Balve () is a town in the
Märkischer Kreis
The Märkischer Kreis (, ) is a district ('' Kreis'') in central North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Unna, Soest, Hochsauerland, Olpe, Oberbergischer Kreis, Ennepe-Ruhr, and the city of Hagen.
History
The district wa ...
district,
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 ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is located in ''Hönnetal'', a narrow valley created by the river
Hönne, which is near the
Sorpe Dam
The Sorpe Dam () is a dam on the Sorpe river, near the small town of Sundern in the district of Hochsauerland in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Together with the Biggesee, the Möhne Reservoir, and the Verse reservoir, the Sorpe Reservoir ...
, formerly part of Balve, and at the north end 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.
...
, near
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 ...
. The town was established in 1975 with several divisions including Balve, Beckum and Eisborn and Garbeck.
History
The first reference to Balve is from around 780, when it was mentioned that a
Widukind
Widukind, also known as Wittekind and Wittikund, was a leader of the Saxons and the chief opponent of the Frankish king Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 777 to 785. Charlemagne ultimately prevailed, organized Saxony as a Frankish provinc ...
owned a farm called ''Ballowa'', another name for the town, although this reference has been disputed. The first undisputed reference was in 864, in which a blind girl from Balve was said to be healed at the grave of the Saint
Ludger
Ludger (; also Lüdiger or Liudger) ( – 26 March 809) was a missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, founder of Werden Abbey and the first Bishop of Münster in Westphalia. He has been called the "Apostle of Saxony".
Early life to ordina ...
in the crypt of
Werden Abbey
Werden Abbey () was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden (Germany), situated on the Ruhr.
The foundation of the abbey
Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little church which Saint Ludger b ...
.
Ballowa is also mentioned in the
Thidrekssaga, a chivalric saga written in the mid-13th century in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. In the saga, Ballowa is the home of two dwarfs who taught
Weyland much about making iron weapons. At the time of writing, Balve belonged to the county of
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 ...
.
In 1358 the town became the property of the Duchy 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 ...
, which belonged to the
Archbishops of Cologne
The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Colog ...
. In 1430 it was given the right to be called a city. During the
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
ic period, it belonged for a short time (1802–1815) to
Hesse
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
, after which time it became part of the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...
.
In 1975, following a substantial reorganisation of local government in Germany, the city was enlarged by the addition of the several former independent municipalities from the abolished ''Amt Balve'', including Asbeck, Beckum, and Eisborn.
Organizations, economy and transportation
Local organizations include a Red Cross chapter, and the ''Schützenbruderschaft St. Sebastian Balve'', founded in 1947.
Primary schools
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
in the town include ''Grundschule Balve'' and ''Grundschule Beckum''. Several international companies have roots in the town, including ''Balver Zinn'', ''Chemie Wocklum'', and ''Kruse Group''.
Train stations in Balve include Binolen, Volkringhausen, Sanssouci, Garbeck and Balve, the latter station part of the ''Hönnetalbahn'' (RB 54) line.
Religion
The main religion in Balve is
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. The church
Saint Blaise
Blaise of Sebaste (, ''Hágios Blásios''; martyred 316 AD) was a physician and bishop of Sivas, Sebastea in historical Lesser Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey) who is venerated as a Christian saint and martyr. He is counted as one of the Fourteen ...
, built in the 12th century and an example of
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
, was consecrated to
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religion
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
. On February 3 each year a special ceremony is held in the church, called the
Blessing of the Throats
The Blessing of the Throats is a sacramental of the Roman Catholic Church, ordinarily celebrated on February 3, the feast day of Saint Blaise of Sebaste (modern Sivas, Turkey). It is also celebrated in some of the Eastern Catholic Churches, and ...
. The altar servers of Saint Blaise visit other cities every year, for example
Georgsmarienhütte
Georgsmarienhütte () is a town in the Osnabrück (district), district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, approx. 7 km south of Osnabrück.
History
In 1856 the company "Georgs-Marien-Bergwerks- ...
in 1982. Bones from
Benedict of Nursia
Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...
and
Saint Blaise
Blaise of Sebaste (, ''Hágios Blásios''; martyred 316 AD) was a physician and bishop of Sivas, Sebastea in historical Lesser Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey) who is venerated as a Christian saint and martyr. He is counted as one of the Fourteen ...
, and a 400-year-old monument for Hermann von Hatzfeld, are located in the church. Additionally, two Roman Catholic
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
have been present in Balve for several years.
A Lutheran church is located at Hönnetalstrasse near to the ''Gemeindezentrum''.
Culture
Performing arts
The ''Männerchor 1860 Balve'' is the largest choir in Balve. Other choirs include the ''Männerchor Garbeck'' and ''MC Cäcilia Volkringhausen''. The town's bands include ''Musikverein Balve'' and ''Musikverein Garbeck''.
Until 2005, the organization ''Festpiele Balver Höhle'' and the town of Balve have jointly hosted a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
festival. Acts at the festival have included performances by
Jan Garbarek
Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music.
Garbarek was born in Mysen, Østfold, southeastern Norway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław Gar ...
and by
Piirpauke. One of the theatre ensembles in Balve is the ''Kolpingtheatergruppe'', directed by
Christoph Rapp. Another form of entertainment, the
Balver Märchenwochen, involves performing fairy tales at Christmas.
Festivals
The ''Festspiele Balver Höhle'' is held at the
Balver Höhle, a cave in Balve. The festival is a major focus of the culture in and around the town, featuring music and theatre performances. The only marksmen's festival, ''
Schützenfest
A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on thei ...
'', is also held in a cave, and is organized by ''Schützenbruderschaft St. Sebastian''.
A large bonfire on Easter Sunday is another tradition in Balve, organized by the ''
Kolpingsfamilie Balve''. On May 1 each year the
fire brigade
A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and ...
of Balve is invited to the ''Feuerwehrfest'', and for 20 years a
christmas market
A Christmas market is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many countries. Some in the U.S. have Phono-semantic matching, adapted ...
has organized by ''Balver Fachhandel'' that features a live nativity scene.
Sports
One of the
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
clubs in Balve, SG Balve/Garbeck, won the DFB-Ü 40-Cup in 2007. The town also organizes the
Balve Optimum, a competition between horse riders.
Participants in the Balve Optimum have included:
;Horse jumping
*
Reiner Klimke
*
Paul Schockemöhle
Paul Schockemöhle (born 22 March 1945) is a German former showjumper. He was a successful international show jumping equestrian in the 1970s and 1980s at individual and team events in Olympic Games, World Championships and E ...
*
Ludger Beerbaum
*
Markus Beerbaum
*
Jessica Kürten (2007)
*
Hugo Simon (2008)
*
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (2008)
*
Eva Bitter (2008)
;Dressage
*
Isabell Werth
Isabell Werth (born 21 July 1969 in Issum) is a German equestrian who has competed in dressage at seven Olympic Games —1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2016, 2020, 2024— winning the gold medal in the team event in all seven, and one gold and six s ...
(2008)
*
Matthias Alexander Rath
Matthias Alexander Rath (born 2 August 1984) is a German dressage rider. Representing Germany, he competed at the 2010 World Equestrian Games and at three European Dressage Championships (in 2009, 2011 and 2015).
Altogether, Rath has won four t ...
(2008)
Points of interest
There are many caves in the ''Hönnetal'', including the
Balver Höhle at ''Helle'', a large cave used for cultural events such as concerts, stage acting and the annual marksmen's festival, and the ''Reckenhöhle'', a cave 1,478 ft in length that has
flowstone
Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleothe ...
. Experts have found signs of
cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well document ...
in some of the caves.
"Kannibalen in Westfalen?"
Stefan Enste. Retrieved October 02, 2015.
Other points of interest include
# The walls of an old Germanic farm, located Garbeck,
# Beckum, where scientists found bones from eight kind of species of dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
s from the cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
, and
# The ''Luisenhütte'', the only surviving 18th-century blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure.
In a ...
that is still in workable condition, situated close to the 14th-century castle ''Schloss Wocklum'', the home of Count Dieter von Landsberg-Velen.
Image:Weissmann Balve Wocklum.jpg, Schloss Wocklum
Image:Luisenhuette 20080510.JPG, Luisenhütte
Coat of arms
The town's coat of arms references the history of Balve. The eagle is taken from the arms of 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 ...
, and the black-and-white cross from that of Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
. Both symbols were present in old seals of the city, of which the oldest known example dates from 1462. The coat of arms was officially granted on June 24, 1911, and confirmed on February 6, 1976, after the local government reorganization of 1975.
The bottom part of the coat of arms of the former ''Amt Balve'' is identical Bolve's town arms. The top half showed St. Peter, wearing a red coat and holding in his left hand a golden key and in his right a golden book. This coat of arms was granted on March 5, 1957, and expired when the Amt was dissolved in 1975.
Persons of interest
* Jean-Marc Gaulin
Jean-Marc Gaulin (born March 3, 1962) is a German-born Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 26 games in the National Hockey League with the Quebec Nordiques between 1983 and 1986. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1982 ...
(1962–), Canadian ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
player born in Balve
* Franz Hoffmeister (1898–1943), Roman Catholic priest
* Theodor Pröpper (1896–1979), composer and church musician
* Hermann Wedekind (1910–1998), actor, opera singer and theatre director
References
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
Märkischer Kreis
Members of the Hanseatic League