Winterberg
Encyclopedia
Winterberg is a town in the Hochsauerland
district of North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
and a major winter sport resort of the Wintersport Arena
Sauerland
.
, at the source of the Ruhr and Lenne
river.
with:
(1238-’61) about 1270. The foundation of the city of Winterberg was presumably carried out together with the cloister in Küstelberg. Here indicates a document of 1276 in which the rights are regulated in the town between archbishop and cloister. In this document a church is mentioned in Winterberg whose precursor presumably goes back till the time about 1225.
The city fortification seems to have granted in the 14th century first only very much restricted protection. The count von Waldeck conquered the town 1321. About 1357 Winterberg became destroyed by Gottfried IV. von Arnsberg during his war with the Cologne archbishop Wilhelm von Gennep
. For the reconstruction the archbishop granted an at first ten-year-old tax freedom. This was extended in 1370 and 1374 in each case by other five years. At this time Winterberg owned the same town right like Hallenberg.
Winterberg was a member of the Hanseatic League
from the 13th until the 17th century. The town was in the middle of two trade roads, Heidenstrasse between Cologne
and Kassel
and Heerstrasse between Frankfurt am Main and Soest
. The bad agricultural conditions led to the fact that trade played a central role as a life basis of the town.
The cause for give-up of the old settlements probably was due to the plague. The frequent feuds and lootings of this time was other cause. The towns offered a better protection against enemy troops. Only the cities of Winterberg, Hallenberg, Schmallenberg and Medebach were presumably settled at this time. The surrounding villages were presumably left completely.
During the Thirty Years' War
the neighbouring town Medebach and Hallenberg were 1634 destroyed by Hessian troops. Both had to suffer very much from contributions, lootings and murders. Besides, still the plague broke out soon afterwards. Both towns thereby had to register big population losses. This destiny seems to have remained saved to the city of Winterberg to a great extent. An important clue for this is that in 1638/39 the town council could buy a new organ for 240 imperial talers. Vice versa this could be the trigger for a vain siege of the town about 1640. The Winterberger shooters repulsed therefore attacking Hessen and Sweden successfully.
, the Kahler Asten
in the Rothaargebirge
, is located in the city area, which also contains the spring of the Lenne
and Ruhr rivers.
, best known probably for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
. In 2003, there were the first official World Wok
Championships, initiated by Stefan Raab
.
.
Hochsauerland
Hochsauerlandkreis is a Kreis in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Soest, Paderborn, Höxter, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe, Märkischer Kreis.- History :...
district of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and a major winter sport resort of the Wintersport Arena
Skiliftkarussell Winterberg
Skiliftkarussell Winterberg is one of the major ski resorts in Central Germany. It is located near the town of Winterberg in the Hochsauerland region in North Rhine-Westphalia. As an international destination, popular especially with skiers from the Netherlands, it attracts nearly 900.000 visitors...
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...
.
Geography
Winterberg is located in the middle 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...
, at the source of the Ruhr and 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...
river.
Neighbouring municipalities
- HallenbergHallenbergHallenberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Hallenberg is situated approx. 15 km southeast of Winterberg and 35 km north of Marburg.- Neighbouring Places :* Allendorf* Bad Berleburg...
- MedebachMedebachMedebach is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Medebach is situated approx. 15 km east of Winterberg, 17 km south-west of Korbach and 45 km north of Marburg.- Neighbouring municipalities:...
- OlsbergOlsberg, GermanyOlsberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:It is situated on the river Ruhr, approx. 15 km east of Meschede. It is bordered by Arnsberg Forest Nature Park, on the northern fringe of the Rothaargebirge...
- SchmallenbergSchmallenbergSchmallenberg is a town in the district of Hochsauerland. Relating to its area of 188 square miles it is the largest town belonging to an administrative Kreis in the federal state of North Rhine/Westphalia, Germany....
Division of the town
After the local government reforms of 1975 Winterberg consists of 14 districts:
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International relations
Winterberg 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:
-
Le TouquetLe Touquet-Paris-PlageLe Touquet-Paris-Plage, commonly referred to as Le Touquet, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It has a population of 5,355....
(FranceFranceThe 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...
) -- since 1974 -
RijssenRijssen-HoltenRijssen-Holten is a municipality in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel.The municipality was formed in 2001 by the joining of the municipalities of Holten and Rijssen...
(NetherlandsNetherlandsThe 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...
) -- since 1974 -
RixensartRixensartRixensart is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Rixensart had a total population of 21,355. The total area is 17.54 km² which gives a population density of 1,217 inhabitants per km²....
(BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) -- since 1989 -
OberhofOberhof, GermanyOberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is a winter sports center and health resort. It is visited by tenfold as many tourists every year...
(Germany) -- since 1990
Town Origin
Winterberg was declared a city by Archbishop Konrad von HochstadenKonrad von Hochstaden
Konrad von Hochstaden was Archbishop of Cologne from 1238 to 1261.-Life:Konrad was a son of Count Lothar of Hochstadt, canon of St. Maria ad Gradus and of the old Cologne Cathedral, and Mathilde of Vianden. His date of birth is unknown, and nothing is known of his early youth...
(1238-’61) about 1270. The foundation of the city of Winterberg was presumably carried out together with the cloister in Küstelberg. Here indicates a document of 1276 in which the rights are regulated in the town between archbishop and cloister. In this document a church is mentioned in Winterberg whose precursor presumably goes back till the time about 1225.
The city fortification seems to have granted in the 14th century first only very much restricted protection. The count von Waldeck conquered the town 1321. About 1357 Winterberg became destroyed by Gottfried IV. von Arnsberg during his war with the Cologne archbishop Wilhelm von Gennep
Wilhelm von Gennep
-Life:Wilhelm was a member of a minor comital family from the region of the Maas. He was active in Cologne as the archbishop's secretary under his predecessor Walram von Jülich and was one of his most important advisers....
. For the reconstruction the archbishop granted an at first ten-year-old tax freedom. This was extended in 1370 and 1374 in each case by other five years. At this time Winterberg owned the same town right like Hallenberg.
Winterberg was a member of 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...
from the 13th until the 17th century. The town was in the middle of two trade roads, Heidenstrasse between 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...
and Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
and Heerstrasse between Frankfurt am Main and Soest
Soest, Germany
Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...
. The bad agricultural conditions led to the fact that trade played a central role as a life basis of the town.
Deserted Medieval Town
Between 1350 and 1500 the surrounding settlements village Wernsdorf, Merleheim, Haarfeld, Günninghausen and Elkeringhausen were given up by her inhabitants. They often moved to Winterberg and they maintained her possession rights in her old land pieces.The cause for give-up of the old settlements probably was due to the plague. The frequent feuds and lootings of this time was other cause. The towns offered a better protection against enemy troops. Only the cities of Winterberg, Hallenberg, Schmallenberg and Medebach were presumably settled at this time. The surrounding villages were presumably left completely.
Modern times till the end of Thirty Years' War (1500–1650)
By the acquisition of region "Marken" the area of Winterberg strongly extended. There were similar trends in neighbouring towns. At the beginning of the 16th century Winterberg expanded her farmland in the area of Astenberg. Thereby they got during conflict with the count of von Waldeck who owned rights in the neighbouring village Nordenau. From southwest her territorial claims overlapped with the county Wittgenstein. This quarrel stretched with both opponents up to the end of the 18th century. In a comparison with Wittgenstein 1783 the debatable area was split.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....
the neighbouring town Medebach and Hallenberg were 1634 destroyed by Hessian troops. Both had to suffer very much from contributions, lootings and murders. Besides, still the plague broke out soon afterwards. Both towns thereby had to register big population losses. This destiny seems to have remained saved to the city of Winterberg to a great extent. An important clue for this is that in 1638/39 the town council could buy a new organ for 240 imperial talers. Vice versa this could be the trigger for a vain siege of the town about 1640. The Winterberger shooters repulsed therefore attacking Hessen and Sweden successfully.
Witch hunts
As in many other places in the duchy of Westphalia also found in Winterberg, between 16 and 18 Century witch trials and executions. The exact number is unknown because the source material is extremely poor. Documented witch trials in the years 1523, probably 1562, 1629 and modified 1728th. On November 19, 1993 at the site of the „Winterberger Halsgerichts“ a monument was opened as a memorial to the victims of the 16th Century witch hunts.Points of interest
The second highest mountain 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...
, the Kahler Asten
Kahler Asten
The Kahler Asten is an 841.9-meter-high mountain in the Rothaargebirge range in the district of Hochsauerland, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
in the Rothaargebirge
Rothaargebirge
The Rothaargebirge is a low mountain range reaching heights of up to 843.1 m in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, Germany....
, is located in the city area, which also contains the spring of the 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...
and Ruhr rivers.
Sport
The city is one of the winter sports centers 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...
, best known probably for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Winterberg, Germany. It is the only track of its kind in the world with a turn that has corporate sponsorship with turn seven being sponsored by Veltins, a German brewery who has its headquarters...
. In 2003, there were the first official World Wok
Wok racing
Wok racing has been developed by the German TV host and entertainer Stefan Raab: Modified Chinese woks are used to make timed runs down an Olympic bobsled track. There are competitions for one-person-woksleds and four-person-woksleds, the latter using four woks per sled.- History :Wok racing was...
Championships, initiated by Stefan Raab
Stefan Raab
Stefan Konrad Raab is a German entertainer, television host, comedian and musician. Raab began his television career hosting the comedy show Vivasion in 1993 and has been hosting the late-night comedy show TV total since 1999. He became well-known in 1994 after composing a hit single spoofing...
.
Coat of arms
The arms show the city (the city walls only existed between 1261 and 1266) behind the patron of the city, Saint James, as Winterberg is located on one of the Ways of St. JamesWay of St. James
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried....
.