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
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 ...
,
Münsterland, and the
Ruhr Area. The
Hellweg road runs through the city, as Werl is a part of the fertile Bördelandschaft of the Werl–Unnaer Börde.
Neighbouring municipalities
Division of the town
Werl consists of the following districts:
* Blumenthal (48 inhabitants)
* Budberg (596 inhabitants)
* Büderich (3107 inhabitants)
*
Hilbeck Hilbeck is a village in the city of Werl, district of Soest in the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaal ...
(1339 inhabitants)
* Holtum (1049 inhabitants)
* Mawicke (521 inhabitants)
* Niederbergstraße (210 inhabitants)
* Oberbergstraße (363 inhabitants)
* Sönnern (870 inhabitants)
* Westönnen (2665 inhabitants)
* Werl (22151 inhabitants)
History
Werl was a member of the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
in the Middle Ages and since 1661 has had a statue of the Virgin Mary, making it a place of
pilgrimage. Today this relic is in the Wallfahrtsbasilika and is looked after by the Franciscan religious order. Werl Prison is the third largest in North Rhine-Westphalia,
Werl Prison.
* The
4th United States Army Field Artillery Detachment
The 4th United States Army Field Artillery Detachment was located in Werl, West Germany. The Belgian 14th and 20th Artillery Battalions of the Belgian I Corps were supported by the 4th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment. The detachment was co- ...
was stationed in Werl until 1992.
Mayors
* 1958–1965: Ferdinand Pöppinghaus (1923–1965) (
CDU)
* 1965–1981: Amalie Rohrer (1922-2014) (CDU)
* 1981–1985: Heinz Sasse (CDU)
* 1986–1994: Elisabeth Böhmer (CDU)
* 1994–1996: Kunibert Becker (1934-2001) (CDU)
* 1996–1999: Friedrich Leopold Graf von Brühl, (born 1944) (CDU)
* 1999–2020: Michael Grossmann, (born 1948) (CDU)
* since 2020: Torben Höbrink (CDU)
Notable people
*
Philipp Rosenthal (1855–1937), businessman and founder of Rosenthal AG at Schloss Erkersreuth in Selb
*
Franz von Papen
Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen, Erbsälzer zu Werl und Neuwerk (; 29 October 18792 May 1969) was a German conservative politician, diplomat, Prussian nobleman and General Staff officer. He served as the chancellor of Germany i ...
(1879–1969), Conservative politician, diplomat, nobleman and General Staff officer; served as
Chancellor of Germany
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under
Adolf Hitler from 1933–1934
*
Ulla Wiesner
Ulla Wiesner (born 12 December 1940) is a German singer.
Wiesner was active from 1963 to 2002 as a singer. In 1965, she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest, with her song, " Paradies, wo bist du?" (''Paradise, where are you?''). ...
(born 1940), singer
*
Theodor Redder (born 1941), footballer
*
Dimitri Hegemann (born 1954), cultural manager, musician and founder of the club "Tresor" in Berlin
*
Martin Kree
Martin Kree (born 27 January 1965) is a German former footballer, who played mostly as a central defender.
During a 15-year professional career, Kree played 401 Bundesliga games for VfL Bochum, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.
Caree ...
(born 1965), footballer
*
Uwe Grauer
Uwe Grauer (born 1 January 1970 in Dortmund) is a German football coach and a former player. He is currently working as assistant manager for 1. FC Köln II.
Honours
Borussia Dortmund
* UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or c ...
(born 1970), footballer and coach
Twin towns – sister cities
Werl is
twinned with:
*
Halle Halle may refer to:
Places Germany
* Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt
** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt
** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany
** Hall ...
, Belgium (1973)
References
External links
*
Images from Werl
Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia
Members of the Hanseatic League
Soest (district)
{{Soest-geo-stub