Arnsberg (; ) is a town in the

Hochsauerland Hochsauerlandkreis (, ) is a (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Soest, Paderborn, Höxter, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe, Märkischer Kreis. The district is named “High Saue ...

county, in the German state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

. It is the location of the

Regierungsbezirk A ' (, 'governmental district') is a type of administrative division in Germany. Currently, four of sixteen ' (states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts ' (plural, ) serve as regional mid-level local gov ...

Arnsberg Arnsberg (; ) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg (region), Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Ho ...

administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochsauerlandkreis district.

Geography

Location

Arnsberg is located in the north-east of the

Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of the States of Germany, German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. ...

in the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

river valley. The river Ruhr

meanders A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank or river cliff) and deposits sediments on an inn ...

around the south of the old town of Arnsberg. The town is nearly completely encircled by forest, and the nature park '' Arnsberger Wald'' lies to the north". Arnsberg is connected by Federal Motorway 46 (Autobahn 46)

Brilon Brilon (; ) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which belongs to the Hochsauerlandkreis. Geography Brilon is on the Brilon Heights, at an altitude of about 450m, and the upper reaches of the river Möhne. The town lies between the Ar ...

in the east and (using the Federal Motorway 445)

Werl The pilgrimage town Werl (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Wiärl'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the Soest, Germany, Soest district in the Arnsberg administrative district. The official name of pilgrimage town has been ...

in the west. It is also connected by several railroad stations, which provide a connection to the major city

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

and the

gebiet. There is also a

regional airport A domestic airport is an airport that handles only flights within the same country. Domestic airports do not have customs and immigration facilities and so cannot handle flights to or from a foreign airport. These airports often have short r ...

, located in the city district of Vosswinkel, which is exclusively used for small private aircraft. The municipal territory spans a distance of up to from the southern to the northern limits.

Neighbouring municipalities

Ense Ense () is a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Ense is situated on the river Möhne, approx. 12 km north-west of Arnsberg and 12 km south-west of Soest. Ense lies at the north side ...

Möhnesee Möhnesee is a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography The Möhnesee municipality is situated around the Möhne Reservoir (hence the name), approx. 10 km south of Soest. History On the night of ...

* Warstein *

Meschede Meschede () is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis. Education One of the five branches of South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (also: Fachhoc ...

* Sundern * Balve * Menden

Subdivisions

After the local government reforms of 1975 Arnsberg consists of 15 boroughs (''Ortsteile''): * Neheim (23,448 inhabitants) * Arnsberg (19,355 inhabitants) * Hüsten (11,304 inhabitants) * Oeventrop (6,713 inhabitants) * Herdringen (4,118 inhabitants) * Bruchhausen (3,337 inhabitants) * Müschede (2,870 inhabitants) * Voßwinkel (2,523 inhabitants) * Niedereimer (2,082 inhabitants) * Holzen (2,022 inhabitants) * Rumbeck (1,305 inhabitants) * Wennigloh (1,004 inhabitants) * Bachum (959 inhabitants) * Breitenbruch (219 inhabitants) * Uentrop (346 inhabitants)

History

Beginnings

Arnsberg was first mentioned in 789 in the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

records ( Urbar) as belonging to the abbey of Werden. Arnsberg was the seat of the from around 1070 and received city rights in 1238. In 1368 Gottfried IV, the last Count of Arnsberg, handed over the city and county to the

Electorate of Cologne The Electorate of Cologne (), sometimes referred to as Electoral Cologne (), was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the Hochstift—the temporal posses ...

as he had no heir, wherafter it was incorporated into the

Duchy of Westphalia The Duchy of Westphalia () was a historic territory in the Holy Roman Empire, which existed from 1102 to 1803. It was located in the greater region of Westphalia, originally one of the three main regions in the German stem duchy of Saxony and ...

(a possession of Cologne). They built Arnsberg Castle there, whose remains can still be visited and are occasionally used for public celebrations. In the 12th century, old Arnsberg became the seat of

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

n jurisdiction (whose coat of arms is still used today by the

Hochsauerlandkreis Hochsauerlandkreis (, ) is a (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Soest (district), Soest, Paderborn (district), Paderborn, Höxter (district), Höxter, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe ...

). Later, the city lost its independence and was subject to the Electors (Archbishops) of Cologne.

18th/19th Century

Arnsberg Castle was reconstructed by Johann Conrad Schlaun as a residential palace and hunting lodge for Elector Clemens August of Bavaria. It was destroyed in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

in 1769. In 1794 the French attacked Cologne, so parts of the treasure of the

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...

were brought to safety in Arnsberg, along with the relics of the

Biblical Magi In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...

. In 1804, the treasure was returned to Cologne, as commemorated by a plaque in the Propsteikirche. In 1816, Arnsberg came under

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n rule and was made a local administrative centre.

World War Two

Neheim and Hüsten were merged in 1941. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Arnsberg first suffered widespread destruction and catastrophic loss of lives when RAF Lancasters breached the dam of the Möhne Reservoir in the night of the 16 to 17 May 1943 (

Operation Chastise Operation Chastise, commonly known as the Dambusters Raid, was an attack on Nazi Germany, German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by No. 617 Squadron RAF, 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, using spe ...

). The nearby Abbey Himmelpforten was completely washed away. Later, dozens of Arnsberg's citizens were killed in several British air raids aimed at destroying the railway

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

. The targets were finally destroyed on 19 March 1945 using a 'Grand Slam' bomb.

Contemporary history

The current city of Arnsberg was created in 1975 by merging 12 surrounding municipalities (Bachum, Breitenbruch, Herdringen, Holzen, Müschede, Niedereimer, Oeventrop, Rumbeck, Uentrop, Voßwinkel and Wennigloh) into one city. Old Arnsberg itself and Neheim-Hüsten are the two main urban areas, while the other parts are mainly rural areas.

Demographics

Religion

Arnsberg's population is mostly

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. Arnsberg belongs to the Archdiocese of Paderborn. Catholic churches include the "Propsteikirche" or the "Heilig-Kreuz Kirche" and the "Auferstehungskirche", which is a

Protestant church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes justification of sinners through faith alone, the teaching that salvation comes by unmerited divine grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the sole infallible sourc ...

. There is also a New Apostolic congregation. In recent years Arnsberg's Muslim minority grew considerably. The town has a mosque. The cemeteries are mostly Catholic but there is also a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

cemetery.

Arts and culture

The Kunstverein Arnsberg operates in Arnsberg. Founded in 1987 and devoted to

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

, Kunstverein Arnsberg has presented solo exhibitions by artists including

Georg Baselitz Georg Baselitz (born 23 January 1938) is a German Painting, painter, Sculpture, sculptor and Graphic arts, graphic artist. In the 1960s he became well known for his Figurative art, figurative, expressive paintings. In 1969 he began painting his ...

, Thomas Ruff, Karin Sander, Dan Perjovschi, Boris Mikhailov, Gregor Schneider, Erwin Wurm, the

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award). ...

winner

Susan Philipsz Susan Mary Philipsz Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 1965) is a Scottish artist who won the 2010 Turner Prize. Originally a sculpture, sculptor, she is best known for her Sound art, sound installations. She records herself singing a cappe ...

and the

Marcel Duchamp Prize The Marcel Duchamp Prize (in French : ''Prix Marcel Duchamp'') is an annual award given to a young artist by the Association pour la Diffusion Internationale de l'Art Français (ADIAF). The winner receives €35,000 personally and up to €30,000 ...

winner Laurent Grasso.

Government

City arms

The arms of the city depict a white eagle on a blue field. Earlier it was a white eagle on a red field, introduced in 1278 and as used by the counts of

. In the 17th century the red was changed to blue, reflecting the

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

n blue of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

Mayors

Mayors of the new town Arnsberg

Twin towns – sister cities

Arnsberg is twinned with: *

Alba Iulia Alba Iulia (; or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; ; ) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the river Mureș (river), Mureș in the historical region of Transylvania, it has a ...

, Romania *

Deventer Deventer (; Sallaans dialect, Sallands: ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Salland historical region of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, ...

, Netherlands * Bexley, England, United Kingdom *

Olesno Olesno is a town in Opole Voivodeship, Opole Voivodship, in southern Poland, about north-east of the city of Opole. It is the capital of Olesno County and seat of the Gmina Olesno, Opole Voivodeship, Gmina Olesno. History The area near the anci ...

, Poland *

Caltagirone Caltagirone (; or ; ) is an inland city and municipality () in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island (and region) of Sicily, Southern Italy, about southwest of Catania. It is the fifth most populous municipality of the Metropolita ...

, Italy

Notable people

* Franz von Fürstenberg (1729–1810), statesman and reformer school in Archbishopric Münster, founder of the Münster University * Wilhelm Hasenclever, (1837–1889), politician * * Karl Brüggemann (1896–1977), honorary district in Kreis Arnsberg from 1961 to 1969 * Franz Stock (1904–1948), since 1934 pastor of the German Catholic community in Paris, during the German occupation chaplain for French prisoners (companion sentenced to death), 1945 head of a prisoner of war seminar in Chartres *

Hans Bernd Gisevius Gustav-Adolf Timotheus Hans Bernd Gisevius (14 July 1904 – 23 February 1974) was a German politician, ''Gestapo'' and ''Abwehr'' officer and diplomat during the Second World War. He was a member of the Military Resistance, who actively part ...

, (1904–1974), diplomat * Fritz Cremer, (1906–1993), artist *

Betsy von Furstenberg Elizabeth Caroline Maria Agatha Felicitas Therese, Graf, Gräfin von Fürstenberg-Herdringen (August 16, 1931 – April 21, 2015), known as Betsy von Furstenberg, was a German-born American actress who starred in several Broadway theatre, Broadw ...

, (1931–2015), actress * Günter Wewel, (1934–2023), operatic bass and television presenter * Franz Müntefering, (born 1940), politician (SPD) * Mike de Vries, (born 1958), brand and business manager * Andrea Fischer (born 1960), politician (

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

) and journalist, former Federal Minister of Health * Meinolf Finke, (born 1963), poet * Jens Beckmann (born 1970), scientist * Helena Fromm (born 1987),

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

athlete,

Olympic medalist This article includes lists of all Olympic medalists since 1896, organized by each Olympic sport or discipline, and also by Olympiad. Medalist with most medals by sport Summer Olympic sports Sports that will appear in the 2028 Summer Olympics ar ...

* Georg Poplutz, tenor

People related to Arnsberg

* Paul Moder (1896–1942), politician (NSDAP), Freikorps member and SS officer * Walther Neye (1901–1989), jurist and rector of the Humboldt University in Berlin * Fritz Cremer (1906–1993), sculptor ( Buchenwald Memorial) *

Lothar Collatz Lothar Collatz (; July 6, 1910 – September 26, 1990) was a German mathematician, born in Arnsberg, Province of Westphalia, Westphalia. The "3''x'' + 1" problem is also known as the Collatz conjecture, named after him and still unsolved. The Col ...

(1910–1990), mathematician * Günter Keute (born 1955), footballer *

Friedrich Merz Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (; ; born 11November 1955) is a German politician serving as Chancellor of Germany since 6 May 2025. He has also served as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since January 2022, leading the CDU/CSU ...

(born 1955), attorney and politician, member of the CDU * Meinolf Finke (born 1963), poet * Stephan Kampwirth (born 1967), theatre actor, film actor and voice actor * Rouven Schröder (born 1975), footballer * Philipp Hofmann (born 1993), footballer

Gallery

Arnsberg Stadtansicht 01 2011.jpg, Arnsberg Glockenturm2-2.JPG, Glockenturm (Bell tower) Marienhospital-arnsberg.jpg, Marienhospital (hospital) Arnsberg-Panorama 2024.jpg, View of Arnsberg from the Ehmsen-Memorial

References

External links

Official website

Kunstverein Arnsberg
(emergency currency) {{Authority control Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Hochsauerlandkreis Members of the Hanseatic League