Wetter (Ruhr)
Encyclopedia
Wetter (literally weather) is a town in western 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...

 and belongs to the area of Ruhr area
Ruhr 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...

 and the federal state of 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...

. Wetter belongs to the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis. The river Ruhr flows through the urban area and separates the district of Altwetter from the districts of Esborn, Grundschöttel, Volmarstein and Wengern. The cities of Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund 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 Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...

 can be reached within 20 minutes by train or car.

Neighbour municipalities

Neighbour municipalities are Gevelsberg
Gevelsberg
Gevelsberg is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, .- Geography :The city extends from the wooded mountainous south up, into the narrow valley of the Ennepe with Route 7 up to the hilly northern part...

, Hagen
Hagen
Hagen 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...

, Herdecke
Herdecke
Herdecke is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Its located south of Dortmund in the Ruhr Area and is known as Die Stadt zwischen den Ruhrseen ....

, Sprockhövel
Sprockhövel
Sprockhövel is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Neighbouring places:* Hattingen* Witten* Wetter * Gevelsberg* Wuppertal* Schwelm-Divisions of the town:* Niedersprockhövel* Obersprockhövel...

 and Witten
Witten
Witten is a university city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the home of the Witten/Herdecke University, the first private university in Germany.-Bordering municipalities:* Bochum* Dortmund* Herdecke* Wetter * Sprockhoevel* Hattingen...

. The Cities of Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund 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....

, Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...

, Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...

 and Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...

 are near.

City arrangement

  • Alt-Wetter
  • Wengern
  • Esborn
    • Albringhausen
  • Volmarstein
    • Grundschöttel
    • Oberwengern
    • Schmandbruch

Population

(each measured at 12/31)
1998: 29.735, 1999: 29.946, 2000: 29.851, 2001: 29.675, 2002: 29.545, 2003: 29.337, 2004: 29.221

History

The town of Wetter is first documented in the year 1214 in relation with the Castle Wetter and the knights Bruno and Friedrich. Another famous castle ruin is the Castle Volmarstein which was built in the 11th century by the archbishop of Cologne
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne
The Archdiocese of Cologne is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.-History:...

 Frederick I. The castle is located on the other side of the Ruhr in the district of Volmarstein which has been part of Wetter since the municipal community-reform in 1970.

In 1819 Friedrich Harkort founded the first industrial workshop at Castle Wetter, producing steam engines and gas light equipment. Thus he did not just develop education and social policy but also laid the cornerstone of the early industrialization of the Ruhr area and Germany. The reservoir between Wetter and Herdecke
Herdecke
Herdecke is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Its located south of Dortmund in the Ruhr Area and is known as Die Stadt zwischen den Ruhrseen ....

, Harkortsee, and the highest mountain in the area, Harkortberg, were both named after him.

Due to the lowering bombardments in 1944/45, during the second world war, the town became the domicile of the Reichsgau
Reichsgau
A Reichsgau was an administrative subdivision created in a number of the areas annexed to Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945...

 south-Westfalia, originally residing in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...

.

Town Twinnings

Wetter is twinned with South Elmsall
South Elmsall
South Elmsall pronounced "south em-sull" is a small town and civil parish to the east of Hemsworth in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is on the B6422 and B6474 ....

 (England), Turawa
Gmina Turawa
Gmina Turawa is a rural gmina in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Turawa, which lies approximately north-east of the regional capital Opole....

 (Poland) and Stadtilm
Stadtilm
Stadtilm is a town in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Ilm, 15 km northeast of Ilmenau, and 11 km southeast of Arnstadt....

 (Germany).

Objects of interest

  • Harkortsee (Lake Harkort). Starting point for walks, bicycle- and Inlineskating tours around the two ruhr lakes Harkortsee and Hengsteysee
    Hengsteysee
    The Hengsteysee is a reservoir on the Ruhr river between the cities of Hagen, Dortmund and Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was built in 1929 and is one of five reservoirs on the Ruhr....

     (Lake Hengstey).
  • Harkortberg. Starting point of extensive walking-tours through the Ardeygebirge with good view on the Harkort lake. Here also is located the Harkort-Tower, a far away visible registration number of Wetter.
  • Henriette Davidis museum. Life and work of the most famous German cooking book authoress.
  • Modell of planets in Wetter, the center is located at the local High School Wetter.

Personalities

  • Henriette Davidis
    Henriette Davidis
    Henriette Davidis is the most famous classic cookbook author in Germany, and the German cuisine culture is decisively marked by her contributions. Additionally, in her work Die Hausfrau she also discussed other areas of household management, from bookkeeping to animal husbandry...

    . Today the Henriette-Davidis-museum reminds visitors of her.
  • Friedrich Harkort, German entrepreneur and politician in the early days of the industrialisation of the ruhr area.
  • Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet, best known for writing the national anthem of Germany.
  • Freiherr vom Stein was between 1784 and 1793 headmaster of the mining-office in Wetter. He restructured the accountancy and is considered as the initiator of the municipal self-administration.
  • Eduard Scheve. Born in 1836 in the district of Volmarstein was the originator of the deaconry of the Fellowship of the Protestant Free Churches.

Economy

  • Demag
    Demag
    Demag or Demag Cranes AG is a German heavy equipment manufacturer now controlled by US based Terex. The roots of Demag date back prior to its formation, but became Märkische Maschinenbau-Anstalt, Ludwig A.-G in 1906 as the biggest crane building company in Germany employing 250-300 people...

     Cranes & Components GmbH
  • Taprogge GmbH
  • ABUS
    ABUS
    ABUS is a German lock manufacturer founded in 1924, based in the town of Wetter in North Rhine-Westphalia. The name ABUS is an acronym for August Bremicker und Söhne KG....

  • Burg Wächter (locks)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK