Plettenberg
Encyclopedia
Plettenberg is a town in the Märkischer Kreis
, in North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
.
hills. The highest elevation of the city area is in the Ebbegebirge with 593 m above sea level
, the lowest elevation with 194 m near Teindeln. The city is spread between the four valleys of the rivers Lenne
, Else
, Oester and Grüne
.
, at that time named Heslipho. The name was later changed to Plettenberg, as the name of the noble family von Plettenberg
, who owned virtually all of the city and surrounding lands.
The Dukes of the Mark bought the town from Cologne, who in 1301 built the castle Schwarzenberg (which was destroyed by fire in 1864). In 1387, Count Engelbert III granted the town some privileges, it received full city rights in 1397 from Count Dietrich von der Mark. At the same time, the city was fortified. The city blossomed in the following centuries thanks to mining and iron casting, as well as trading with the Hanseatic League
.
In 1941, the city was enlarged to its current size, when the former city and the surrounding Amt were merged.
(Austria
) since 1988, Schleusingen
(Thuringia
, Germany) since 1990 and Wrexham, Wales.
In 1912, the city council agreed on the historical coat of arms, but the Königliche Heroldsamt in Berlin, which was responsible for the official approval, denied it - at that time the coat of arms of cities were supposed to be crowned by a city wall. However the city council did not want to repeat the symbols (city wall and crown) which was already present in the coat of arms, thus the coat of arms was not officially granted.
After Plettenberg merged with the municipalities Plettenberg-Land and Ohle in 1940, the council had the decide on the coat of arms again. This time it was officially granted on September 28, 1942, however provisional due to the war. Yet after the lost war, the coat of arms was never revoked.
The coat of arms of the municipality Plettenberg-Land showed a silver-blue shield split vertically, the symbol of the master of Plettenberg. It is overlayed with the red-and-white chequered bar of the Mark. The coat of arms was designed by Otto Hupp
, and was granted on January 16, 1935. The coat of arms of the Amt Plettenberg was very similar, it only had an additional red shell in the top-left corner as the symbol of the masters of Ohle. Also designed by Otto Hupp it was granted on July 13, 1936.
The coat of arms of the municipality Ohle shows the Saint Martin of Tours
splitting his coat to share with the beggar. Saint Martin is the patron saint of the church of Ohle. A small escutcheon is placed next to the Saint, showing a red shell on yellow ground, the symbol of the masters of Ohle. The coat of arms was also designed by Otto Hupp, and was granted on October 17, 1935.
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:...
, 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
Plettenberg is located in the east of the SauerlandSauerland
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...
hills. The highest elevation of the city area is in the Ebbegebirge with 593 m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, the lowest elevation with 194 m near Teindeln. The city is spread between the four valleys of the rivers Lenne
Lenne
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...
, Else
Else
Else may refer to:* Else , a concept in computer programming* "Else" , a 1999 rock song* The Else, a 2007 alternative rock album* Else , a river in Germany, tributary to the Werre, a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker...
, Oester and Grüne
Grune
Grune may refer to:* Dick Grune, computer scientist* A character in the role-playing game Tales of Legendia...
.
Division of the town
Plettenberg consists of 5 districts:- Plettenberg (city center) (14,012 inhabitants)
- Eiringhausen (4,905 inhabitants)
- Holthausen/upper Elsetal (3,985 inhabitants)
- Oestertal (3,055 inhabitants)
- Ohle (2,825 inhabitants)
History
Probably the first written proof of Plettenberg was made in a document of Anno II, archbishop of CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, at that time named Heslipho. The name was later changed to Plettenberg, as the name of the noble family von Plettenberg
House of Plettenberg
The House of Plettenberg is a Westphalian noble family of the Uradel. It dates back at least to 1187, when Heidolphus de Plettenbrath was mentioned in a document by Philip I...
, who owned virtually all of the city and surrounding lands.
The Dukes of the Mark bought the town from Cologne, who in 1301 built the castle Schwarzenberg (which was destroyed by fire in 1864). In 1387, Count Engelbert III granted the town some privileges, it received full city rights in 1397 from Count Dietrich von der Mark. At the same time, the city was fortified. The city blossomed in the following centuries thanks to mining and iron casting, as well as trading with 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...
.
In 1941, the city was enlarged to its current size, when the former city and the surrounding Amt were merged.
International relations
The city has partnerships with BludenzBludenz
Bludenz is a town in the state of Vorarlberg in Austria. The town, surrounded by mountains, lies at the meeting point of five different valleys: The Klostertal, The Montafon, The Walgau, The Brandnertal, The Groß Walsertal....
(Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) since 1988, Schleusingen
Schleusingen
Schleusingen is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Hildburghausen, and 12 km southeast of Suhl....
(Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany) since 1990 and Wrexham, Wales.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms shows the coat of arms of the counts of Mark in the center. It is displayed between two towers. The coat of arms was granted together with the city rights. In 1794, the crown atop the shield was added in seals of the city. In 1840, the colored version on a shield was adopted.In 1912, the city council agreed on the historical coat of arms, but the Königliche Heroldsamt in Berlin, which was responsible for the official approval, denied it - at that time the coat of arms of cities were supposed to be crowned by a city wall. However the city council did not want to repeat the symbols (city wall and crown) which was already present in the coat of arms, thus the coat of arms was not officially granted.
After Plettenberg merged with the municipalities Plettenberg-Land and Ohle in 1940, the council had the decide on the coat of arms again. This time it was officially granted on September 28, 1942, however provisional due to the war. Yet after the lost war, the coat of arms was never revoked.
The coat of arms of the municipality Plettenberg-Land showed a silver-blue shield split vertically, the symbol of the master of Plettenberg. It is overlayed with the red-and-white chequered bar of the Mark. The coat of arms was designed by Otto Hupp
Otto Hupp
Otto Hupp was a German graphical artist. His main working area was heraldry, yet he also worked as a typeface designer, creating commercial symbols and metal works....
, and was granted on January 16, 1935. The coat of arms of the Amt Plettenberg was very similar, it only had an additional red shell in the top-left corner as the symbol of the masters of Ohle. Also designed by Otto Hupp it was granted on July 13, 1936.
The coat of arms of the municipality Ohle shows the Saint Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints...
splitting his coat to share with the beggar. Saint Martin is the patron saint of the church of Ohle. A small escutcheon is placed next to the Saint, showing a red shell on yellow ground, the symbol of the masters of Ohle. The coat of arms was also designed by Otto Hupp, and was granted on October 17, 1935.