Hattingen

Hattingen

Hattingen
Aerial view
Aerial view
Coat of arms of Hattingen
Hattingen is located in Germany
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Hattingen
Coordinates 51°23′57″N 7°11′9″E / 51.39917°N 7.18583°E / 51.39917; 7.18583
Administration
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Arnsberg
District Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis
Mayor Dr. Dagmar Goch (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area 71.40 km2 (27.57 sq mi)
Elevation 60 - 306 m
Population 55,510 (31 December 2010)
 - Density 777 /km2 (2,014 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate EN
Postal codes 45525–45527–45529
Area code 02324
Website www.hattingen.de

Hattingen is a German town located in northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Contents

History

Historic city

Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 1396, when the Duke of Mark granted permission to build a city wall. Today, Hattingen has a picturesque historic district with Fachwerk (timber-framed houses) built between the 14th and 16th centuries. The old city is still partly surrounded by the city walls today.

There are three castles remaining within the municipal area of Hattingen. Castle Isenburg was built in the 12th century in the hillsides above the Ruhr. The castle was destroyed in 1225, but prominent ruins remain. Blankenstein Castle was built in the 13th century above the Ruhr river and Haus Kemnade is a moated castle from the 16th century. All three castles are famous tourist landmarks and open to the public.

Historic Fachwerk house, the Bügeleisenhaus

Hattingen became part of the Hanseatic League in 1554 and became an important trading town. In 1720, there were 52 operating coal mines within the municipal area and Hattingen became one of the first industrial cities of the Ruhr region. Steel production started in 1853, when the Henrichshütte was founded. The Henrichshütte became one of the most important employers of the whole region and dominated the town until it closed in 1987.

Today, Hattingen still faces problems concerning structural change of the economy, but is becoming a centre of tourism, especially its historical downtown.

Neighbouring cities

Saint George's church

The cities bordering Hattingen are Bochum, Essen, Sprockhövel, Velbert, Witten and Wuppertal.

Division of the town

Hattingen is divided into the districts of:

  • Blankenstein with Burg Blankenstein
  • Bredenscheid-Stüter
  • Hattingen-Mitte
  • Holthausen
  • Niederbonsfeld
  • Niederelfringhausen
  • Niederwenigern
  • Oberelfringhausen
  • Oberstüter
  • Welper
  • Winz-Baak

Notable persons

  • Mathilde Franziska Anneke, feminist
  • Erich Warsitz, world's first jet pilot
  • Harald Siepermann, Character Designer
  • Marie-Luise Marjan, actress
  • Jamiri (Jan-Michael Richter), comic artist
  • Andreas Bieber, singer and actor
  • Mirjam Müntefering, author
  • Caliban (band)

  1. ^ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. 31 December 2010. http://www.it.nrw.de/statistik/a/daten/amtlichebevoelkerungszahlen/index.html. 
  2. ^ Historic Town Center – Hattingen Historische Stadt & Ostkerne. Retrieved March 9, 2010

Further reading

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