Wesel

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Wesel


Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Administrative region	Düsseldorf
District	Wesel
Population	64,837 (2005)
Area	122.53 km²
Elevation	24 m
Coordinates	51°39′ N 6°37′ E
Postal code	46460-46487
Area code	0281, 02803, 02859
Licence plate code	WES
Mayor	Ulrike Westkamp (SPD)
Website	wesel.de

Wesel is a city (population about 61,689 in 2004) in Germany, located at the point where the Lippe River empties into the Rhine. It is the capital of the Wesel district in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Different suburbs are Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.

1 History
- 1.1 Prussian period
- 1.2 World War II
2 Buildings and places of interest in Wesel
3 People born in Wesel
4 Sister Cities
5 Miscellaneous
6 Further reading
7 Footnotes

[edit] History

The city originates from a Franconian manor that was first mentioned in the 8th century. In the 12th century Wesel came into the possession of the Duke of Cleves. The city was given extensive privileges and became a member of the Hanseatic League during the 15th century. Within the duchy of Cleves, Wesel was second only to Cologne in the lower Rhine region as an entrepôt. It was an important commercial centre: a clearing station for the transhipment and trading of goods.

Wesel's mayors:

1808–1814: Johann Hermann Westermann
1814–1840: Christian Adolphi
1841–1862: Franz Luck
1863–1870: Wilhelm Otto van Calker
1870–1881: Carl Friedrich August von Albert
1881–1891: Caspar Baur
1891–1902: Josef Fluthgraf (1896 Oberbürgermeister)
1903–1931: Ludwig Poppelbaum
1931–1933: Emil Nohl
1933–1945: Otto Borgers

since 1945:

1945: Jean Groos
1945: Wilhelm Groos
1946–1947: Anton Ebert (CDU)
1947–1948: Paul Körner (CDU)
1948–1952: Ewald Fournell (CDU)
1952–1956: Helmut Berckel (CDU)
1956–1966: Kurt Kräcker (SPD)
1967–1969: Willi Nakaten (SPD)
1969–1979: Günther Detert (CDU)
1979–1984: Wilhelm Schneider (SPD)
1984–1989: Volker Haubitz (CDU)
1989–1994: Wilhelm Schneider (SPD)
1994–1999: Bernhard Gründken (SPD)
1999–2004: Jörn Schroh (CDU)
since 2004: Ulrike Westkamp (SPD)

[edit] Prussian period

[edit] World War II

Wesel 1945

During the war, Wesel became a target of the Allies particularly in its capacity as a strategic depot. On the 16, 17 and 19 February 1945, the town was attacked with impact and air-burst weapons and almost entirely destroyed. The Rhine and Lippe bridges were blown by the Wehrmacht; among others, on 10 March, the 1,950m long railway bridge, the last Rhine bridge remaining in German hands. On 23 March, Wesel came under the fire of over 3,000 guns when it was bombarded anew, in preparation for Operation Plunder. 97% of the town was destroyed before it was finally taken by allied troops^[1].