310px, Map of the city 250px, Town hall Wipperfürth () is a municipality in the

Oberbergischer Kreis The Oberbergischer Kreis (, ) is a ''Kreis'' (Districts of Germany, district) in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Ennepe-Ruhr, Märkischer Kreis, Olpe (district), Olpe, Altenkirchen (district), Altenkirchen, ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, about 40 km north-east of

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, and the oldest town in the Bergischen Land.

History

The eldest documentary mention dates from 1131. In the

Siegburg Siegburg (; i.e. ''fort on the Sieg (river), Sieg river''; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Sieburch'') is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the banks of the rivers Sieg (river), Sieg ...

er Mirakelbuch the place is already designated

Oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

(=town). Manner of writing of the first naming: "Weperevorthe". Wipperfürth received town

rights Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...

between 1217 and 1222. Since 1283 the

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

of the town was governed by count Adolf V. von Berg. Already in 1275

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Rudolf von Habsburg allowed the count to move his

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

from Wildberg to Wipperfürth. Here,

Pfennig The pfennig (; . 'pfennigs' or 'pfennige' ; currency symbol, symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former Germany, German coin or note, which was an official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valua ...

e were stamped according to Cologne model. In 1328, with the privilege of king Louis the Bavarian the first coinage of

Groschen Groschen (; from "thick", via Old Czech ') is the (sometimes colloquial) name for various coins, especially a silver coin used in parts of Europe including Kingdom of France, France, some of the Italian states, and various states of the Holy R ...

in Germany began in Wipperfürth. Since the 14th century the town was a member of the

Hanse The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

. Businesspeople of the town traveled to

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Dorpat Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

Reval Tallinn is the capital and most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and administratively lies in the Harju ''maakond'' (co ...

and

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

. The town coat of arms of 1267 shows a church in merlons-reinforced wall. Leftovers of this

town wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

can still be found on the Klosterberg. The oldest building are located at the market, together with the market well. The development of the town was hindered by numerous town fires: 1333, 1352, 1368, 1383, 1404, 1412 and 1465. From 1815–1932 Wipperfürth was capital town of the district with the same name.

Geography

Geographical position

Wipperfürth lies on the flow

Wupper The Wupper () is a right tributary of the Rhine in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Rising near Marienheide in western Sauerland it runs through the mountainous region of the Bergisches Land in Berg County and enters the Rhine at Le ...

which is designated in the upper reaches to the east of the town Wipper.

Neighbouring municipalities

The neighbouring municipalities and neighbouring towns are:

Lindlar Lindlar ( ) is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located about 30 km east of Cologne. Geography Lindlar is located between latitudes 50°58' and 51°5' N. and longitudes 7°15' and 7°28' E ...

Kürten Kürten () is a village and a municipality in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Kürten is situated approximately 25 km east of Cologne. Neighbouring places Nearby cities include Bergisch Gladb ...

Wermelskirchen Wermelskirchen (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Wärmelßkirrshe'') is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, southeast of Remscheid. It is home to one of Europe's biggest live Christmas trees (measuring 26 ...

, Hückeswagen,

Radevormwald Radevormwald () is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of the oldest towns in the Bergischen Land, formerly the County and Duchy of Berg. Geography Radevormwald is located about 50 km e ...

Halver Halver () is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Around 950 the ''Oberhof Halvara'' was first mentioned in the ''Werdener Probsteiregister''. For more than 500 years Halver was the seat of a Leagu ...

Kierspe Kierspe () is a town in the district Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the western edge of the Sauerland on Volme River. History The first mention of Kierspe was in 1003, when the castle 'Haus Rhade' was f ...

and

Marienheide Marienheide is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Marienheide is located about 50 km east of Cologne. Neighbouring places The neighbouring towns are Gummersbach and Wipperfürth as well ...

Districts

The town Wipperfürth is made up of 8

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

s: * Wipperfürth * Egen * Kreuzberg (Wipperfürth) * Ohl * Agathaberg * Thier * Wipperfeld * Hämmern

Localities

The coat of arms of Wipperfürth

The arms were granted on 9 December 1975 but were in use a long time before. Wipperfürth received city rights between 1217 and 1222. The oldest seal dates from around 1250 and already shows a city wall, church and a small shield with the arms of the Counts of Berg, who ruled over the city. In the 14th century the small shield was removed. The present arms are based and nearly identical to the composition of the first seal. The city wall denotes the civic character of Wippenfürth, the church is the local St. Nicholas church.

Politics

Culture and places of interest

Dams

* Kierspe dam * Neye dam * Schevelinger dam * Bever dam

Buildings

* Altes Seminar ("Old seminar") in the Lüdenscheider Straße. * the former Franziskanerkloster (a cloister)

Churches

By far the oldest church in Wipperfürth is the Catholic parish church St.-Nikolaus placed in the downtown of Wipperfürth. Not far away, the Protestant church was built next to the marked-place in 1875. The so-called Antoniuskirche ("Antonius-church", a minister) was built on the Klosterberg ("cloister hill").

Spare time and sport

The town disposes of various

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

field,

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

with field, indoor

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

with 25 meters of roads incl.

sauna A sauna (, ) is a room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a sauna is used to meas ...

and

sunbathing Sun tanning or tanning is the process whereby skin color is darkened or tanned. It is most often a result of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight or from artificial sources, such as a tanning lamp found in indoor tanning be ...

area,

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

, tennis

courts A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts gene ...

, squash, riding spaces and play

bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...

Sport clubs

* Airfield – Wipperfürth-Neye EDKN * DLRG Wipperfürth * 1.Wipperfürther Rock´n Roll Club * BKV Oberberg * Boxing club Wipperfürth * BSG Wipperfürth * Canoe friends Wipperfürth e. V. * Aerial sport association Wipperfürth * Motor sport club Wipperfürth in AAA road service e. V. * Cycling club Wipperfürth * Riding association Wipperfürth * Chess club Wipperfürth * Sports fisherman association Wipperfürth * Sports club Wipperfürth * Stadtsportverband Wipperfürth * Dance corps * Dance school Böhlefeld * Diving sport community Wipperfürth * TC Silber-Blau Wipperfürth * TV Wipperfürth * VfR Wipperfürth * VSG Wipperfürth e. V. * WTC Wipperfürth

Economy

During the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

several companies originated in the area of the textile industry. The most important industry company is the electric light bulb factory founded in 1904 Radium. Radium also is even today together with the armature factory VOSS the biggest employer in Wipperfürth. Here particularly the electric-working industry, plastic-working industry, metal working industry and paper-working industry is resident.

Transport

Federal highways

Wipperfürth lies in the intersection of the federal highways B 237 (

Remscheid Remscheid () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the Ruhr area. Remscheid ha ...

Meinerzhagen Meinerzhagen (; sometimes spelled Meinertzhagen) is a town in the Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Meinerzhagen is located in the hills of the Sauerland. The highest elevation is the Nordhelle with 652 m above sea l ...

) and B 506 (

– Wipperfürth). The B 256 unidirectional

Gummersbach Gummersbach () is a town in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, being the district seat of the Oberbergischer Kreis. It is located east of Cologne. History In 1109 Gummersbach was mentioned in official documents for t ...

in the place Ohl for the B 237.

Bus routes

(VRS:

Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS), in English ''Rhine-Sieg Transport Association'', is the public transport association covering the area of the Cologne/Bonn Region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Besides ''Aachener Verkehrsverbund'' (''AVV' ...

, VRL: Verkehrsgemeinschaft Ruhr-Lippe), OVAG: Oberbergische Verkehrsgesellschaft AG, MVG: Märkische Verkehrsgesellschaft GmbH, KWS: Kraftverkehr Wupper-Sieg AG) * VRS (KWS) Linie 426 to

Bergisch Gladbach Bergisch Gladbach () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district). Geography Bergisch Gladbach is east of the Rhine and abo ...

(S) via

* VRS (KWS) Linie 427 to

(S) via

- Weiden * VRS (KWS) Linie 429 to

(S) via

- Olpe * VRS (OVAG) Linie 332 to

Engelskirchen Engelskirchen (literally "angel’s churches") is a municipality in Oberbergischer Kreis, Germany in North Rhine-Westphalia, about east of Cologne. The neighbouring municipalities are (clockwise from the west) Overath, Lindlar, Gummersbach, Wie ...

Bf. via

* VRS (OVAG) Linie 333 to

Bf. via Lindlar- Frielingsdorf * VRS (OVAG) Linie 336 to

via

or ro Hückeswagen and

Lennep Remscheid () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the Ruhr area. Remscheid ha ...

* VRS (OVAG) Linie 337 to Egen via Neye * VRS (OVAG) Linie 338 to

Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Berlin-Mitte, Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in ...

* VRL (MVG) Linie 55 to

Lüdenscheid Lüdenscheid () is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Sauerland region. Geography Lüdenscheid is located on the saddle of the watershed between the Lenne and Volme rivers whic ...

via Haken-Kreuzberg und

Public facilities

Employment Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...

centre *

District A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

Tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

office * Youth welfare office *

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

office * Test place of the safety standards authority * Branch of the circle health office

Health

Hospitals: St. Josef hospital Wipperfürth (258 beds)

Education

The municipality has two high schools, Engelbert von Berg – Gymnasium (high school), and Archbishop of St. Angela Gymnasium (high school), a

secondary modern school A secondary modern school () is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Secondary modern schools accommodated the majority (70–75%) of pupil ...

, a

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...

–

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

, a work pedagogic school (occupational lecture), eight

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s and two special schools.

Notable people

* Nicolas Abdat (* 1996), football player * Johann Christian Josef Abs (1781–1823), teacher * Johann Joseph Bauerband (1800–1878), lawyer, university professor, politician * Franz Rudolf Bornewasser (1866–1951), bishop from

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

since 1922 *

Franz Crass Franz Crass (9 March 192823 June 2012) was a German bass singer. A native of Wipperfürth, Rhine Province, Crass studied with Gerda Heuer in Wiesbaden and with Professor Clemens Glettenberg at the Hochschule für Musik in Köln. He won numerous ...

(1928–2012) Operatic bass singer * Manuela Goller (born 1971), Football goalkeeper * Thorsten Hens, professor, Department of Banking and Finance, University of Zurich * Hans Leo Kausemann, former mayor and former

Administrator and honorary citizen * Barbara Kisseler, civilized nation secretary in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Mark Lamsfuß Mark Lamsfuß (born 19 April 1994) is a German badminton player and plays for the BC Wipperfeld. He and his partner, Isabel Lohau won a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the 2022 BWF World Championships. Career Lamsfuß started playing badminto ...

(* 1994), badminton player *

Udo Lattek Udo Lattek (16 January 1935 – 31 January 2015) was a German professional football player and coach. Lattek is one of the most successful coaches in the history of the game, having won 15 major titles, most famously with Bayern Munich. He also ...

(1935–2015), Retired football coach * Stephan Ley (1867–1964),

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

scholar * Ernst Lotz (1887–1948), the first minister of education and culture from

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

* Konrad Martin (1812–1879),

bishop of Paderborn The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Paderborn () is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Germany; its seat is Paderborn.

* Joseph Mausbach (1861–1931), Morality theologian, Sozialethiker, parliamentarian * Frank Mock, Retired Football Coach * Alois Pollender (1800–1879), discoverer

anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...

bazillus (1855) * Fritz Vollbach, composer and musician * Hermann Voss, Former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

and honorary citizen * Sebastian Wurth (born 1994),

Deutschland sucht den Superstar ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (''DSDS''; "Germany is looking for the Superstar") is a German reality talent show. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it was created by British media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show ''P ...

season 8 participant

Twin town

Surgères Surgères () is a Communes of France, commune in the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department, southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race. History Middle ages The site of Surgères was occupied in Neolithic tim ...

Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Chérente-Marine''; ) is a Departments of France, department in the French Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on the country's west coast. Named after the river Charente (river), Charen ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Further sources of information

Literature (German)

*Joseph John, ''Geschichte der Stadt Wipperfürth'',

1842; *Conrad Schmitz, ''Geschichte der Stadt Wipperfürth'', Wipperfürth 1910; *Paul Engel, ''Wipperfürth im Wandel der Zeiten'', Wipperfürth 1949; *Peter Opladen, ''Das Dekanat Wipperfürth'',

1955; *Anneliese Triller/Jörg Füchtner, ''Das Abschriftenbuch der Stadt Wipperfürth'',

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

1969; *Frank Berger/Fred Antweiler, ''Wipperfürth gestern und heute'',

1984 *Fred Antweiler/Frank Berger, ''Wipperfürth und seine Kirchdörfer'',

1986.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wipperfurth Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Members of the Hanseatic League Districts of the Rhine Province Oberbergischer Kreis