Olsberg, Germany
Encyclopedia
Olsberg is a town in the Hochsauerland
district, in North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
.
. It is bordered by Arnsberg Forest Nature Park
, on the northern fringe of the Rothaargebirge
. The town's setting is dominated by heavily wooded ridges and valleys formed by the Ruhr and three of its tributaries.
A notable feature situated within the town's limits are the Bruchhauser Steine, four large porphyry rocks
located on a mountain near the village of Bruchhausen.
The Langenberg
, the highest mountain of north-west Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia, is located on the eastern town border, the peak being just inside the town's limits.
is currently headed by mayor Wolfgang Fischer (CDU).
(especially dairy farming
) and small scale wood and metal craft
, the town's economical base today relies on the tertiary sector, especially tourism
. Industry consists primarily of metallurgy
and sawmill
s.
just north of the town in the village of Altenbüren. The current end of the A46 motorway is 9 km to the west.
started in 2005 and is scheduled for opening in 2010. It will take the Bundesstrasse 480 to a new route bypassing the town core to the west and the south.
60 km to the north and Dortmund Airport
75 km to the west. While there is no general aviation
airports in the town itself, the neighbouring town of Brilon and nearby Meschede
both have public airfields for this purpose.
according to their place of residence. Additionally there are three secondary schools, one of which caters for children with physical disabilites. While the town does not have a Gymnasium (higher education school, it maintains a vocational college.
with:
Hochsauerland
Hochsauerlandkreis is a Kreis in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Soest, Paderborn, Höxter, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe, Märkischer Kreis.- History :...
district, in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Geography
It is situated on the river Ruhr, approx. 15 km east of MeschedeMeschede
Meschede is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:Meschede is situated in the Ruhr valley, near to the Hennesee, south of the nature-park Arnsberger Wald...
. It is bordered by Arnsberg Forest Nature Park
Arnsberg Forest Nature Park
The Arnsberg Forest Nature Park is a nature park in the districts of Hochsauerlandkreis and Soest within the administrictive region of Arnsberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
, on the northern fringe of the Rothaargebirge
Rothaargebirge
The Rothaargebirge is a low mountain range reaching heights of up to 843.1 m in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, Germany....
. The town's setting is dominated by heavily wooded ridges and valleys formed by the Ruhr and three of its tributaries.
A notable feature situated within the town's limits are the Bruchhauser Steine, four large porphyry rocks
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
located on a mountain near the village of Bruchhausen.
The Langenberg
Langenberg (Rothaargebirge)
The Langenberg rises on the state border between North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse in Germany and, at , is the highest peak in the Rothaargebirge mountain range, as well as the highest point in the North Rhine-Westphalia and also in the north of Germany outside of the Harz Mountains.- Geographical...
, the highest mountain of north-west Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia, is located on the eastern town border, the peak being just inside the town's limits.
Neighbouring towns and municipalities
Clockwise from the north, Olsberg is bordered by:- BrilonBrilonBrilon is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that belongs to the Hochsauerlandkreis.- Geography :Brilon is situated on the Brilon Heights at an altitude of about 450 m on the upper reaches of the river Möhne...
- WillingenWillingenWillingen is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany, some 80 km west of Kassel.Willingen is regularly advertised as Willingen Hochsauerland and Willingen .-Location:...
- WinterbergWinterbergWinterberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and a major winter sport resort of the Wintersport Arena Sauerland.-Geography:...
- SchmallenbergSchmallenbergSchmallenberg is a town in the district of Hochsauerland. Relating to its area of 188 square miles it is the largest town belonging to an administrative Kreis in the federal state of North Rhine/Westphalia, Germany....
- BestwigBestwigBestwig is a municipality in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Bestwig is situated on the river Ruhr, approx...
Division of the town
The town of Olsberg comprises twelve villages. The town's core consists of Olsberg itself and Bigge, which have physically merged since the 1950s.- Antfeld
- Assinghausen
- Bigge
- Olsberg
- Bruchhausen
- Brunskappel
- Elleringhausen
- Elpe/Heinrichsdorf
- Gevelinghausen
- Helmeringhausen
- Wiemeringhausen
- Wulmeringhausen
History
The town was formed on January 1, 1975 in the course of the municipal reorganization of North Rhine-Westphalia. Before that date all villages (except Bigge and Olsberg, which had been merged already been merged into a single municipality in 1969) have been independent municipalities.Politics
The town councilTown council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
is currently headed by mayor Wolfgang Fischer (CDU).
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| CDU | 23 |
| SPD | 12 |
| Grüne | 3 |
Economy
Traditionally dominated by agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
(especially dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
) and small scale wood and metal craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
, the town's economical base today relies on the tertiary sector, especially tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Industry consists primarily of metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s.
Rail
The town has two train stations.- Olsberg railway station is situated on the railway line between HagenHagenHagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
and KasselKasselKassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
and receives a generally hourly service in both direction. - Bigge railway station is on the line between DortmundDortmundDortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
and Winterberg and has a one train in each direction every two hours.
Bus
Buses connect the town core to the neighbouring villages and towns, generally with hourly services. Most bus services meet at Olsberg railway station to connect with train services.Road
The Bundesstraße 480 runs through the town from north to south, and meets the Bundesstraße 7Bundesstraße 7
The Bundesstraße 7 in Germany is a federal highway that stretches from the Dutch border at Venlo in the West to Rochlitz by Chemnitz in the East. It is approximately 530 km long...
just north of the town in the village of Altenbüren. The current end of the A46 motorway is 9 km to the west.
Town bypass
Construction on a southern bypass roadBypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
started in 2005 and is scheduled for opening in 2010. It will take the Bundesstrasse 480 to a new route bypassing the town core to the west and the south.
Air
The closest airports with commercial service are Paderborn Lippstadt AirportPaderborn Lippstadt Airport
-Facilities:The terminal offers several facilities for travelers. There are mainly travel agencies in the airport. A Restaurant is available, too. There are also shops and car rentals at the airport....
60 km to the north and Dortmund Airport
Dortmund Airport
Dortmund Airport , is the international airport located east of Dortmund, Germany. Its slogan is Näher als man denkt . Since 2006 it has been carrying the name "Dortmund Airport 21", in reference to the fact that Dortmund's utility company, DSW21, is its major shareholder...
75 km to the west. While there is no general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airports in the town itself, the neighbouring town of Brilon and nearby Meschede
Meschede
Meschede is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:Meschede is situated in the Ruhr valley, near to the Hennesee, south of the nature-park Arnsberger Wald...
both have public airfields for this purpose.
Education
Children are allocated to four primary schoolsEducation in Germany
The responsibility for the German education system lies primarily with the states while the federal government plays only a minor role. Optional Kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years of age, after which school attendance is compulsory, in most cases for...
according to their place of residence. Additionally there are three secondary schools, one of which caters for children with physical disabilites. While the town does not have a Gymnasium (higher education school, it maintains a vocational college.
International relations
Olsberg is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
-
OlsbergOlsberg, SwitzerlandOlsberg is a municipality in the district of Rheinfelden in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:During the neolithic era there was a small settlement near Olsberg. There was also a Roman farm in the area during the 1st Century AD. The modern village of Olsberg is first mentioned in 1236...
, Canton of Aargau (SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) -- since 1974 -
FrugesFrugesFruges is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Situated some 12 miles northeast of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D928 road, set in a valley not far from the historic battlefield of Azincourt....
(FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) -- since 1965 -
JöhstadtJöhstadtJöhstadt is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, on the border with the Czech Republic, 10 km southeast of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 35 km northeast of Karlovy Vary....
(Germany) -- since 1990