Schwelm

Schwelm

Coat of arms
Schwelm

Coordinates: 51°16′N 7°16′E / 51.267°N 7.267°E / 51.267; 7.267Coordinates: 51°16′N 7°16′E / 51.267°N 7.267°E / 51.267; 7.267
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Arnsberg
District Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis
Government
 • Mayor Gabriele Grollmann
Area
 • Total 20.5 km2 (7.9 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 28,330
 • Density 1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 58332
Dialling codes 02336
Vehicle registration EN
Website www.schwelm.de

Schwelm is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis in the administrative region of Arnsberg within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Geography

Schwelm is situated in the southeast of the "Ruhrgebiet", the Ruhr district of Germany, between Westphalia and the "Bergisches Land". Schwelm is commonly known as the "Pforte Westfalens" ("Gate to Westphalia").

Neighbouring places

Surrounding towns include Ennepetal, Gevelsberg, Sprockhövel and Wuppertal.

Division of the town

Schwelm is called the "town of neighbourhoods". It is made up of the following 13 neighbourhoods:[2]

History

The history of Schwelm can be traced back to the ninth century, where it is first mentioned as "Suelmiu". The city of Schwelm was officially established in 1496 and became seat of the Ennepe-Ruhr district in 1929. According to its area, Schwelm is the smallest town in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Language/dialect

A Westphalian variety of high German is spoken in Schwelm (Westphalian: from old Saxon Westfal = "western land"). The Westphalian dialect belongs to the low Saxon dialects, which is a part of the family of low German dialects. Compared to other German regions (e.g., Bavaria or Swabia) the dialect does not have a strong influence on the everyday speech. Especially the elderly population is still able to speak Schwelm's original Westphalian tongue, called Schwelmer Platt, which is quite different from standard high German and bears a certain resemblance to Dutch.

Points of interest

Schwelm has got a particularly pretty historical town center with many old houses, some of which date back to the 18th century. The Altmarkt is a historical market place lying in front of the tall Christuskirche, the town's principal Protestant church. From the Altmarkt, the decorative street Kölner Strasse leads uphill and is part of the former road to Cologne.

Until 2011, Schwelm was home to the Brauerei Schwelm, the "Schwelm Brewery", one of few remaining private breweries in North Rhine-Westphalia. Established in 1830 by Haarmann & Kathagen, the brewery was one of the first worldwide to switch from wooden to metal storage containers. The original administration building, the Rietz'sche Haus built in 1701, is among the most appealing houses in the town center. Most of the brewery's historic production site, however, was torn down in 2012.

The oldest piano manufacturer in the world is located in Schwelm. Since 1794, Rud. Ibach Sohn has been building pianos and, until 1904, organs in Schwelm.

Europe's biggest fair-trade organisation "GEPA" was founded in Schwelm in the 1970s, but is now located in Wuppertal.

Notable citizens

International relations

Schwelm ist twinned with the small French borough of Fourqueux, situated in the Paris agglomeration adjacent to Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen". Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW (in German). 18 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "Schwelm - town of neighbourhoods". Retrieved 20 October 2013.
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