Bottrop, die Martinskirche Dm45 IMG 8481 2018-09-01 14

Bottrop, Bergwerk Prosper-Haniel Dm27 IMG 8479 2018-09-01 14

Bottrop () is a city in west-central

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Do ...

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

Gladbeck Gladbeck () is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Gladbeck is quite a young town, first recognised 21 July 1919 when it was given town rights. The town established itself around five farming villages, Br ...

, and

Dorsten Dorsten (; Westphalian: ''Dössen'') is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and has a population of about 75,000. Dorsten is situated on the western rim of Westphalia bordering the Rhineland. Its hist ...

. The city had been a coal-mining and rail center and contains factories producing coal-tar derivatives, chemicals, textiles, and machinery. Bottrop grew as a mining center beginning in the 1860s, was chartered as a city in 1921, and bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. In 1975, it unified with the neighbouring communities of Gladbeck and Kirchhellen, but Gladbeck left it in 1976, leading to Kirchhellen becoming a district of Bottrop as Bottrop-Kirchhellen. It is also twinned with

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Boroughs

The total area of the municipal territory is about . The longest north-south distance is , and from west to east . The highest peak within the city's territory is , the lowest one being

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. Bottrop is divided into three boroughs: Bottrop-Mitte (Bottrop-Center), Bottrop-Süd (Bottrop South) and Bottrop-Kirchhellen, each having a borough representation and a borough ruler. These boroughs are further subdivided into city parts, partly named after their traditional names, while the newly built parts are only recently named: *Bottrop-Mitte: Eigen, Fuhlenbrock, Stadtmitte, and Marktviertel *Bottrop-Süd: Batenbrock, Boy, Ebel, Lehmkuhle, Vonderort, Gartenstadt Welheim (Garden city Welheim), and Welheimer Mark *Bottrop-Kirchhellen: Ekel, Feldhausen, Grafenwald, Hardinghausen, Holthausen, Im Loh, Kirchhellen, Kuhberg, and Overhagen For statistical reasons, Bottrop is also divided into ''statistical'' boroughs. They are (with their official numbering):

Kirchhellen

From 1919 until 1976, Kirchhellen was its own town. Following a communal reorganization reform in 1975, both Kirchhellen and Gladbeck joined the city of Bottrop. This resulted in the nickname "GlaBotKi". Gladbeck left the city in 1976, and became part of the district of Recklinghausen. Most of Kirchhellen is Catholic (around 65%). It has three churches, including one Lutheran church.

Politics

Mayor

The current Mayor of Bottrop is Bernd Tischler of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

(SPD) since 2009. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Candidate ! Party ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Bernd Tischler , align=left,

, 31,795 , 73.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Andrea Swoboda , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (for ...

, 4,117 , 9.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Andreas Bucksteeg , align=left, Free Democratic Party , 3,023 , 7.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Gerber , align=left, German Communist Party , 2,071 , 4.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Marianne Dominas , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party , 1,334 , 3.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Günter Blocks , align=left, The Left , 1,153 , 2.7 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 43,493 ! 97.5 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 1,114 ! 2.5 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 44,607 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 92,241 ! 48.4 , - , colspan=5, Source
State Returning Officer

City council

The Bottrop city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 17,668 , 40.2 , 7.4 , 24 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 10,513 , 23.9 , 3.2 , 14 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Grüne) , 5,639 , 12.8 , 7.4 , 8 , 5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. ...

(AfD) , 3,076 , 7.0 , 5.2 , 4 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) , 1,856 , 4.2 , 0.4 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, German Communist Party (DKP) , 1,832 , 4.2 , 0.2 , 2 , ±0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 1,821 , 4.1 , 1.5 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 1,507 , 3.4 , 0.7 , 2 , ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 43,912 ! 98.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 672 ! 1.5 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 44,584 ! 100.0 ! ! 58 ! 4 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 92,241 ! 48.3 ! 0.2 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

Culture and attractions

Theaters, museums, and buildings

* Main Post Office, constructed 1921-1923 * The Quadrat is a museum housing permanent exhibitis on local history and displaying works by Josef Albers and many temporary exhibitions. * City Hall (Neo-Renaissance 1910–1916) is regarded as the emblem of the city. *

Schloss Beck Schloss Beck (''Beck Castle'') is a Baroque castle in Bottrop, Germany, planned and built as a “maison de plaisance” between 1766 and 1777 by Johann Conrad Schlaun. It is currently run as an amusement park. History Although the building was ...

theme park and castle (late baroque period 1766–1777) * Villa Dickmann, constructed 1901–1903 (art nouveau) * Alte Apotheke (Old Pharmacy, Wilhelminian style 1895) * Catholic churches ** Heilige Familie ** Heilig Kreuz, built 1955–57, windows by

Georg Meistermann Georg Meistermann (June 16, 1911 – June 12, 1990) was a German painter and draftsman who was also famous for his stained glass windows in the whole of Europe. From 1930, Meistermann studied art at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Werne ...

** Herz Jesu, built 1929 ** Liebfrauen ** St. Antonius ** St. Barbara ** St. Bonifatius ** St. Cyriakus, Propstei, built 1861/62 by Emil von Manger ** St. Elisabeth, built 1954 ** St. Franziskus ** St. Johannes Baptist (BOT-Boy) ** St. Johannes der Täufer (BOT-Kirchhellen) ** St. Joseph ** St. Ludger ** St. Mariä Himmelfahrt ** St. Matthias ** St. Michael ** St. Paul ** St. Peter ** St. Pius ** St. Suitbert, built 1955 * Protestant churches ** Auferstehungskirche ** Friedenskirche ** Gnadenkirche ** Martin-Niemöller-Kirche ** Martinskirche, erbaut 1884 ** Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche ** Pauluskirche * Malakow-Turm (1872) of the coal mine Prosper II * Coal Mining Tip Haniel with an open-air theater (

Amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

) and the Kreuzweg designed by Tisa von der Schulenburg and Adolf Radecki and opened in 1995. * Saalbau, convention center

Attractions

* Alpincenter - the world's longest indoor ski slope * Tetraeder is a 50-m-tall walkable steel

tetrahedron In geometry, a tetrahedron (plural: tetrahedra or tetrahedrons), also known as a triangular pyramid, is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, six straight edges, and four vertex corners. The tetrahedron is the simplest of all ...

, placed on a 90-m slag heap. It has been the town's landmark since its construction in 1995. *

Movie Park Germany Movie Park Germany is a theme park in Bottrop-Kirchhellen in western Germany, north of Düsseldorf, with an area of . It consists of 7 areas based on movies and TV series. Nearby the park are several film studios. History The park originally ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

(in Bottrop-Kirchhellen) *

is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

turned into an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

(in Bottrop-Kirchhellen). * Indoor Skydiving Bottrop, a powerful

vertical wind tunnel A vertical wind tunnel (VWT) is a wind tunnel that moves air up in a vertical column. Unlike standard wind tunnels, which have test sections that are oriented horizontally, as experienced in level flight, a vertical orientation enables gravi ...

, attracts skydivers from all over Europe. * Since September 12, 2005, so called '' Stolpersteine'' have been placed by artist

Gunter Demnig Gunter Demnig (born 27 October 1947 in Berlin) is a German artist. He is best known for his ''Stolperstein'' ("stumbling block") memorials to the victims of Nazi persecution, including Jews, homosexuals, Romani and the disabled. The project pl ...

all over the city in remembrance of the people deported and killed by the Nazis.

Periodic events

*January:

Festival Orgel PLUS A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

(music festival started in 1989) *February: Rose Monday Parade and

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

*May: Horse Market *May:

Asparagus Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus '' Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. It was once classified in ...

- Farmers' Market in Kirchhellen *Brezelfest (Pretzel Festival) in Kirchhellen *May/June/July:

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on their shootin ...

e (marksmen festivals) of Bottrops marksmen companies (BSV Bottrop Batenbrock, BSV Bottrop Eigen, BSV Bottrop Fuhlenbrock, BSV Bottrop Vonderort, BSV Andreas Hofer, Alte Allgemeine Bürgerschützengesellschaft, BSV Bottrop Boy) *September: Michaelismarket

Religion

* Catholic: 50% (19 churches) * Protestant (Lutheran): 20% (8 churches) * Atheist/agnostic: 20% * Muslim: 2%

Notable people

* Josef Albers (1888–1976), painter, graphic artist, designer, art teacher * August Everding (1928–1999), director of the

Hamburgische Staatsoper The Hamburg State Opera (in German: Staatsoper Hamburg) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Genera ...

1973–77, general director of the Bavarian State Theater rector *

Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser (born 25 June 1965) is a German archaeologist. She is a professor at the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz and Director of the Monrepos Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for human behavioural Evolution of th ...

(born 1965), archaeologist * Paul Holz (1952–2017), football player * Martin Honert (born 1953), artist, professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts * Da Hool (born 1968), DJ and music producer *

Theo Jörgensmann Theodor Franz Jörgensmann (born 29 September 1948) is a German jazz clarinetist. Activities Theo Jörgensmann belongs to the second generation of European free jazz musicians. He was part of the clarinet renaissance in the jazz and improvisi ...

(born 1948), jazz musician and composer * Gisela Kinzel (born 1961), athlete and Olympian * Ulla Kock am Brink (born 1961), television presenter *

Bernhard Korte Bernhard H. Korte (born November 3, 1938 in Bottrop, Germany) is a German mathematician and computer scientist, a professor at the University of Bonn, and an expert in combinatorial optimization. Biography Korte earned his doctorate ( Doctor re ...

(born 1938), mathematician and computer scientist * Werner Münch (born 1940), politician (CDU), prime kinister of Saxony-Anhalt (1991–1993) * Christian Scheuß (born 1966), journalist and writer *

Claus Spahn Claus Spahn (born 15 May 1940 in Bottrop, Germany) is a former TV programme editor of Germany's Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) broadcasting corporation, a presenter, producer and author. He was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federa ...

(born 1940), journalist and author * Andy Vine (1948–1985), author and poet

Twin towns – sister cities

Bottrop is twinned with: *

, England, United Kingdom (1980) *

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capi ...

, Poland (2007) *

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a dioces ...

, Germany (1989) * Mitte (Berlin), Germany (1983) *

Tourcoing Tourcoing (; nl, Toerkonje ; vls, Terkoeje; pcd, Tourco) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a commune within the department of Nord. Located to the north-northeast of Lille, adjacent to Roubaix, ...

, France (1967) * Veszprém, Hungary (1987)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia