Schwerte
Encyclopedia
Schwerte is a town in the district of Unna
, in North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
.
. South of Schwerte begins the mountainous Sauerland
region.
with:
The railway facility
in the eastern district of Schwerte became a branch of the Buchenwald concentration camp
in April 1944. The camp had 445 prisoners in August and 670 in November 1944. The number of escapees was comparatively high, in November 1944 48 prisoners escaped. The camp in Schwerte was disbanded in December 1944 and the remaining prisoners were brought back to Buchenwald.
Unna (district)
The Unna district is a Kreis in central North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring authorities are the district of Coesfeld, the city of Hamm, the districts of Soest and Märkischer Kreis, the cities of Hagen and Dortmund, and the district of Recklinghausen.-History:The area of the present...
, 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
Schwerte is situated in the Ruhr valley, at the south-east border of the Ruhr AreaRuhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
. South of Schwerte begins the mountainous Sauerland
Sauerland
The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited...
region.
Division of the town
After the local government reforms of 1975 Schwerte consists of the following districts:- Schwerte
- Holzen
- Westhofen
- Ergste
- Geisecke
- Villigst
- Wandhofen
International relations
Schwerte 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:
|
 Leppävirta Leppävirta is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water... in Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... (since 1992)
|
History
Schwerte received civic rights in the 12th century.The railway facility
Ausbesserungswerk
An Ausbesserungswerk is a railway facility in German-speaking countries, the primary function of which is the repair of railway vehicles or their components. It is thus equivalent to a 'repair shop' or 'works'...
in the eastern district of Schwerte became a branch of the Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
in April 1944. The camp had 445 prisoners in August and 670 in November 1944. The number of escapees was comparatively high, in November 1944 48 prisoners escaped. The camp in Schwerte was disbanded in December 1944 and the remaining prisoners were brought back to Buchenwald.
Main Sights
- The RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church of St. Victor has a carved altar of 1523, and stained glass of the 14th and 15th centuries. - The Wuckenhof is a timber framed houseTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
built in the 16th century. - The RuhrtalmuseumMuseumA museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
is situated in a former town hall, that was built in 1547. - The Rohrmeisterei was built in 1889 by a water purification companyWater purificationWater purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose...
. It was a pumping stationPumping stationPumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
until 1924. Today it is part of the German route of industrial heritageIndustrial heritageIndustrial heritage is an aspect of cultural heritage dealing specifically with the buildings and artifacts of industry which are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations, often forming a significant attraction for tourism.The...
(Route der Industriekultur).
Economy
Today, there are some industries left, which are confined to the manufacture of iron and steel goods.Personalities
- Jens EwaldJens EwaldJens Ewald is a German slalom canoer who competed in the mid 2000s. Competing at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens in the K-1 event, he finished twenty-fifth in the qualification round, failing to progress to the semifinals....
(born 1983 in Schwerte), a whitewater kayakerWhitewater kayakingWhitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or...
. - Prof. Dr. Paul KevenhörsterPaul KevenhörsterPaul Johannes Kevenhörster is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the Westphalian William's University of Muenster in Germany. His work focuses on politics in Japan, municipal government and international development co-operation. He has served in academia as well as in a government agency...
(born 1941 in Schwerte), a political scientist - Wolfgang KleffWolfgang KleffWolfgang Kleff is a former German football player whose resemblance to German actor and comedian Otto Waalkes allowed him to pick up minor roles in motion pictures and his referring nickname "Otto" as well....
(born 1946 in Schwerte), a former football (soccer) player. - Thomas KrothThomas KrothThomas Kroth is a German former professional football midfielder.Kroth won the DFB-Pokal with three different teams. In 1983 with 1. FC Köln, in 1987 Hamburger SV and in 1989 with Borussia Dortmund. In 1985 he earned one cap for Germany against Hungary...
(born 1959), a former football (soccer) player, who lives in Schwerte. - Detlef LeweDetlef LeweDetlef Lewe was a West German-German sprint canoer who competed from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.-Sporting career:...
(1939–2008), was a sprint canoerCanoe racingThis article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
and was living in Schwerte. - Violetta Oblinger-PetersVioletta Oblinger-PetersVioletta Oblinger-Peters is a German-born, Austrian slalom canoer who has competed since the early 2000s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the K-1 event at Beijing in 2008....
(born 1977 in Schwerte), a whitewater slalom canoer. - Heinrich RehkemperHeinrich RehkemperHeinrich Rehkemper was a German baritone singer whose repertoire was in opera and Lieder, and whose career was principally in Germany between the First and Second World War...
(born 1894 in Schwerte, died 1949), was a baritone singerBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
. - Carmen RischerCarmen RischerCarmen Rischer ; born 16 May 1956 in Munich) is an individual Rhythmic Gymnast. She was the 1975's World Champion....
(born 1956 in Schwerte), a former rhythmic gymnastRhythmic gymnasticsRhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
. - Erwin RösenerErwin RösenerErwin Friedrich Karl Rösener was an SS-Obergruppenführer who was responsible for mass executions of civilians in Slovenia and was posthumously on the indictment at the Nuremberg Trials for war crimes....
(born 1902 in Schwerte, died 1946), was an SS-ObergruppenführerObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
who was posthumously on the indictment at NurembergNuremberg TrialsThe Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
for war crimes. - Rosemarie TrockelRosemarie TrockelRosemarie Trockel is a German Artist, and an important figure in the international contemporary art movement.- Life :...
(born 1952 in Schwerte), an artArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
ist.
External links
- Official site
- Heimatverein Ergste Internet site of the local history society of Ergste