Wenden
Encyclopedia
Wenden is a community in North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
. It belongs to the Olpe district
in the Sauerland
. It lies 10 km south of Olpe
and approx. 20 km northwest of Siegen
.
, an area of low mountain ranges. The Bigge and its tributaries, which feed into Biggesee, rise near Wenden. To the southeast a ridge separates the municipality from the adjoining Siegerland
. In the southwest the municipal area borders Rhineland-Palatinate
.
and Drolshagen
, which like Wenden lie in the Olpe district, Friesenhagen
in Rhineland-Palatinate
’s Altenkirchen district
, Kreuztal
, Freudenberg
and Siegen
(all in Siegen-Wittgenstein
), and also Reichshof
in the Oberbergischer Kreis.
, Büchen, Döingen, Dörnscheid, Eichertshof, Elben, Gerlingen, Girkhausen, Heid, Hillmicke, Hoffnung, Hünsborn, Huppen, Löffelberg, Möllmicke, Ottfingen, Römershagen, Rothemühle, Rothenborn, Scheiderwald, Schönau, Schwarzbruch, Trömbach, Vahlberg, Wenden, Wendenerhütte and Wilhelmstal.
and they rise as they pass over the Sauerland
and Wenden, which in turn brings rain. The coldest month is January. July is the warmest month. During winter fog forms frequently out of the moist air.
and the Saxons
met. There is no knowledge as to when the area was first settled. The names of some villages like Girkhausen, Bebbingen, Döingen, Gerlingen and Ottfingen as well as the names of lost villages and homesteads offer some clues. Most likely settlement must have taken place no later than around 900 to 1000 AD. Perhaps the area knew settlements even earlier as the names of local brooks and streams like Elbe, Albe, Wende, Bigge, Benze and Binse hint.
The first documented record of Wenden dates back to 1011. By that time a monastery
had been founded in Herford and given land in Wendenne, which is said to mean Wenden. At the beginning of the 14th century a chapel Wendene capella is mentioned in a copy of a much older tax register of the Archdiocese of Cologne. Watersheds have been Wenden’s limits for centuries. In the southeast and east these watersheds marked the boundary with the territory of Nassau-Siegen, in the south to the land of the counts of Wildenburg and in the south and southwest to the Duchy of Berg. All of the municipal area was part of the Electorate of Cologne. Following the Reformation
they remained Catholic
while their neighbours to the southeast, south and southwest converted to Protestantism
.
By the end of the Middle Ages
people in the Siegerland
fenced off their territory with a combination of trenches, earthworks and dense hedgerows. That part which touches the district of Olpe
is called the "Kölsches Heck" ("Cologne hedge"). The "Kölsches Heck" also marks a boundary between two languages High German and Low German
. After the Reformation it came to mark the border between areas of different faiths.
In 1803 the municipal area of Wenden was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt and in 1816 it was annexed to Prussia
. Some years later in 1850 the municipalities of Wenden and Römershagen were joined to form the new municipality of Wenden (Amt Wenden).
. With the exception of Möllmicke and Rothemühle, each of the community’s bigger centres has a Catholic church or chapel
at its disposal. After the Second World War many Germans driven out of the lost territories in the east
moved into what was then the Amt of Wenden; they settled mostly in the centres of Vahlberg and Rothemühle. Thus arose the Evangelical Church
of Rothemühle in the 1950s. In the 1980s there came a community centre in Wenden’s main town which quickly outdid the church in Rothemühle. In 2006, a resolution was handed down by the Evangelical parish of Olpe, to which Wenden belongs, to abandon the church in Rothemühle. The Rothemühle chapel building club thereupon took over financial responsibility for the church, guaranteeing its continued existence for the time being. In the 1960s, many Muslim
s and Greek Orthodox
Christians also came to the community of Wenden. For a few years, a mosque
has been maintained in Wenden’s main centre. A regionally important pilgrimage
centre for Catholics is the Dörnschlade, found in the middle of the woods between the centres of Hünsborn, Wenden and Altenhof. According to legend, a Madonna
statue
stolen from the Wenden church was found there. A chapel is used by many believers for worship. Among others, the regional Katholische Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung (“Catholic Employees’ Movement”, KAB) uses the Dörnschlade for its yearly pilgrimage.
in the former East Germany. The partnership was at first actively pursued, for instance through administrative employees’ exchanges, and continues today at a lower, but constant, level. For example, Dingelstädt’s mayor is a regular guest at the great yearly event known as the Wendener Kirmes.
Currently, groundwork is being laid to build a partnership with the Hungarian
town of Lepsény
. The packaging firm SiBO maintains branch offices in both Wenden and Lepsény. Owner Bernd Hesse blazed the trail for this budding partnership.
, and performs every November in the Wenden school centre’s auditorium
.
is a technological cultural monument and one of the oldest still preserved charcoal
furnace works in the German
-speaking world. It can be viewed free during opening hours.
s, music clubs, bands
and choir
s. Almost every centre has a concert band and several choirs at its disposal. The Spielmannszug Wenden (band) celebrates its centenary in 2008, holding a great festival weekend on 18–20 April.
(2 July) and the Nativity of Mary
(8 September), a procession from Altenhof and Wenden to the Dörnschlade takes place, which is then finished with a church service there.
The St. Severinus parish church was built about 1750. The altar
s and most holy figures already adorned the forerunner church, from which also came the bulky tower, the new church having been built over the old one, which was then only knocked down after construction on the new one was well under way. The holy objects were all transferred to the new church. The pulpit
, the Resplendent Madonna and the organ
, however, were acquired new in 1755. The new church’s namesake may have been St. Severin’s Church in Cologne
. The last thorough renovation was done between 1986 and 1988, with the church being made over as far as possible to look as it did when it was built in the 18th century.
s, the Biggesee.
, 5 of which lay in the Wenden municipal area. While most smelting works produced pig iron
, the Wendener Hütte, a mill founded by Johannes Elmert in 1728, made crude steel
. Like others which fired their blast furnaces with locally produced charcoal
, the Wendener Hütte lost out to the developing coal
-based steel industry in the Ruhr Area
. The Wendener Hütte closed down in 1866. In the years after World War II
the majority of the local population was working in agriculture
. But when farming changed to more intensive farming
with larger farms specialising in cattle
and dairy farming
, most small farmers gave up. People shifted out of farming and sought employment in manufacturing
in neighbouring Olpe
and the Siegerland
.
This all changed when Bundesautobahn 45
was completed in 1971 and Bundesautobahn 4 opened to traffic in 1976. With quick access to other areas of Germany, Wenden was able to attract larger operations and build a solid economic infrastructure.
in the west) and the A45
(connects Wenden northwards to Dortmund
and the Ruhr Area
and southwards to Giessen and Frankfurt
), both with an interchange
at Wenden at the Olpe-Süd Autobahn cross. There are, however, no Federal highways (Bundesstraße
n) running through the community. The main thoroughfares are the highways (Landstraßen) L342, L512, L564, L714 and L905.
The eastward extension of the A4 in 2006 connects it to the Hüttentalstrasse linking Wenden to Kreuztal
and Siegen
.
lines that also join Wenden with neighbouring communities. Operators are the Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Süd (VWS, “Westphalia-South Transport Services”), whose seat is in Siegen and which is a daughter company of the Stadtwerke Bonn, and the railway daughter company Busverkehr Ruhr-Sieg (BRS, “Ruhr-Sieg Bus Transport”). Lines R50 and R51 are the most important buslines, running from Siegen
and Olpe
to Wenden.
Nowadays there is no longer any rail transport in the municipal area. There was formerly a rail connection to the Biggetalbahn (railway). The stretch running between Freudenberg
and Rothemühle, however, was abandoned by 1987, while the Rothemühle-Olpe stretch had its service withdrawn in 2000, and in 2005 it was dismantled.
.
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...
. It belongs to the Olpe district
Olpe (district)
Olpe is a Kreis in the south-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Märkischer Kreis, Hochsauerland, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Altenkirchen, Oberbergischer Kreis.- History :...
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...
. It lies 10 km south of Olpe
Olpe, Germany
Olpe is situated in the foothills of the Ebbegebirge in North Rhine-Westphalia, roughly 60 km east of Cologne and 20 km northwest of Siegen. It is part of the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg and is the seat of the district of Olpe.- Location :...
and approx. 20 km northwest of Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
.
Location
Wenden lies at the southernmost tip 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...
, an area of low mountain ranges. The Bigge and its tributaries, which feed into Biggesee, rise near Wenden. To the southeast a ridge separates the municipality from the adjoining Siegerland
Siegerland
The Siegerland is a region of Germany covering the old district of Siegen and the upper part of the district of Altenkirchen, belonging to the Rhineland-Palatinate adjoining it to the west.Geologically, the Siegerland belongs to the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge...
. In the southwest the municipal area borders Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
.
Neighbouring communities
Bordering on Wenden are OlpeOlpe, Germany
Olpe is situated in the foothills of the Ebbegebirge in North Rhine-Westphalia, roughly 60 km east of Cologne and 20 km northwest of Siegen. It is part of the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg and is the seat of the district of Olpe.- Location :...
and Drolshagen
Drolshagen
Drolshagen is a town belonging to the district of Olpe in the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, lying roughly 5 km west of Olpe.- Location :...
, which like Wenden lie in the Olpe district, Friesenhagen
Friesenhagen
Friesenhagen is a municipality in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany....
in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
’s Altenkirchen district
Altenkirchen (district)
Altenkirchen is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the North Rhine-Westphalian districts Rhein-Sieg, Oberbergischer Kreis, Olpe and Siegen-Wittgenstein, and the districts of Westerwaldkreis and Neuwied....
, Kreuztal
Kreuztal
Kreuztal is a town in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Location:Kreuztal is a town in the low mountains of the northern Siegerland and lies at the western edge of the Rothaargebirge about 10 km north of Siegen....
, Freudenberg
Freudenberg, Westphalia
Freudenberg is a town in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.The town lies on the German-Dutch holiday road called the Orange Route, joining towns, cities and regions associated with the House of Orange.- Location :...
and Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
(all in Siegen-Wittgenstein
Siegen-Wittgenstein
Siegen-Wittgenstein is a Kreis in the southeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Olpe, Hochsauerlandkreis, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill, Westerwaldkreis, Altenkirchen.-History:...
), and also Reichshof
Reichshof
Reichshof is a Northrhine-Westfalian municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis in Germany, about 40 km east of Cologne. It is a health resort, known for its good climate.-General meaning:...
in the Oberbergischer Kreis.
Constituent communities
The community consists of the following centres: Altenhof, Altenwenden, Bebbingen, BrünBrun
Brun may refer to the following:* the French word derived from the Germanic word for "brown" . If applied to hair, see brunette* Brun, Duke of Saxony, died 880-Place name:*Brun, Armenia, also Romanized as Brrun...
, Büchen, Döingen, Dörnscheid, Eichertshof, Elben, Gerlingen, Girkhausen, Heid, Hillmicke, Hoffnung, Hünsborn, Huppen, Löffelberg, Möllmicke, Ottfingen, Römershagen, Rothemühle, Rothenborn, Scheiderwald, Schönau, Schwarzbruch, Trömbach, Vahlberg, Wenden, Wendenerhütte and Wilhelmstal.
Climate
Wenden’s climate is very wet. West winds bring clouds that form over the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and they rise as they pass over 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...
and Wenden, which in turn brings rain. The coldest month is January. July is the warmest month. During winter fog forms frequently out of the moist air.
History
The origins of the name Wenden are not known for certain. Probably it has to do with the location because at the turn of the first millennium within its area the lands of two Germanic people, the FranksFranks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
and the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
met. There is no knowledge as to when the area was first settled. The names of some villages like Girkhausen, Bebbingen, Döingen, Gerlingen and Ottfingen as well as the names of lost villages and homesteads offer some clues. Most likely settlement must have taken place no later than around 900 to 1000 AD. Perhaps the area knew settlements even earlier as the names of local brooks and streams like Elbe, Albe, Wende, Bigge, Benze and Binse hint.
The first documented record of Wenden dates back to 1011. By that time a 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...
had been founded in Herford and given land in Wendenne, which is said to mean Wenden. At the beginning of the 14th century a chapel Wendene capella is mentioned in a copy of a much older tax register of the Archdiocese of Cologne. Watersheds have been Wenden’s limits for centuries. In the southeast and east these watersheds marked the boundary with the territory of Nassau-Siegen, in the south to the land of the counts of Wildenburg and in the south and southwest to the Duchy of Berg. All of the municipal area was part of the Electorate of Cologne. Following the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
they remained Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
while their neighbours to the southeast, south and southwest converted to Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
people in the Siegerland
Siegerland
The Siegerland is a region of Germany covering the old district of Siegen and the upper part of the district of Altenkirchen, belonging to the Rhineland-Palatinate adjoining it to the west.Geologically, the Siegerland belongs to the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge...
fenced off their territory with a combination of trenches, earthworks and dense hedgerows. That part which touches the district of Olpe
Olpe (district)
Olpe is a Kreis in the south-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Märkischer Kreis, Hochsauerland, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Altenkirchen, Oberbergischer Kreis.- History :...
is called the "Kölsches Heck" ("Cologne hedge"). The "Kölsches Heck" also marks a boundary between two languages High German and Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
. After the Reformation it came to mark the border between areas of different faiths.
In 1803 the municipal area of Wenden was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt and in 1816 it was annexed to 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...
. Some years later in 1850 the municipalities of Wenden and Römershagen were joined to form the new municipality of Wenden (Amt Wenden).
Religion
The great majority of the community dwellers adhere to the Catholic faithCatholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. With the exception of Möllmicke and Rothemühle, each of the community’s bigger centres has a Catholic church or chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
at its disposal. After the Second World War many Germans driven out of the lost territories in the east
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
moved into what was then the Amt of Wenden; they settled mostly in the centres of Vahlberg and Rothemühle. Thus arose the Evangelical Church
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
of Rothemühle in the 1950s. In the 1980s there came a community centre in Wenden’s main town which quickly outdid the church in Rothemühle. In 2006, a resolution was handed down by the Evangelical parish of Olpe, to which Wenden belongs, to abandon the church in Rothemühle. The Rothemühle chapel building club thereupon took over financial responsibility for the church, guaranteeing its continued existence for the time being. In the 1960s, many Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s and Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
Christians also came to the community of Wenden. For a few years, a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
has been maintained in Wenden’s main centre. A regionally important pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
centre for Catholics is the Dörnschlade, found in the middle of the woods between the centres of Hünsborn, Wenden and Altenhof. According to legend, a Madonna
Madonna (art)
Images of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child or Virgin and Child are pictorial or sculptured representations of Mary, Mother of Jesus, either alone, or more frequently, with the infant Jesus. These images are central icons of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity where Mary remains...
statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
stolen from the Wenden church was found there. A chapel is used by many believers for worship. Among others, the regional Katholische Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung (“Catholic Employees’ Movement”, KAB) uses the Dörnschlade for its yearly pilgrimage.
Amalgamations
The community of Wenden came into being in 1969 in the course of municipal restructuring in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is coëxtensive with the former Amt of Wenden, which itself consisted of the communities of Wenden and Römershagen.Mayor
Peter Brüser, a CDU member and also formerly that party’s candidate, won in the municipal election as an independent by a great margin over CDU candidate Antonius Halbe. Before the dual leadership system was abolished, Brüser was already Gemeindedirektor (“Community Director”), and was chosen as mayor (Bürgermeister) first by the council and then in the original election.Town partnerships
A partnership came about as a result of German unity with DingelstädtDingelstädt
Dingelstädt is a Thuringian city in the district of Eichsfeld in Germany.-History:Anton Thraen the German astronomer, minister and native of Holungen died in Dingelstädt on February 18, 1902 .-Twin towns - Sister cities:Dingelstädt is twinned with:...
in the former East Germany. The partnership was at first actively pursued, for instance through administrative employees’ exchanges, and continues today at a lower, but constant, level. For example, Dingelstädt’s mayor is a regular guest at the great yearly event known as the Wendener Kirmes.
Currently, groundwork is being laid to build a partnership with the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
town of Lepsény
Lepsény
Lepsény is a village in Fejér county, Hungary.- External links :*...
. The packaging firm SiBO maintains branch offices in both Wenden and Lepsény. Owner Bernd Hesse blazed the trail for this budding partnership.
Theatre
The Sauerland-Theater Hillmicke is a successful amateur theatreAmateur theatre
Amateur theatre is theatre performed by amateur actors. These actors are not typically members of Actors' Equity groups or Actors' Unions as these organizations exist to protect the professional industry and therefore discourage their members from appearing with companies which are not a signatory...
, and performs every November in the Wenden school centre’s auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
.
Museums
The Wendener HütteWendener Hütte
Wendener Hütte is an old ironworks and hammer mill. As that it is a cultural monument to the beginnings of industrialization. It is located near Wenden and open to visitors.- History :...
is a technological cultural monument and one of the oldest still preserved charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
furnace works in the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking world. It can be viewed free during opening hours.
Music
The community of Wenden is well known for its great number of concert bandConcert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
s, music clubs, bands
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
and choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
s. Almost every centre has a concert band and several choirs at its disposal. The Spielmannszug Wenden (band) celebrates its centenary in 2008, holding a great festival weekend on 18–20 April.
Buildings
The Dörnschlade pilgrimage chapel was built in the mid 19th century and is found near Altenhof. It can easily be reached by the road running between Hünsborn and Wenden. On the Sundays after the Festivals of the AssumptionAssumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
(2 July) and the Nativity of Mary
Nativity of Mary
The Nativity of Mary, or Birth of the Virgin and various permutations, is celebrated as a liturgical feast in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and in most Anglican liturgical calendars on 8 September, nine months after the solemnity of her Immaculate Conception, celebrated on 8 December...
(8 September), a procession from Altenhof and Wenden to the Dörnschlade takes place, which is then finished with a church service there.
The St. Severinus parish church was built about 1750. The altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
s and most holy figures already adorned the forerunner church, from which also came the bulky tower, the new church having been built over the old one, which was then only knocked down after construction on the new one was well under way. The holy objects were all transferred to the new church. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, the Resplendent Madonna and the organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, however, were acquired new in 1755. The new church’s namesake may have been St. Severin’s Church in Cologne
Cologne
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...
. The last thorough renovation was done between 1986 and 1988, with the church being made over as far as possible to look as it did when it was built in the 18th century.
Natural monuments
The source of the river Bigge lies near Römershagen. The stream, which where it rises is still only very small, runs for 16 km, then filling one of Germany’s biggest reservoirReservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s, the Biggesee.
Sport
- The Vereinigte Sport-Vereine Wenden 1930 e. V. in Wenden-Schönau (football) played in the VerbandsligaVerbandsligaThe Verbandsliga is the 6th tier of football in Germany, played on a regional basis by Bundesland. In Saxony, Thuringia, Hamburg, Bremen and Bavaria the 6th tier is called Landesliga, which is the 7th tier in some of the other Bundesländer...
until 2003, but are now in the LandesligaLandesligaThe Landesliga is the 7th tier of football in most of Germany, one division below the Verbandsliga. In Bavaria, Sachsen, Thüringen, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Hamburg the Landesligas are set right below the Oberliga and therefore are the 6th tier...
. They have an artificial-turfArtificial turfArtificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
pitch at their disposal.
- The DAC 01, Wenden plays skittlesSkittles (sport)Skittles is an old European lawn game, a variety of bowling, from which ten-pin bowling, duckpin bowling, and candlepin bowling in the United States, and five-pin bowling in Canada are descended. In the United Kingdom, the game remains a popular pub game in England and Wales, though it tends to be...
in a Landesliga at the Bundeskegelbahn Gasthof Wurm (“Bützers”) in Schönau.
- The SG Wenden already boasts various successes in athletics, among them Simon Huckestein, sixth in the 2005 German Championship over 800 m. The club was built up significantly by squad trainer Egon Bröcher’s work, and by Kunibert Rademacher (currently the chairman for district athletics). The club organizes the traditional Südsauerlandlauf (“South Sauerland Walk”) which draws up to 800 participants. It is held every year on the first weekend in November. Training is done on the Tartan trackTartan trackTartan Track is the trademarked all-weather synthetic track surfacing made of polyurethane which is used for track and field competitions. It lets athletes compete in bad weather without serious performance loss and improves their results over other surfaces...
at the Gerlingen sporting grounds and at the gymnasium at the Wenden school centre.
Regular events
- The Wendsche Kärmetze (Kirmes) is held on the third Tuesday in August as well as on the Saturday and Sunday before that. On Tuesday there is an animal show with prizes awarded to animals in various classes. Another thing that sets the Wendsche Kärmetze apart is that throughout the time when it is being held, there is a market at which the most varied things are for sale. Besides the many market dealers, many carnival rideAmusement rideAmusement rides are large mechanical devices that move people to create enjoyment. They are frequently found at amusement parks, traveling carnivals, and funfairs.-Notable types:*Afterburner*Ali Baba*Balloon Race*Booster...
operators bring their carouselCarouselA carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
s and other attractions. The Wenden Kirmes is the biggest event of its kind in the South Westphalia area.
- The Schönauer Karneval is a high point at CarnivalCarnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
time in South Westphalia celebrated with, besides the Prinzenproklamation (about 11 November), Altweiber (“Old Women’s Day”), Prunksitzung (a sitting of the “Elves’ Council” – actually a revue) and Rosenmontagszug (“Shrove Monday Parade”) also with three further events under marquees. Elaborate floatFloat (parade)A float is a decorated platform, either built on a vehicle or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive parades, such as those of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnival of Viareggio, the Maltese Carnival, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Key West Fantasy Fest parade, the...
s and many groups on foot on Shrove Monday combine to form a miles-long lindwormLindwormLindworm in British heraldry, is a technical term for a wingless bipedal dragon often with a venomous bite.-Etymology:In modern Scandinavian languages, the cognate lindorm can refer to any 'serpent' or monstrous...
that wends its way through Schönau’s streets watched by 15,000 onlookers in this centre of only 1,400 souls. The Schönau carneys’ battle call goes “Schönau Helau”. The club song begins with the lines “Von Schönau bis Bockenbach – da wird geschunkelt und gelacht” (roughly “From Schönau to Bockenbach – there will be swaying to and fro and laughing”), Bockenbach being a neighbouring place in the Siegerland. Over more than 40 years, the Schönau-Altenwenden Carnival Club has established itself very firmly in South Westphalian Carnival life. Its two dancing guards, the Rote and Blaue Funken (Red and Blue Sparks), represent the club at many regional and national events.
- The Ottfinger Schützenfest (“Ottfingen Shooting Festival”) is traditionally held on the third weekend in June and is the biggest of its kind in the community of Wenden. The festival begins with a parade through the village, with the new King and Queen being determined thereafter in a bird-shooting contest. The high point is the joint celebrating in the marksmen’s tent on Saturday evening.
- The Südsauerlandlauf, a traditional walking event that held its 30th edition in 2005 is usually held on the first weekend in November by the Sportgemeinschaft Wenden (“Wenden Sport Association”). In past years, the event has even welcomed successful walking aces such as Sabrina MockenhauptSabrina MockenhauptSabrina Mockenhaupt is a German long-distance runner who specialises in long-distance track events and the marathon. She is a two-time winner of the Cologne Marathon and has also won the Frankfurt Marathon and the Berlin Half Marathon...
in 2005. There are the Bambinilauf (500 m), Schülerläufe (2 km for schoolchildren), Volkslauf (5 km for the general public), Hauptlauf (the “main” walk of 10 km) and Nordic WalkingNordic walkingNordic walking, originally known as ski walking, is a physical activity and a sport consisting of walking with poles similar to ski poles.-Origin:...
(9 km) which draw up to 800 participants, making it the biggest walking event in South Westphalia. It has been integrated as a walking event into the Ausdauer-Cup.
Economy and infrastructure
The economic development of the area depended mostly on iron ore and heavy spar deposits as well as an abundance of wood and water. In 1855 there were 7 smelting works in the district of OlpeOlpe (district)
Olpe is a Kreis in the south-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Märkischer Kreis, Hochsauerland, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Altenkirchen, Oberbergischer Kreis.- History :...
, 5 of which lay in the Wenden municipal area. While most smelting works produced pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
, the Wendener Hütte, a mill founded by Johannes Elmert in 1728, made crude steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
. Like others which fired their blast furnaces with locally produced charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, the Wendener Hütte lost out to the developing coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
-based steel industry in the 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...
. The Wendener Hütte closed down in 1866. In the years after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the majority of the local population was working in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. But when farming changed to more intensive farming
Intensive farming
Intensive farming or intensive agriculture is an agricultural production system characterized by the high inputs of capital, labour, or heavy usage of technologies such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers relative to land area....
with larger farms specialising in cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
, most small farmers gave up. People shifted out of farming and sought employment in manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
in neighbouring Olpe
Olpe, Germany
Olpe is situated in the foothills of the Ebbegebirge in North Rhine-Westphalia, roughly 60 km east of Cologne and 20 km northwest of Siegen. It is part of the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg and is the seat of the district of Olpe.- Location :...
and the Siegerland
Siegerland
The Siegerland is a region of Germany covering the old district of Siegen and the upper part of the district of Altenkirchen, belonging to the Rhineland-Palatinate adjoining it to the west.Geologically, the Siegerland belongs to the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge...
.
This all changed when Bundesautobahn 45
Bundesautobahn 45
is an autobahn in Germany, connecting Dortmund in the west with Aschaffenburg in the southwest. It is colloquially known by its byname Sauerlandlinie, which derives from the Sauerland, the landscape which said autobahn is running through between the cities of Hagen and Siegen. Many people think of...
was completed in 1971 and Bundesautobahn 4 opened to traffic in 1976. With quick access to other areas of Germany, Wenden was able to attract larger operations and build a solid economic infrastructure.
Established enterprises
- CAMCO (professional audio power amplifiers)
- Dia-therm (heater factory)
- Berker
- Elexis-Gruppe with the firms EMG and Drehmo
- Prime Drilling GmbH (Horizontal Directional Drilling)
Roads
The community of Wenden is connected to two Autobahnen, the A4 (Aachen–Görlitz, links the area to 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...
in the west) and the A45
Bundesautobahn 45
is an autobahn in Germany, connecting Dortmund in the west with Aschaffenburg in the southwest. It is colloquially known by its byname Sauerlandlinie, which derives from the Sauerland, the landscape which said autobahn is running through between the cities of Hagen and Siegen. Many people think of...
(connects Wenden northwards to 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 the 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 southwards to Giessen and Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
), both with an interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
at Wenden at the Olpe-Süd Autobahn cross. There are, however, no Federal highways (Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
n) running through the community. The main thoroughfares are the highways (Landstraßen) L342, L512, L564, L714 and L905.
The eastward extension of the A4 in 2006 connects it to the Hüttentalstrasse linking Wenden to Kreuztal
Kreuztal
Kreuztal is a town in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Location:Kreuztal is a town in the low mountains of the northern Siegerland and lies at the western edge of the Rothaargebirge about 10 km north of Siegen....
and Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
.
Bus and rail transport
For local public road transport there are many busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
lines that also join Wenden with neighbouring communities. Operators are the Verkehrsbetriebe Westfalen-Süd (VWS, “Westphalia-South Transport Services”), whose seat is in Siegen and which is a daughter company of the Stadtwerke Bonn, and the railway daughter company Busverkehr Ruhr-Sieg (BRS, “Ruhr-Sieg Bus Transport”). Lines R50 and R51 are the most important buslines, running from Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
and Olpe
Olpe, Germany
Olpe is situated in the foothills of the Ebbegebirge in North Rhine-Westphalia, roughly 60 km east of Cologne and 20 km northwest of Siegen. It is part of the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg and is the seat of the district of Olpe.- Location :...
to Wenden.
Nowadays there is no longer any rail transport in the municipal area. There was formerly a rail connection to the Biggetalbahn (railway). The stretch running between Freudenberg
Freudenberg
-Places:*Municipalities in Germany:**Freudenberg, Westphalia, in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, North Rhine-Westphalia**Freudenberg, Bavaria, in the Amberg-Sulzbach district, Bavaria**Freudenberg am Main, in the Main-Tauber district, Baden-Württemberg...
and Rothemühle, however, was abandoned by 1987, while the Rothemühle-Olpe stretch had its service withdrawn in 2000, and in 2005 it was dismantled.
Education
Wenden has got two secondary schools and several primary schools but no GymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
.
| Elementary school Elementary school An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar... s |
Secondary school Secondary school Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place... s |
|---|---|
| Katholische Grundschule Gerlingen | Hauptschule Hauptschule A Hauptschule is a secondary school in Germany and Austria, starting after 4 years of elementary schooling, which offers Lower Secondary Education according to the International Standard Classification of Education... : Konrad-Adenauer-Schule Gemeinschaftshauptschule |
| Katholische Grundschule Hünsborn | Realschule Realschule The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and... : Realschule Wenden |
| Katholische Grundschule Ottfingen | Special schools |
| Biggetal-Grundschule Rothemühle | Geschwister-Scholl-Schule, Förderschule mit dem Förderschwerpunkt emotionale und soziale Entwicklung |
| Westerberg-Schule Katholische Grundschule Wenden |
Sons and daughters of the community
- Johannes Dornseiffer (born 2 February 1837 in Wenden-Gerlingen; died 11 December 1914 in EsloheEsloheEslohe is a municipality in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Neighbouring municipalities:* Finnentrop* Lennestadt* Meschede* Schmallenberg* Sundern- Division of the town :...
), vicar in Fretter and pastor in Eslohe, founder of the (agricultural) Winterschule (“Winter School”) in Fretter, stands as cofounder of many savings and loan companies in the Finnentrop-Eslohe area in personal contact with Friedrich Wilhelm RaiffeisenFriedrich Wilhelm RaiffeisenFriedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen was a German mayor and cooperative pioneer. Several credit union systems and cooperative banks have been named after Raiffeisen, who pioneered rural credit unions.- Life :...
. - P. Maurus Kaufmann OSB (born in Elben; died 1948 in Jerusalem), first abbotAbbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the Abbey of the DormitionHagia Maria Sion AbbeyHagia Maria Sion Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Jerusalem on Mt. Zion just outside the walls of the Old City near the Zion Gate.It was formerly known as the Abbey of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, but the name was changed in 1998 in reference to the church of Hagia Sion that formerly stood on...
in Jerusalem. - Dr. Kaspar Klein (born 28 August 1865 in Elben; died 26 January 1941 in Paderborn), 1930 - 1941 Archbishop of PaderbornPaderbornPaderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
- Wilhelm Schneider, (born 4 September 1847 in Gerlingen; died 31 August 1909 in Paderborn) Bishop in the Archbishopric of Paderborn.
Further reading
- Fritz Wiemers: Heimatbuch des Amtes Wenden. published by the Wenden i. Westf. Amt administration. Olpe o.J. ( 1951). – expanded new printing published in collaboration with the community of Wenden, with an introduction by Dr. Raimund Quiter, Kreuztal 2004. ISBN 3-925498-80-X
- Karl Heinz Kaufmann: Wenden. Wo die Wendschen wohnen. Ein heimatgeschichtliches und volkskundliches Lesebuch published on commission from the community of Wenden. Kreuztal 2001. ISBN 3-925498-69-9
- Heinrich Solbach: Ottfingen. published by local history working group. Schmallenberg-Fredeburg o.J. (1992)
- Tonis Brüser et al.: Dörnscheid – ein Dorf in dem wir leben. published by the Dörnscheid. o.J. village association (ca. 1990)
- Margret Kirschey et al.: Römershagen 1144–1994. published by “850 Jahre Römershagen” working group. Elben/ Ww. O. J. (1994)
- Wolf-Dieter Grün (ed.): Die Heider Schulchronik. Was der Lehrer aufschrieb über Heid, Rothemühle, Trömbach, die Binz und Vahlberg, ergänzt um einige Zeitdokumente. published by Heid Development Association and the Heimatverein Rothemühle e.V., Wenden 2007