Witten () is a city with almost 100,000 inhabitants in the
Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis
The Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis is a district in the center of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the southern Ruhr urban area and has ca. 324,000 inhabitants (2012). The district's seat (capital city) is Schwelm; the largest of its nine towns ...
(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
Witten is situated 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 ...
valley, in the southern
Ruhr area
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 ...
.
Bordering municipalities
*
Bochum
Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
*
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 ...
*
Herdecke
Herdecke () is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located south of Dortmund in the Ruhr Area. Its location between the two Ruhr reservoirs Hengsteysee and Harkortsee has earned it the nickname ...
*
Wetter (Ruhr)
Wetter (Ruhr) is a town in western Germany, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis. The river Ruhr flows through the urban area, separating the district of Alt-Wetter from the districts of Esborn, Vol ...
*
Sprockhövel
Sprockhövel is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Sprockhövel is located in the southern suburban part of the Ruhr area. It is 6 km southeast of Hattingen, 8 km northwest of Gevels ...
*
Hattingen
Hattingen is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
History
Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 13 ...
Boroughs
Witten is divided into eight boroughs and each borough is further divided into two or more city-districts. Every district has its own district-number:
* Witten-Mitte: 11 Innenstadt, 12 Oberdorf-Helenenberg, 13 Industriegebiet-West, 14 Krone, 15 Crengeldanz, 16 Hauptfriedhof, 17 Stadion, 18 Industriegebiet-Nord, 19
Hohenstein
* Düren: 21 Düren-Nord, 22 Düren-Sued
*
Stockum
Stockum is an urban quarter of Düsseldorf, part of Borough 5 (Düsseldorf), Borough 5. It is located north of Düsseldorf-Unterrath, Unterrath and Düsseldorf-Golzheim, Golzheim, east of Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth, Kaiserswerth, west of Düsseldorf ...
: 31 Stockum-Mitte, 32 Dorney, 33 Stockumer Bruch, 34 Wilhelmshöhe
*
Annen
Annen is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. Located in the municipality of Aa en Hunze, it lies about 12 km (7.4 mi) northeast of Assen.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1309 as Anne. The etymology is unknown. Annen is an ...
: 41 Tiefendorf, 42
Wullen, 43 Annen-Mitte-Nord, 44 Annen-Mitte-Süd, 45 Kohlensiepen, 46 Wartenberg, 47
Gedern
Gedern is a town in the Wetteraukreis district in Hesse, Germany, and historically belongs to Oberhessen. It is located northeast of Hanau at the foot of the Vogelsberg, one of the largest inactive volcanoes in Europe.
Neighboring towns
Gedern ...
*
Rüdinghausen: 51 Industriegebiet-Ost, 52 Rüdinghausen-Mitte, 53 Buchholz, 54 Schnee
*
Bommern: 61 Steinhausen, 62 Bommerbank, 63 Bommerfeld, 64 Wettberg, 65 Buschey, 66 Bommeregge
*
Heven: 71
Papenholz, 72 Hellweg, 73 Wannen, 74 Heven-Dorf, 75 Lake
*
Herbede Since 1975 the former city of Herbede is a part of the city of Witten (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). As one of the eight boroughs of Witten, it is now called Witten-Herbede. Before the incorporation with Witten in 1975, Herbede was a city in the ...
: 81 Herbede-Ort, 82 Vormholz, 83 Bommerholz-Muttental, 84 Durchholz, 85
Buchholz-Kaempen
Population 1739–2020
History
![Explosion in Witten 1906](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Explosion_in_Witten_1906.jpg)
Witten was first mentioned in historic sources in 1214, however the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
Herbede (which was incorporated into the city in 1975) dates back to 851. The city was a mining town from 1578. In 1946, it was included 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 ...
on its establishment. In 1975 Witten was included in the administrative district
Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis
The Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis is a district in the center of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the southern Ruhr urban area and has ca. 324,000 inhabitants (2012). The district's seat (capital city) is Schwelm; the largest of its nine towns ...
and it is now its biggest city. 1975 was also the year Witten was first counted to have more than 100,000 inhabitants, the threshold to be considered a large city ("Großstadt") in Germany.
Roburit Explosion
In the late 19th century Witten was known for the Roburit dynamite. This dynamite was once used by coal mines around the world. In 1906 an explosion occurred, resulting in the deaths of 41 people.
Politics
![Witten Johanniskirche Rathausturm](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Witten_Johanniskirche_Rathausturm.jpg)
In the local elections of 2004 the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(SPD) was the largest party on the council with 24 seats. It was followed by the
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with 18 and the
Alliance 90/The Greens
Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...
with 7, the WBG (a conservative lis) and
Free Democrats with four each, FLW (also a conservative list) with three,
National Democratic Party two, and the
PDS
PD, P.D., or Pd may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''People's Democracy'' (newspaper), weekly organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
* ''The Plain Dealer'', a Cleveland, Ohio, US newspaper
* Post Diaspora, a time frame in the ''Honorverse'' ...
/WAL (socialists) and AUF Witten (a left wing list) with one each.
From 2004 to 2020, for the first time in its history, the council was led by a female mayor: Sonja Leidemann (SPD). In the election of 2020 she lost her mandate to Lars König (CDU).
Mayor
The current mayor of Witten is Lars König of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows:
! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate
! rowspan=2, Party
! colspan=2, First round
! colspan=2, Second round
, -
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Sonja Leidemann
, align=left,
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
, 12,365
, 34.5
, 11,365
, 40.0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Lars König
, align=left,
Christian Democratic Union
, 10,595
, 29.6
, 17,036
, 60.0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Stefan Borggraefe
, align=left,
Pirate Party Germany
The Pirate Party Germany (german: Piratenpartei Deutschland), commonly known as Pirates (), is a political party in Germany founded in September 2006 at c-base. It states general agreement with the Swedish Piratpartiet as a party of the informat ...
, 4,005
, 11.2
, -
,
, align=left, Martin Strautz
, align=left, Citizens' Forum
, 2,276
, 6.4
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Ursula Weiß
, align=left,
The Left
, 2,227
, 6.2
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Richard Surrey
, align=left, Witten Citzen's Association/
Free Voters
Free Voters (german: Freie Wähler, FW or FWG) in Germany may belong to an association of people which participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it involves a locally organized group of voters ...
, 1,793
, 5.0
, -
,
, align=left, Michael Hasenkamp
, align=left, CityClimate Witten
, 1,110
, 3.1
, -
,
, align=left, Hans-Peter Skotarzik
, align=left, Witten.Direct
, 1,052
, 2.9
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Norman Kerner
, align=left,
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
, 397
, 1.1
, -
! colspan=3, Valid votes
! 35,820
! 98.1
! 28,401
! 98.7
, -
! colspan=3, Invalid votes
! 709
! 1.9
! 369
! 1.3
, -
! colspan=3, Total
! 36,529
! 100.0
! 28,770
! 100.0
, -
! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout
! 78,110
! 46.8
! 77,920
! 36.9
, -
, colspan=7, Source: City of Witten
1st round
City council
![2020 Witten City Council election](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/2020_Witten_City_Council_election.svg)
The Witten city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:
! colspan=2, Party
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(SPD)
, 9,052
, 25.2
, 10.0
, 16
, 9
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
, 8,349
, 23.2
, 0.3
, 15
, 2
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
Alliance 90/The Greens
Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...
(Grüne)
, 7,404
, 20.6
, 7.6
, 13
, 4
, -
,
, align=left, Citizens' Forum (BF)
, 2,182
, 6.1
, 4.4
, 4
, 3
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
Alternative for Germany
Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist
*
*
*
*
*
*
* political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...
(AfD)
, 1,681
, 4.7
, New
, 3
, New
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
Pirate Party Germany
The Pirate Party Germany (german: Piratenpartei Deutschland), commonly known as Pirates (), is a political party in Germany founded in September 2006 at c-base. It states general agreement with the Swedish Piratpartiet as a party of the informat ...
(Piraten)
, 1,536
, 4.3
, 2.2
, 3
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
The Left (Die Linke)
, 1,441
, 4.0
, 2.0
, 3
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Witten Citzens' Association/
Free Voters
Free Voters (german: Freie Wähler, FW or FWG) in Germany may belong to an association of people which participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it involves a locally organized group of voters ...
(WGB-FW)
, 1,120
, 3.1
, 0.9
, 2
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
Free Democratic Party (FDP)
, 838
, 2.3
, 0.1
, 2
, ±0
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
Die PARTEI
(''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazi ...
, 739
, 2.1
, New
, 1
, New
, -
,
, align=left, CityClimate Witten (SKW)
, 631
, 1.8
, New
, 1
, New
, -
,
, align=left, Witten.Direct (W.D)
, 535
, 1.5
, New
, 1
, New
, -
, colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey,
, -
,
, align=left, Alternative Independent Progressive Witten (AUF)
, 227
, 0.6
, 0.6
, 0
, 1
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left,
Ecological Democratic Party
The Ecological Democratic Party (german: Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei, ÖDP) is a conservative and ecologist minor party in Germany. The ÖDP was founded in 1982.
The strongest level of voting support for the ÖDP is in Bavaria, where in ...
(ÖDP)
, 139
, 0.4
, New
, 0
, New
, -
,
, align=left, Grassroots Democratic List Witten (BLW)
, 87
, 0.2
, New
, 0
, New
, -
, bgcolor=,
, align=left, Independent Norman Kerner
, 13
, 0.0
, New
, 0
, New
, -
! colspan=2, Valid votes
! 35,974
! 98.5
!
!
!
, -
! colspan=2, Invalid votes
! 547
! 1.5
!
!
!
, -
! colspan=2, Total
! 36,521
! 100.0
!
! 64
! 8
, -
! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout
! 78,108
! 46.8
! 0.4
!
!
, -
, colspan=7, Source
City of Witten
State Landtag
In the
Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
The Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia is the state parliament (''Landtag'') of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which convenes in the state capital of Düsseldorf, in the eastern part of the district of Hafen. The parliament ...
, Witten is part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis II constituency. Nadja Büteführ of the SPD was elected as representative in the
2017 state election. Verena Schäffer of the Greens also ran in the constituency and was elected to the Landtag on her party's state list.
Federal parliament
In the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
, Witten is part of the
Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis II
Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis II is an electoral constituency (German: ''Wahlkreis'') represented in the Bundestag. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 139. It ...
constituency.
Axel Echeverria
Inaki Axel Echeverría Stefanski (born 19 March 1980) is a Spanish-German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag since 2021.
Early life and education
Echeverria was born in 1980 in the We ...
of the SPD was elected as representative in the
2021 German federal election
Federal elections in Germany, Federal elections were held in Germany on 26 September 2021 to elect the members of the List of members of the 20th Bundestag, 20th Bundestag. States of Germany, State elections in 2021 Berlin state election, Berli ...
.
Transport
![Witten-Heven-Dorf Strassenbahn3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Witten-Heven-Dorf_Strassenbahn3.jpg)
Witten is connected to the
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
network by the
A 43 and
A 44 motorways. It has a
central station
Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
, connecting the city to the regional-train-network of
Deutsche Bahn
The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder.
describes itself as the se ...
with direct connections to Hagen, Bochum, Essen, Siegen, Wuppertal, Düsseldorf, Aachen or Dortmund.
Local service is carried out by the
BOGESTRA, a joint venture between the cities of Bochum and Gelsenkirchen, to which most of the bus lines in Witten belong. There is a tram line connecting to
Bochum
Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...
. From mid-December on, there will be two tram lines, which will run in Witten (lines 309 and 310). When the new track to Langendreer is completed (September 2020), the tram lines will ride to the station of Bochum-Langendreer (309) or to Wattenscheid-Höntrop via Bochum main station (310). Public transport in the city is carried out according to the fare system of the
VRR transport association.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Witten with its two lions once belong to the Everhards von Witten-Steinhausen and was first mentioned in 1283. The family of Witten-Steinhausen belongs to the founders of the town of Witten. Their slogan was: ''"Sigillum Hermanni de Wittene"''. Because of its long history this coat of arms was the only one in the Ruhr area, that was not forbidden by the
Allies
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 ...
in May 1945, after the end of the
Second World War
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 ...
.
Culture
*
Hebezeug-Museum – a museum dedicated to cranes and hoist founded by
J. D. Neuhaus and is located on the
Route der Industriekultur.
*
Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik
The Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik (Witten Days for New Chamber Music) is a music festival for contemporary chamber music, jointly organised by the town Witten in the Ruhr Area and the broadcasting station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). The con ...
, festival for contemporary chamber music, held annually at the end of April
*
Twin towns – sister cities
Witten is
twinned with:
*
Beauvais
Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris.
The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populous ...
, France (1975)
*
Barking and Dagenham
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames Ga ...
, England, United Kingdom (1979)
*
Mallnitz
Mallnitz is a municipality in the Spittal an der Drau District in Carinthia, Austria.
Geography
It is situated in a high valley of the Hohe Tauern mountain range stretching southwards down to Obervellach on the Möll river and separating the ...
, Austria (1979)
*
Lev HaSharon, Israel (1979)
*
Bitterfeld-Wolfen
Bitterfeld-Wolfen () is a town in the district Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated in south-eastern Saxony-Anhalt, west of the river Mulde, in an area that is dominated by heavy industry and lignite mining. The town was forme ...
, Germany (1990)
*
Kursk
Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...
, Russia (1990)
*
Tczew
Tczew (, csb, Dërszewò; formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in Pomerelia, Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). The city is known for its Old Town and the Vistula Bridge, or Bridge of Tczew ...
, Poland (1990)
*
San Carlos, Nicaragua (1990)
*
Mekelle
Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
, Ethiopia (2016)
Religions
Roman Catholic
When Witten was first mentioned in historical documents, it was part of the
Archdiocese of Cologne
The Archdiocese of Cologne ( la, Archidioecesis Coloniensis; german: Erzbistum Köln) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.
History
The Electorate of Cologn ...
. Since 1821 it has been a part of the
Diocese 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 ...
; however, the borough of Herbede belongs to the
Diocese of Essen. In the 19th century the Ruhr area drew up to 500,000
Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
from
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
and
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
, most of whom were Catholic. Hundreds settled in Witten, leading to a growth in the Catholic community. Today, between 30 and 40 per cent of the population is Catholic.
Protestant
In the 16th century Witten was influenced by
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...
's
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, and until the late 19th century, Witten was a predominantly Protestant town with just a few Catholic inhabitants. Between 30 and 40 per cent of the population is Protestant today.
Muslims
There are four mosques in Witten, Annen and Herbede today, founded by immigrants from Turkey who arrived in the 1970s and 1980s. Between five and eight per cent of the population is Muslim.
Jews
![Witten Gedenktafel Synagoge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Witten_Gedenktafel_Synagoge.jpg)
In 1815 the first Jewish community was mentioned in Witten. In 1938 the synagogue was destroyed during the so-called "
Reichspogromnacht
() or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...
" (also known as ''
Kristallnacht
() or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...
'') of 9–10 November 1938. Today, only about a dozen Jews live in Witten. They belong to the Jewish community in
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 ...
.
Since 1994 the place of the former synagogue is marked with a memorial.
Notable people
*
Ingeborg Danz
Ingeborg Danz (born 1961 in Witten) is a German mezzo-soprano and alto concert singer.
Career
Danz studied school music at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and voice with Heiner Eckels. She took advanced classes with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, am ...
(born 1961), concert singer
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Theodor Detmers
Theodor Detmers (22 August 19024 November 1976) was a German naval officer and captain of the German auxiliary cruiser ''Kormoran'' during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Detmers command ...
(1902–1976), officer
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Felix Dornebusch (born 1994), football player
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Mirko Englich
Mirko Englich (born 28 August 1978) is a German Greco-Roman wrestler. He won two silver medals at the European Wrestling Championships in 2003 and 2008. Englich won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He defeated U.S.A's Adam Wheeler i ...
(born 1978), wrestler
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Dennis Eilhoff
Dennis Eilhoff (born 31 July 1982) is a German former professional footballer who played as a football goalkeeper.
Career Youth
Born in Witten, West Germany, Eilhoff began his career with SC Delbrück in 1990. Four years later he played for TuS ...
(born 1982), football player
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Robert Graf (1923–1966), actor
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Martin Geck
Martin Geck (19 March 1936 – 22 November 2019) was a German musicologist. He taught at the Technical University of Dortmund. His publications concerned a number of major composers. Among the composers in whom he specialised was Johann Sebastian ...
(1936–2019), musicologist
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Ralf Kapschack
Ralf Kapschack (born 24 December 1954) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) served as a member of the Bundestag from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2013 to October 2021.
Political career
Kapschack became a memb ...
(born 1954), politician (SPD)
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Carsten Keuler (born 1971), football player
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Jochen Nickel (born 1959), actor
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Sorina Nwachukwu
Sorina Nwachukwu (born August 21, 1987 in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German sprinter of Nigerian descent, who specialized in the 400 metres. She set her personal best time of 51.53 seconds, by winning the same distance at the 2009 Germ ...
(born 1987), sprinter
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Paul Pleiger (1899–1985), state adviser and corporate general director
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Alexandra Popp
Alexandra Popp (; born 6 April 1991) is a German footballer and Olympic gold medalist. She plays as a striker for VfL Wolfsburg and the Germany national team. She previously played for FCR 2001 Duisburg and 1. FFC Recklinghausen. Popp was nam ...
(born 1991), football player
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Andreas Reckwitz
Andreas Reckwitz (18 March 1970 in Witten) is a German sociologist and cultural theorist. He is professor at the institute of social sciences at Humboldt University Berlin.
Life
Reckwitz studied sociology, Political science and philosophy in Bon ...
(born 1970), sociologist
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Stephan Remmler (born 1949), singer
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Moritz Römling (born 2001), football player
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Otto Schlüter
Otto Schlüter (12 November 1872 in Witten – 12 October 1959 in Halle) was a German geographer. Schlüter was a professor of geography at the University of Halle
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universitä ...
(1872–1959), geographer
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Joseph Schmidt-Görg
Joseph Schmidt-Görg (born Schmidt 19 March 1897 – 3 April 1981) was a German musicologist, composer and music editor. As a researcher at the University of Bonn and director of the Beethoven Archive, he is regarded as one of the leading Beethov ...
(1897–1981), musicologist and composer
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Otto Schott
Friedrich Otto Schott (1851–1935) was a German chemist, glass technologist, and the inventor of borosilicate glass. Schott systematically investigated the relationship between the chemical composition of the glass and its properties. In this wa ...
(1851–1935), chemist
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Erich Schöppner (1932–2005), boxer
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Michael Schulz (born 1961), football player
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Josef Sieber
Josef Sieber (28 April 1900 – 3 December 1962) was a German film actor.
Selected filmography
* ''Pappi'' (1934)
* ''Punks Arrives from America'' (1935)
* ''Joan of Arc'' (1935)
* ''The Gypsy Baron'' (1935)
* ''The Last Four on Santa Cruz'' (193 ...
(1900–1962), film actor
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Wilhelm Utermann (1912–1991), writer and journalist
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Willi Veller
Wilhelm "Willi" Veller (9 October 1896, Witten, Province of Westphalia – 22 June 1941) was a German politician and member of the Nazi Party and the SA. As chief of police (''Polizeipräsident'') in Wuppertal, he oversaw Kemna concentration cam ...
(1896–1941), politician (NSDAP)
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Tanja Wedhorn
Tanja Wedhorn (born 14 December 1971 in Witten) is a German actress. She studied acting at the Berlin University of the Arts and lives in Berlin. She has two sons.
Tanja Wedhorn became famous for her performance in the leading role of Germany' ...
(born 1971), actress
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Charles Paul Wilp (1932–2005), artist and photographer
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Rosi Wolfstein
Alma Rosalie (Rosi) Wolfstein (after 1948, Rosi Frölich: 27 May 1888 – 11 December 1987) was a German socialist politician.
After the murder of her friend and mentor, the communist pioneer Rosa Luxemburg, she inherited Luxemburg's copious col ...
(1888–1987), politician (KPD)
References
{{Authority control
Holocaust locations in Germany