Neunkirchen (); en, Nine Churches) is a municipality in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, 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 ...

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 ...

Geography

Neunkirchen lies on the river Heller, about 10 km south of

Siegen Siegen () is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly sho ...

Neighbouring communities

Neunkirchen neighbours the communities of Burbach,

Wilnsdorf Wilnsdorf is a municipality in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography The southern municipal limits, with the Kalteiche peak, part of the Rothaargebirge, form not only the community's highest point, at ...

Herdorf Herdorf () is a town in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Heller, approx. 20 km south-west of Siegen. Twin towns — sister cities Herdorf is twinned with: * Saint-Laurent-du-Pon ...

and Daaden.

Constituent communities

Neunkirchen consists of the following centres: * Altenseelbach * Neunkirchen * Salchendorf * Struthütten * Wiederstein * Zeppenfeld Until 1 January 1969 all these places were independent municipalities, before they were all merged to form today's greater community of Neunkirchen.

History

Neunkirchen had its first documentary mention on 23 August 1288.

Religion

Neunkirchen has been shaped by the great influence of various Free-Church-Evangelical (''freikirchlich-evangelisch'') religious communities. This even, and especially, applies to the economic field, making its mark on the kind of approaches to management seen in the community. This practice works anachronistically, and for uninitiated

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

s – and even for Christians of both greater denominations in Germany – it can be quite incomprehensible. Those from outside seeking jobs are well advised to make inquiries as to the leadership style to be expected here, as well as to be sure of getting the most generous possible probationary period.

Politics

Municipal council

The council's 28 seats are apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 September 2004: Note: UWG is a citizens' coalition.

Coat of arms

Neunkirchen's civic

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

might be described thus: Or three lozenges in bend sable. The greater community's current arms are the same as those formerly borne by Altenseelbach before amalgamation. They were adopted as Neunkirchen's arms in 1969. The charge of the three lozenges comes from the arms borne by the Lords of Seelbach in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. A similar charge – in the same colours – can be seen in nearby Burbach's arm

Partnerships

* Pausa, Saxony, Pausa,

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, since 1990 *

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, friendship links since 1972; partnership since 1991 *

Falkensee Falkensee is a town in the Havelland district, Brandenburg, Germany. It is the most populated municipality of its district and it is situated at the western border of Berlin. History The commune Falkensee was formed in 1923 by the merger of Falk ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

Economy and infrastructure

Established businesses

* Heinrich Baumgarten KG – special plant for making handles for the cookware industry * Baumgarten automotive technics GmbH * Schäfer Werke * EMW Eisen- und Metallhandel * Karl Sauer GmbH * K. Sauer GmbH - lamps and contents * F. WEIDT GMBH Logistics Consulting

Literature

Otto Braun: ''700 Jahre Neunkirchen.'' Neunkirchen 1988.

References

External links

Neunkirchen

Altenseelbach
Municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia Siegen-Wittgenstein {{SiegenWittgenstein-geo-stub