Wettringen (Münsterland)
Encyclopedia
Wettringen is a village and a municipality
in the district of Steinfurt
, in North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
.
, approx. 40 km north of Münster
and approx. 25 km east to the dutch
border.
Louis the Pious
donated the church of "Wateringas" to the nun
monastery
of Herford
. This romanesque
church was founded in the year 800 by Charlemagne
. It was reconstructed in the year 1522.
In 1590, during the Dutch Revolt
, Spanish Troops plundered Wettringen multiple times. In 1622, during the Thirty Years' War
Wettringen was the victim of plunder and pillage again.
In 1771 the "Münster Canal" was extended from its former end Clemenshafen in Neuenkirchen
to its new end in Maxhafen. It was renamed to "Max-Clemens Canal" after the prince-bishop
s Maximilian Frederick of Königsegg-Rothenfels
and Clemens August of Bavaria
. The original plan was a connection between Münster and the Dutch Town of Zwolle
, but the last segment was never completed. In 1840 shipping on the canal was given up due to being uneconomic.
In 1861 the old church was torn down and the diocese
architect
of Münster, Emil von Manger from Oelde
, started to build a new gothic revival
church. It was completed in the year 1863 and was consecrated to Saint Petronilla
. This church still stands today in the village centre.
The Second World War also left its marks on Wettringen. On March 31 in 1945, allied troops came to Wettringen. At the end of the year, approx. 1200 fugitives
, predominantly from Silesia
, found shelter in the village. In memory of the victims of the World War I
and II a memorial was built in 1957 and it was complemented by a stele
in 1998 to remind especially to the victims of the Holocaust. An old memorial from 1929 had to be removed due to traffic planning.
of Wettringen is colored in silver, red and gold, the traditional colors of the Münsterland. At the top is a silver bar with a curved red line in the middle. It is the symbol of the Edelherren
of Wettringen. Below that is the red bar taken from the coat of arms of the nun monastery of Herford. At the bottom a swan
is shown. This symbol is taken from the coat of arms of the Fürst
of Bentheim-Steinfurt
.
of Wettringen after the election of 2004 is split-up as follows:
The Mayor is Engelbert Rauen.
(France
), the Dutch
village Dalen
and the German village Gnoien
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the district of Steinfurt
Steinfurt (district)
Steinfurt is a Kreis in the northern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bentheim, Emsland, district-free Osnabrück and the Osnabrück district, Warendorf, district-free Münster, Coesfeld, Borken.-Geography:...
, 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
Wettringen is situated on the river Steinfurter Aa. It is located in the region MünsterlandMünster (region)
Münster is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the north of the state, and named after the city of Münster. It includes the area which in medieval times was known as the Dreingau....
, approx. 40 km north of Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and approx. 25 km east to the dutch
Netherland
Netherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...
border.
Division of the town
Wettringen consists of multiple smaller districts:
|
|
History
Wettringen was first mentioned in the year 838. A historical document says that in the year 838 KaiserKaiser
Kaiser is the German title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". Like the Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the personal name of a branch of the gens Julia, to which Gaius Julius Caesar,...
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
donated the church of "Wateringas" to the nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Herford
Herford
Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.- Geographic location :...
. This romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque 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 was founded in the year 800 by Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
. It was reconstructed in the year 1522.
In 1590, during the Dutch Revolt
Dutch Revolt
The Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands This article adopts 1568 as the starting date of the war, as this was the year of the first battles between armies. However, since there is a long period of Protestant vs...
, Spanish Troops plundered Wettringen multiple times. In 1622, during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
Wettringen was the victim of plunder and pillage again.
In 1771 the "Münster Canal" was extended from its former end Clemenshafen in Neuenkirchen
Neuenkirchen, Westphalia
Neuenkirchen is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neuenkirchen is the biggest village in the district of Steinfurt. It is situated approx...
to its new end in Maxhafen. It was renamed to "Max-Clemens Canal" after the prince-bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
s Maximilian Frederick of Königsegg-Rothenfels
Maximilian Frederick of Königsegg-Rothenfels
Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg-Rothenfels was the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne and the Bishop of Münster from 1761 to 1784. He was born in Cologne. He was the first Elector of Cologne to come from outside the Bavarian Wittelsbach dynasty since 1583.- References :...
and Clemens August of Bavaria
Clemens August of Bavaria
Clemens August of Bavaria was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria and Archbishop-Elector of Cologne.-Biography:...
. The original plan was a connection between Münster and the Dutch Town of Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
, but the last segment was never completed. In 1840 shipping on the canal was given up due to being uneconomic.
In 1861 the old church was torn down and the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
of Münster, Emil von Manger from Oelde
Oelde
Oelde is a town in the district of Warendorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near Beckum.-Division of the town:Oelde consists of 5 districts:* Oelde* Stromberg* Lette* Sünninghausen* Kirchspiel...
, started to build a new gothic revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church. It was completed in the year 1863 and was consecrated to Saint Petronilla
Saint Petronilla
Saint Petronilla is venerated as a virgin martyr by the Catholic Church...
. This church still stands today in the village centre.
The Second World War also left its marks on Wettringen. On March 31 in 1945, allied troops came to Wettringen. At the end of the year, approx. 1200 fugitives
Fugitives
The Fugitives were a group of poets and literary scholars who came together at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, around 1920. They published a small literary magazine called The Fugitive from 1922-1925 which showcased their works...
, predominantly from Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, found shelter in the village. In memory of the victims of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and II a memorial was built in 1957 and it was complemented by a stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
in 1998 to remind especially to the victims of the Holocaust. An old memorial from 1929 had to be removed due to traffic planning.
Coat of Arms
The coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Wettringen is colored in silver, red and gold, the traditional colors of the Münsterland. At the top is a silver bar with a curved red line in the middle. It is the symbol of the Edelherren
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
of Wettringen. Below that is the red bar taken from the coat of arms of the nun monastery of Herford. At the bottom a swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
is shown. This symbol is taken from the coat of arms of the Fürst
Fürst
Fürst is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, who is referred to as Prinz...
of Bentheim-Steinfurt
Bentheim-Steinfurt
Bentheim-Steinfurt was a County of Germany, located in northwestern North Rhine-Westphalia in the region surrounding Steinfurt. Bentheim-Steinfurt was a partition of Bentheim-Bentheim...
.
Buildings
- Beside the Church of St. Petronilla from the 19th century, there is the Ahlers' family farmhouse. This typical westphaliaWestphaliaWestphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
n farmhouse is approx. 500 years old. In the 1980s, Wettringen bought this farmhouse from the family Ahlers and moved the building from its old location in Klein Haddorf to its current position in the village centre, being now the oldest building in Wettringen. - On top of the Rothenberg stands the villa Jordaan. It was built between 1923 and 1925 by Alfred Hensen from Münster and was originally a summer refugium for Bertha van Heek and Jan Jordaan. Today it's the property of the University of MünsterUniversity of MünsterThe University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
and is used for academic meetings and seminars.
Town council
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....
of Wettringen after the election of 2004 is split-up as follows:
- CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- 14 seats - SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 4 seats - Party-free - 3 seats
- FDPFree Democratic Party (Germany)The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
- 1 seat
The Mayor is Engelbert Rauen.
Twin towns
Wettringen's twin towns are FretinFretin
-References:*...
(France
France
The 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...
), the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
village Dalen
Dalen
Dalen is an old village and a former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands, in the province of Drenthe. Since 1998, Dalen has been part of the municipality of Coevorden....
and the German village Gnoien
Gnoien
Gnoien is a small town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 40 km southeast of Rostock....
.