Warstein

Warstein

View of Warstein with St. Pancratius and the Old Church

Coat of arms
Warstein

Coordinates: 51°27′N 8°21′E / 51.450°N 8.350°ECoordinates: 51°27′N 8°21′E / 51.450°N 8.350°E
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Arnsberg
District Soest
Government
  Mayor Manfred Gödde (BG)
Area
  Total 157.91 km2 (60.97 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
  Total 25,247
  Density 160/km2 (410/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 59581
Dialling codes 02902 (Warstein),
02925 (Allagen)
Vehicle registration SO
Website www.warstein.de

Warstein ([ˈvaːɐ̯ˌʃtaɪn]) is a town in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the north end of the Sauerland.

Geography

Warstein is located north of the Arnsberger Wald (forest) at a brook called Wäster. The area south of the city is mostly forested; the lightly forested Haarstrang mountain is to the north. The river Möhne flows between these two areas. The highest elevation is 581 m (1,906 ft) in the south of the city near a hill called Stimm Stamm; the lowest elevation is 216 m (709 ft) in the village Waldhausen in the north.

Neighbouring municipalities

The following towns border Warstein (clockwise, beginning in the north): Anröchte, Rüthen, Bestwig, Meschede, Arnsberg, Möhnesee, Bad Sassendorf.

Division of the town

Warstein consists of the following 9 districts:

  • Allagen
  • Belecke
  • Hirschberg
  • Mülheim
  • Niederbergheim
  • Sichtigvor
  • Suttrop
  • Waldhausen
  • Warstein

History

Evidence of human life was found in the Bilsteinhöhle cave between Warstein and Hirschberg. Warstein was first mentioned officially in 1072. Historians once thought Warstein was organized as an official town in 1276, but that is wrong. Probably it became a town in the same year as Belecke in 1296. In the Middle Ages Warstein was part of the Hanseatic League, that is a trade association for guilds, a very important international business association at that time. A fire in 1802 destroyed big parts of the town. After that the town centre was moved to the Wester brook. In 1844 the Amt Warstein was founded. It was part of the Archbishopric Cologne till 1902. In 1975 Warstein and the other eight independent villages became the new town of Warstein.

The decrease of population in Warstein since 1998:

List of mayors

International relations

Warstein is twinned with:

Economy

The largest employer in Warstein is the Warsteiner Brauerei founded in 1753. It is one of the largest breweries in Germany and is famous all over the world.

Literature

References

  1. "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen". Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW (in German). 4 September 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Warstein.