The pilgrimage town Werl (; Westphalian: ''Wiärl'') is a town 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 ...

and belongs to the Soest district in the

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 ...

administrative district. The official name of pilgrimage town has been permitted since 14 January 2015. Werl is one of the largest and most important pilgrimage sites in

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 ...

Geography

Geographical location

Werl lies between 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. ...

, the Münsterland,

Ruhr area 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 ...

and

Hellweg In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders, through which the Hellweg pa ...

in the fertile Börde landscape of the Werl-Unnaer Börde. At the end of 2018, Werl had 32,994 inhabitants on an area of 76.35 square kilometers; this corresponds to a population density of 432 people/km2. The highest point in the city is at 228.4 m above sea level. NN in the city forest to the south. The deepest point is 73.1 m above sea level. NN in the northern part of the city on the Flerke farm. The city of Werl lies on the southern edge of the Westphalian Bay. Therefore, the terrain profile in the urban area is predominantly flat. In the southern area the terrain rises sharply towards the

Haarstrang The Haar () or Haarstrang is a ridge of hills on the southern edge of the Westphalian Basin in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. From a natural region perspective it is the southern, submontane part of the Hellweg Börde, which stan ...

. It separates the lowlands from the mountainous

. In the south, the Werl city forest stretches across the hair strand. This is the only area in the city that is densely covered with trees. The Werler part of the lowlands is, in terms of landscape and economy, more dominated by agriculture.

Werl as a middle center

While the surrounding area is more rural, Werl is mainly home to industrial, commercial and service industries. As a middle center in the region, Werl not only provides jobs, but also offers a wide range of schools, further education opportunities at adult education centers, a leisure pool, a city library, a painting school, a music school, a city history museum and a historic old town. Werl also had the " Forum der Völker", an ethnological museum, which closed permanently in early 2024.

Division of the town

Werl consists of the following sections:districts: * Budberg (584 inhabitants) * Büderich (3012 inhabitants) * Hilbeck (1303 inhabitants) * Holtum (1038 inhabitants) * Mawicke (499 inhabitants) * Niederbergstraße (228 inhabitants) * Oberbergstraße (347 inhabitants) * Sönnern (856 inhabitants) * Westönnen (2582 inhabitants) * Werl (22151 inhabitants)

Neighbouring municipalities

History

Werl was a member of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

in the Middle Ages and since 1661 has had a statue of the Virgin Mary, making it a place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

. Today this relic is in the Wallfahrtsbasilika and is looked after by the Franciscan religious order. Werl Prison is the third largest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Werl Prison. * The 4th United States Army Field Artillery Detachment was stationed in Werl until 1992.

Notable people

* Philipp Rosenthal (1855–1937), businessman and founder of Rosenthal AG at Schloss Erkersreuth in Selb *

Franz von Papen Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen, (; 29 October 18792 May 1969) was a German politician, diplomat, Prussian nobleman and army officer. A national conservative, he served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932, and then as Vice-Chancell ...

(1879–1969), Conservative politician, diplomat, nobleman and General Staff officer; served as

Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal Cabinet of Germany, government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Government of Germany, ...

in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

from 1933 to 1934 *

Ulla Wiesner Ulla Wiesner (born 12 December 1940) is a German singer who was active from 1963 to 2002. In 1965, she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest, with " Paradies, wo bist du?" (''Paradise, where are you?''). The song scored zero points ...

(born 1940), singer * Theodor Redder (born 1941), footballer * Dimitri Hegemann (born 1954), cultural manager, musician and founder of the club "Tresor" in Berlin * Andreas Englisch (born 1963), journalist * Martin Kree (born 1965), footballer * Uwe Grauer (born 1970), footballer and coach

Twin towns – sister cities

Werl is twinned with: * Halle, Belgium (1973)

References

External links

*
Images from Werl
Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Members of the Hanseatic League Soest (district) {{Soest-geo-stub