Waltrop ( is a town in the
district of Recklinghausen, in
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. It is situated on the
Datteln-Hamm Canal, approximately 15 km east of
Recklinghausen and 15 km north-west of
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 ...
.
Division of the town
The town of Waltrop is surrounded by the ''Bauerschaften'' (rural boroughs) Lippe (Unterlippe/Oberlippe), Elmenhorst, Brockenscheidt,
Leveringhausen, Oberwiese and Holthausen.
History
People already settled in this area about 2,000 years ago.
The village developed around the parish church of St. Peter which was built in the 9th/10th century.
It is known that in 1432 Waltrop was a part of the county Dortmund. After the
Soest Feud, the archbishops of Cologne could intervene against the counts of Mark, so that Waltrop became a part of Vest Recklinghausen.
The production of coal in the mine started in 1905. As a consequence, Waltrop grew larger and became an industrial town. One coal mine was closed down in 1979, the other closed in 1992.
In 1939, Waltrop got its municipal rights.
Governance
The town council of Waltrop consists of 36 seats, which are divided into 6 parliamentary groups since September 2020:
*
SPD, 13 seats
*
CDU, 12 seats
*
Greens, 5 seats
*Waltroper Aufbruch (WA), 3 seats
*
FDP, 2 seats
*
Die Linke
Die Linke (; ), also known as the Left Party ( ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of the merger of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and Labour and Social Justice – The ...
, 1 seat
Since 2020 Marcel Mittelbach (SPD) is
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Waltrop.
Notable places
Waltrop is home to a museum of old
ship lifts, including the
Henrichenburg boat lift and a historical coal mine, called ''Zeche Waltrop''.
Local industry
*
Manufactum
Manufactum GmbH & Co. KG (formerly ''Manufactum Hoof & Partner KG'') is a German retailer with nine full-sized stores in Germany and an online store that serves primarily Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the UK. The main focus of the company are ...
, upscale retailer for traditionally-made household goods
*Langendorf, a tipping trailer manufacturer
Notable people
*
Sylvia Dördelmann (born 1970), rower
*
Christoph Korte (born 1965), rower
*
Michel Lewandowski (1914–1990), footballer
*
Alexander Baumjohann (born 1987), footballer
*
Nikolas Breuckmann (born 1988), mathematical physicist
Twin towns – sister cities
Waltrop is
twinned with:
*
Herne Bay
Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne, Kent, Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury loca ...
, United Kingdom (1976)
*
Cesson-Sévigné
Cesson-Sévigné (; in Gallo: ''Séson'' or ''Seczon-Sevinyaé'', Breton: ''Saozon-Sevigneg'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
It is a suburb directly to the east of Rennes, bordered on its ...
, France (1984)
*
San Miguelito, Nicaragua (1988)
*
Gardelegen
Gardelegen (; ) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Milde (river), Milde, 20 m. W. from Stendal, on the main line of railway Berlin-Hanover.
History
Gardelegen has a Roman Catholic and three Evangelical c ...
, Germany (1990)
*
Görele, Turkey (2012)
References
External links
*
Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia
Recklinghausen (district)
{{Recklinghausen-geo-stub