Arnsberg (; wep, Arensperg) is a town in the

Hochsauerland Hochsauerlandkreis (meaning “High Sauerland District” in German) is a Kreis (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Soest, Paderborn, Höxter, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe, Mär ...

county, in the German 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 ...

. It is the location of the

Regierungsbezirk A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...

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 ...

administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochsauerlandkreis district.

Geography

Location

Arnsberg is located in the north-east 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 ...

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 ...

river valley. The river Ruhr

meanders A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank w ...

around the south of the old town of Arnsberg. The town is nearly completely encircled by forest, and the nature park ''

Arnsberger Wald The Arnsberg Forest Nature Park (german: Naturpark Arnsberger Wald) is a nature park in the districts of Hochsauerlandkreis and Soest within the administrictive region of Arnsberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The park was est ...

'' lies to the north". Arnsberg is connected by Federal Motorway 46 (Autobahn 46)

Brilon Brilon (; Westphalian: ''Brailen'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany, that belongs to the Hochsauerlandkreis. Geography Brilon is situated on the Brilon Heights at an altitude of about 450 m on the upper reaches of the r ...

in the east and (using the Federal Motorway 445)

Werl Werl (; Westphalian: ''Wiärl'') is a town located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Werl is easily accessible because it is located between the Sauerland, Münsterland, and the Ruhr Area. The Hellweg road ...

in the west. It is also connected by several railroad stations, which provide a connection to the major city

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

and the

gebiet. There is also a regional airport, located in the city district of Vosswinkel, which is exclusively used for small private aircraft. The municipal territory spans a distance of up to from the southern to the northern limits.

Neighbouring municipalities

Ense Ense () is a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Ense is situated on the river Möhne, approx. 12 km north-west of Arnsberg and 12 km south-west of Soest. Ense lies at the northside of ...

Möhnesee Möhnesee is a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography The Möhnesee municipality is situated around the Möhne Reservoir (hence the name), approx. 10 km south of Soest. History On the night of ...

* Warstein * Meschede *

Sundern Sundern is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name Sundern is common in Westphalia, as it means "ground given away for private usage" in the Westphalian dialect. Geography Sundern is situated approximate ...

* Balve * Menden

Subdivisions

After the local government reforms of 1975 Arnsberg consists of 15 boroughs (''Ortsteile''): * Neheim (23,448 inhabitants) * Arnsberg (19,355 inhabitants) * Hüsten (11,304 inhabitants) * Oeventrop (6,713 inhabitants) * Herdringen (4,118 inhabitants) * Bruchhausen (3,337 inhabitants) * Müschede (2,870 inhabitants) * Voßwinkel (2,523 inhabitants) * Niedereimer (2,082 inhabitants) * Holzen (2,022 inhabitants) * Rumbeck (1,305 inhabitants) * Wennigloh (1,004 inhabitants) * Bachum (959 inhabitants) * Breitenbruch (219 inhabitants) * Uentrop (346 inhabitants) Jüdischer Friedhof Arnsberg

History

Beginnings

Arnsberg was first mentioned in 789 in the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

records ( Urbar) as belonging to the abbey of Werden. Arnsberg was the seat of the Counts of Arnsberg from around 1070 and received city rights in 1238. In 1368 the last of the Counts of Arnsberg, Count Gottfried IV, handed over the city and county to Kurköln as he had no heir. They built a castle there whose remains can still be visited and are occasionally used for public celebrations. In the 12th century, old Arnsberg became the seat of Westphalian jurisdiction (whose coat of arms is still used today by the Hochsauerlandkreis). Later, the city lost its independence and was subject to the

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 ...

s of Cologne.

18th/19th Century

The castle of Arnsberg was destroyed in the Seven Years' War in 1769. In 1794 the French attacked Cologne, so parts of the treasure of the Cologne Cathedral were brought to safety in Arnsberg, along with the relics of the

Biblical Magi The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the G ...

. In 1804, the treasure was returned to Cologne, as commemorated by a plaque in the Propsteikirche. In 1816, Arnsberg came under Prussian rule and was made a local administrative centre.

World War Two

Neheim and Hüsten were merged in 1941. During the Second World War, Arnsberg first suffered widespread destruction and catastrophic loss of lives when RAF Lancasters breached the dam of the Möhne Reservoir in the night of the 16 to 17 May 1943 ( Operation Chastise). The nearby Abbey Himmelpforten was completely washed away. Later, dozens of Arnsberg's citizens were killed in several British air raids aimed at destroying the railway

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...

. The targets were finally destroyed on 19 March 1945 using a 'Grand Slam' bomb.

Contemporary history

The current city of Arnsberg was created in 1975 by merging 12 surrounding municipalities (Bachum, Breitenbruch, Herdringen, Holzen, Müschede, Niedereimer, Oeventrop, Rumbeck, Uentrop, Voßwinkel and Wennigloh) into one city. Old Arnsberg itself and Neheim-Hüsten are the two main urban areas, while the other parts are mainly rural areas.

Demographics

Religion

Arnsberg's population is mostly Roman Catholic. Arnsberg belongs to the

Archdiocese of Paderborn The Archdiocese of Paderborn is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany; its seat is Paderborn.

Catholic churches The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a p ...

include the "Propsteikirche" or the "Heilig-Kreuz Kirche" and the "Auferstehungskirche", which is a Protestant church. There is also a New Apostolic congregation. In recent years Arnsberg's Muslim minority grew considerably. The town has a mosque. The cemeteries are mostly Catholic but there is also a Jewish cemetery.

Arts and culture

The Kunstverein Arnsberg operates in Arnsberg. Founded in 1987 and devoted to contemporary art, Kunstverein Arnsberg has presented solo exhibitions by artists including

Georg Baselitz Georg Baselitz (born 23 January 1938) is a German painter, sculptor and graphic artist. In the 1960s he became well known for his figurative, expressive paintings. In 1969 he began painting his subjects upside down in an effort to overcome the ...

, Thomas Ruff,

Karin Sander Karin Sander (born 1957 in Bensberg, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German conceptual artist. She lives and works in Berlin and Zurich. Life Karin Sander studied at the Freie Kunstschule Stuttgart and at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden K ...

, Dan Perjovschi,

Boris Mikhailov Boris Mikhailov may refer to: * Boris Mikhailov (Comintern), representative of the Communist International to the US in 1929-30 * Boris Mikhailov (photographer) (born 1938), fine art photographer * Boris Mikhailov (ice hockey) (born 1944), former ...

Gregor Schneider Gregor Schneider (born 1969 in Rheydt) is a German artist. His projects have proven controversial and provoked intense discussions. In 2001, he was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale for his infamous work ''Totes Haus u r'' exhibited ...

, Erwin Wurm, the Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz and the Marcel Duchamp Prize winner Laurent Grasso.

Government

City arms

The arms of the city depict a white eagle on a blue field. Earlier it was a white eagle on a red field, introduced in 1278 and as used by the counts of Arnsberg . In the 17th century the red was changed to blue, reflecting the Bavarian blue of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...

Mayors

Mayors of the new town Arnsberg

Twin towns – sister cities

Arnsberg is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Alba Iulia, Romania *

Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...

, Netherlands * Bexley, England, United Kingdom *

Olesno Olesno is a town in Opole Voivodship, Poland about north-east of the city of Opole. It is the capital of Olesno County and seat of the Gmina Olesno. History The area near the ancient Amber Road had been settled since the Neolithic era. Olesno ...

, Poland *

Caltagirone Caltagirone (; scn, Caltaggiruni ; Latin: ''Calata Hieronis'') is an inland city and ''comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administ ...

, Italy

Notable people

* Franz von Fürstenberg (1729–1810), statesman and reformer school in Archbishopric Münster, founder of the Münster University * Wilhelm Hasenclever, (1837–1889), politician *

Karl Brüggemann Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austr ...

(1896–1977), honorary district in Kreis Arnsberg from 1961 to 1969 * Franz Stock (1904–1948), since 1934 pastor of the German Catholic community in Paris, during the German occupation chaplain for French prisoners (companion sentenced to death), 1945 head of a prisoner of war seminar in Chartres * Hans Bernd Gisevius, (1904–1974), diplomat * Fritz Cremer, (1906–1993), artist * Betsy von Furstenberg, (1931–2015), actress * Franz Müntefering, (born 1940), politician (SPD) * Mike de Vries, (born 1958), brand and business manager *

Andrea Fischer Andrea Fischer (born January 14, 1960) is a former member of the German Bundestag for the German Green Party and from 1998 until 2001 was Federal Minister for Health. She dropped out of the Bundestag in 2002. Life Education and profession After ...

(born 1960), politician ( Alliance '90 / The Greens) and journalist, former Federal Minister of Health *

Meinolf Finke Meinolf Finke (born 14 August 1963 in Arnsberg) is a German writer and poet. Life and career Meinolf Finke was born 1963 in Arnsberg (Westphalia). After obtaining the Abitur at ''Gymnasium Laurentianum Arnsberg'', military service and a trainin ...

, (born 1963), poet * Helena Fromm (born 1987), taekwondo athlete, Olympic medalist * Georg Poplutz, tenor

People related to Arnsberg

Fotothek df ld 0003122 001 Denkmäler - Denkmale - Ehrenmäler - Ehrenmale ^ Mahnm

Paul Moder Paul Moder (1 October 1896, Neheim – 8 February 1942) was a German NSDAP politician, a captain in the Freikorps and the SS and Police Leader in Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m ...

(1896–1942), politician (NSDAP), Freikorps member and SS officer *

Walther Neye Walther Neye (24 July 1901 – 12 August 1989) was a German lawyer. Between 1952 and 1957 he was the rector of Berlin's Humboldt University. Life Early years Walther Eduard Hermann Neye was born, the youngest of three children, at the start of ...

(1901–1989), jurist and rector of the Humboldt University in Berlin * Fritz Cremer (1906–1993), sculptor ( Buchenwald Memorial) * Lothar Collatz (1910–1990), mathematician *

Günter Keute Günter Keute (born 21 December 1955) is a retired German footballer. He spent three seasons with Eintracht Braunschweig in the Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a prof ...

(born 1955), footballer * Friedrich Merz (born 1955), attorney and politician, member of the CDU *

(born 1963), poet * Stephan Kampwirth (born 1967), theatre actor, film actor and voice actor * Rouven Schröder (born 1975), footballer * Philipp Hofmann (born 1993), footballer

Gallery

Arnsberg Stadtansicht 01 2011.jpg, Arnsberg Glockenturm2-2.JPG, Glockenturm (Bell tower) Marienhospital-arnsberg.jpg, Marienhospital (hospital)

References

External links

Official website

Kunstverein Arnsberg
(emergency currency) {{Authority control Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Hochsauerlandkreis Members of the Hanseatic League