Lüdenscheid
Encyclopedia
Märkischer Kreis
The Märkischer Kreis is a district in central North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Unna, Soest, Hochsauerland, Olpe, Oberbergischer Kreis, Ennepe-Ruhr, and the city of Hagen.-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. It is located in the 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. Lüdenscheid is seat of the administration of the Märkischer Kreis
Märkischer Kreis
The Märkischer Kreis is a district in central North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Unna, Soest, Hochsauerland, Olpe, Oberbergischer Kreis, Ennepe-Ruhr, and the city of Hagen.-History:...
district. However, the district council meets in the district hall in Iserlohn
Iserlohn
Iserlohn is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region.-Geography:...
.
Geography
Lüdenscheid is located on the saddle of the watershed between the LenneLenne
The Lenne is a river in the Sauerland area in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, a left tributary of the Ruhr.Having its source on top of the Kahler Asten near Winterberg in an intermittent spring at an elevation of 2,687 feet, the Lenne ends after a course of 128 km flowing into the...
and Volme
Volme
The Volme is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the left tributary of the Ruhr. It is 49.8 km long, of which 21.3 km lie within the city limits of Hagen....
rivers which both empty into the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
river, with three smaller valleys leading to them. The saddle has a height of 420 meters, higher elevations on the watershed are an unnamed hilltop of 505 meters in the north, and the 663 meters high Nordhelle in the Ebbegebirge mountain range. In the surrounding mountainous area, half a dozen barriers created artificial lakes to regulate the water flow of the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
river and to provide drinking water. The mountainous nature of the city's territory gave rise to the nickname "Bergstadt" (mountain town). The original settlement circles around the church built on a ledge of the slope above the saddle.
History
While first settlement in the Lüdenscheid area is confirmed for the 9th century, the first mention of the place as a village was made in 1067 and as a city in 1268. In the 15th and 16th century Lüdenscheid was a member of the Hanseatic LeagueHanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
. Since 1609 the town belonged to electorate
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, the later Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. In 1815 it became part of the new Prussian Province of Westphalia
Province of Westphalia
The Province of Westphalia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Kingdom of Westphalia, which was a client state of the First French Empire from 1807 to 1813...
, and 1975, with the creation of the Märkischer Kreis, became seat of its administration. In 1898 the aluminium framework of the first Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
airship was built in the factory of Carl Berg
Carl Berg (airship builder)
Carl Berg was a German entrepreneur and airship builder.Berg came from a commercial iron-works family. His great grandfather founded a button-making factory on 1786 in Lüdenscheid. In the following generations the factory developed into an important metal-working company...
in Lüdenscheid.
Economy
Lüdenscheid is an industrial town dominated by a small and medium sized metal and plastics industry, with the largest company employing 2000 people in Lüdenscheid, others employing 800 or less.The economic importance was based on the one hand by the central functions of the town for the surrounding locations, and by the metal ore mining in the wider surrounding area ("osemund"/osmond iron), which were exploited in the Middle Ages. While the ore was processed in the hammers and wire drawers with the water power in the surrounding valleys, a number of artisanal smitheries in Lüdenscheid made finished products of those materials. In order to market these products to a wider area, Lüdenscheid joined the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
.
With the emergence of the industrial age, the production of buttons and buckles played a large role, reflected in the "Knopfmuseum" (Button museum). Later, new materials like aluminium, bakelite, and plastics were adopted. A supporting industry producing the forms for the stamping, blanking, pressing and casting emerged and still plays an important part in Lüdenscheid's industry.
Production of parts of the auto industry and of fittings for electrical installations play an important role as well as continuous casting of aluminium profiles. Products notable to end consumers are lamps and lighting systems and toys.
Places of interest
- Erlöserkirche (Church of the Redeemer)
- in the center of the circular layout of the old city. The protestant church is the oldest in the town. Its tower dates from the 11th century, while the parish nave was rebuilt during the classicistic period in the early 19th century.
- Water castle Neuenhof
- in the ElspeElspe (creek)Elspe is a right tributary of the Volme river. Its source is at 413 metres above sea-level near Brenscheid, just South of Piepersloh, a part of the city Lüdenscheid. It empties at 270 metres above sea-level into the Volme in Brügge, another part of Lüdenscheid. The Elspe is separated...
valley behind the Nurre mountain. The present building with an early baroque style was erected in the end of the 17th century.- Homert tower
- Observation tower on top of the Homert mountain (539 m above sea level), the highest location in Lüdenscheid
- Versetalsperre (River "Verse" reservoir)
- City Museum
- including among others the Knopfmuseum (Button museum) and other exhibits showing the evolution of Lüdenscheid's industry
Coat of arms
The coat of arms shows Saint MedardusMedardus
Saint Medardus was the Bishop of Vermandois who removed the seat of the diocese to Noyon....
as the patron of the city. Below it has the red-and-white checked fess
Fess
In heraldry, a fess or fesse is a charge on a coat of arms that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the centre of the shield. Writers disagree in how much of the shield's surface is to be covered by a fess or other ordinary, ranging from one-fifth to one-third...
from the arms of the Counts of the Mark. The city wall at the bottom denotes the city rights that Lüdenscheid received in 1287.
Sports
Lüdenscheid-Nord is a mockery name of the footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
, most commonly used by the fans of FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
. The real football club Rot-Weiß Lüdenscheid
Rot-Weiß Lüdenscheid
Rot-Weiß Lüdenscheid is a German association football club playing in Lüdenscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The origins of the club go back to the formation of the Luedenscheider Fußball-Klub in 1908. In the aftermath of World War I, a number of local sides went through a series of mergers...
is playing in the Verbandsliga, the fourth level below the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
, but did play once in the second Bundesliga in 1977/78.
Markus Obermeier played soccer for RW Lüdenscheid before joining Borussia Dortmund.
International relations
Lüdenscheid 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:
-
BrighouseBrighouseBrighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the...
, United Kingdom since 1950/1983 -
Den HelderDen HelderDen Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
, Netherlands since 1980 -
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LeuvenLeuvenLeuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, Belgium since 1987 -
MyśleniceMysleniceMyślenice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship . Population: 20,261.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Myślenice is twinned with: Bełchatów, Poland- Sports :...
, Poland since 1989 -
Romilly-sur-SeineRomilly-sur-SeineRomilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-Population:-Twin towns:Romilly-sur-Seine is twinned with: Milford Haven, United Kingdom Gotha, Germany Lüdenscheid, Germany Medicina, Italy Uman, Ukraine-References:*...
, France since 1991 -
TaganrogTaganrogTaganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
, Russia since 1991 - Town and district Kłodzko, Poland
Personalities
- Carl BergCarl Berg (airship builder)Carl Berg was a German entrepreneur and airship builder.Berg came from a commercial iron-works family. His great grandfather founded a button-making factory on 1786 in Lüdenscheid. In the following generations the factory developed into an important metal-working company...
, airship builder - Kurt WeillKurt WeillKurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
, the composer had his first engagement from 1919-1921 at the theatre in Lüdenscheid. - Paul Wieghardt, the painter was born in Lüdenscheid.
- Wilhelm AckermannWilhelm AckermannWilhelm Friedrich Ackermann was a German mathematician best known for the Ackermann function, an important example in the theory of computation....
, mathematician. - Nuri ŞahinNuri SahinNuri Kâzım Şahin is a German-born Turkish footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Turkish national team and Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga BBVA...
, Real MadridReal MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
midfielder. - Adolf SchulteAdolf SchulteLeutnant Adolf Schulte was a German World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. His short gallant career would end in a fatal midair crash with his enemies.-World War I:...
, World War I flying aceFlying aceA flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
was born in Lüdenscheid.
Media
One of Lüdenscheid's newspapers is the Lüdenscheider NachrichtenLüdenscheider Nachrichten
The Lüdenscheider Nachrichten is a local daily newspaper for Lüdenscheid and the surrounding area in the southern part of the Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.. It is the largest newspaper in Lüdenscheid. It is published every day except Sunday, sometimes even on public holidays...
with its Süderländer Volksfreund.
Markus Obermeier, former Soccer Player for Rot-Weiss Luedenscheid gave his Hollywood Debut as Actor in the Role of Derrick Finch in the American Comedy "Messed Up Life" on www.messeduplife.com
http://www.messeduplife.com/markus.php
http://www.messeduplife.com/index.php