old, the ''Priorlinde'' (the prior's

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

). This is the basis of the town's name, although no

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...

ever existed here: it is a corruption of an

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

word meaning a place of assembly for law making, and such assemblies were commonly held under a lime tree. Numerous mills, smithies, and foundries arose along the Volme in the pre-industrial age, harnessing the river's power, and Priorei was one of the localities in which the iron industry developed during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Priorei lies on federal road 54 ( Gronau –

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

) and is served by bus route 510 ( Baukloh – Hagen – Sterbecke). Hagen {{Hagen-geo-stub