Iserlohn
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Iserlohn | |
---|---|
Location of Iserlohn within Märkischer Kreis district | |
Country | Germany |
State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
Admin. region | Arnsberg |
District | Märkischer Kreis |
Subdivisions | 5 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Peter Paul Ahrens (SPD) |
Area | |
• Total | 125.5 km2 (48.5 sq mi) |
Elevation | 494 m (1,621 ft) |
Population (2023-12-31)[1] | |
• Total | 92,404 |
• Density | 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 58636–58644 |
Dialling codes | 02371 (Iserlohn) 02374 (Iserlohn-Letmathe) 02304 (Schwerte,Iserlohn-Hennen) 02352 (Altena,parts of Iserlohn-Kesbern) 02378 (Fröndenberg- Langschede, Iserlohn-Drüpplingsen) |
Vehicle registration | MK, IS until 1974 LS until 1979 |
Website | www.iserlohn.de |
Iserlohn (German pronunciation: [iːzɐˈloːn]) is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region.
Geography
Iserlohn is located at the north end of the Sauerland near the Ruhr river.
History
The Pancratius church (also called Bauernkirche) was founded in around 985, but the first written document mentioning lon dates only from 1150. In 1237 the Count of the Mark gave Iserlohn municipal rights. In 1975 the city, which had been an urban district before, incorporated the surrounding ex-municipalities of Letmathe, Hennen, Sümmern and Kesbern, and became part of the district "Märkischer Kreis". As a larger mid-sized city, Iserlohn, however, still has a special status as compared to most other municipalities in the district. This means that the city takes on tasks more usually performed by the district (e.g. social and youth affairs) so that in some ways it is comparable to an urban district.
Points of interest
The Dechenhöhle was discovered in 1868 during the construction of the railway line Hagen-Iserlohn. 360m are accessible for visitors, and lots of stalactites make it a spectacular sight.
The Danzturm, located atop the southern hill overlooking the old city, is a landmark and featured on the logo of the local brewery (Iserlohner). The tower features spectacular views of the valley and surrounding hills and is open to the public with a small inn at the base.
In the 18th Century, the town became known for its Iserlohn boxes, a form of tobacco or snuff box with an engraved or embossed lid that often featured an image of Frederick the Great.[2]
Sports
The city is home of the Iserlohn Roosters, a DEL (first-division) ice hockey team. They came into the DEL in 2000 and developed from a low-budget-team to a solid team, which battles every year for a Playoff-spot. The club plays its homegames at the Eissporthalle Iserlohn, which holds 4967 spectators. The original club EC Deilinghofen was founded in 1959 and went bankrupt in 1987, the second club ECD Sauerland existed from 1988 to 1994. 1994 the Iserlohner EC was founded whereof the Roosters came to the DEL.
Education
In Iserlohn are 15 elementary schools and 13 secondary schools (4 Gymnasien, 1 Gesamtschule, 3 Realschulen, 5 Hauptschulen).
Also two universities of applied sciences are located in the city of Iserlohn. The headquarters plus a major branch of the South Westphalian University of Applied Sciences (also: Fachhochschule Südwestfalen (FH SWF)) offering engineering and informatics programmes are located in the town centre and on the so-called Alexanderhöhe.[3] The Business and Information Technology School (BiTS) is a private state approved business school with a campus near the Seilersee.[4]
Schützenfest
Every year a part of the Iserlohner culture is the Schützenfest at Alexanderhöhe with its Parkhalle and the Friedensfest at Bauernkirche.
Coat of arms
In the middle of the coat of arms is Saint Pancras (St. Pancratius), patron of the oldest church in Iserlohn. He is depicted between two towers of the historic city wall. The checked fess below is derived from the arms of the Counts of the Mark.
International relations
Iserlohn is twinned with:
- Almelo, Netherlands since 1954
- Biel/Bienne, Switzerland – since 1959
- Hall in Tirol, Austria – since 1967
- Wrexham, Wales, United Kingdom – since 1970
- Auchel, France – since 1975
- Laventie, France – since 1975
- Nyíregyháza, Hungary since 1989
- Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast Russia – since 1990
- Glauchau, Saxony, Germany – since 1991
- Chorzów, Poland – since 2004
References
- ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ Fleming, John & Hugh Honour. (1977) The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. London: Allen Lane, p. 399. ISBN 0713909412
- ^ "FH-SWF Iserlohn". fh-swf.de. 28 August 2013.
- ^ [1] Archived 2010-01-27 at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- Götz Bettge: Iserlohn-Lexikon. Iserlohn 1987. ISBN 3-922885-37-3
- Ernst Dossmann: Iserlohner Tabaksdosen erzählen. Ein Einblick in die wirtschaftlichen, gesellschaftlichen, politischen und militärischen Verhältnisse und das Aufblühen von Gewerbe, Industrie und Handel im märkisch-westfälischen Wirtschaftsraum während der Regierungszeit Friedrichs des Großen, dargestellt an bekannten Iserlohner Industrieerzeugnissen. 1981. ISBN 3-922885-01-2
- Margret Kirchhoff: Pulsschläge einer Stadt. Die Oberste Stadtkirche Iserlohn – Zeitbilder und Momentaufnahmen. 2003. Eigenverlag Dr. Margret Kirchhoff.
- Fritz Kühn: Liebes altes Iserlohn. (released about 1956). Westfalenverlag Dortmund
- Peter Müller und Günter Stalp: Unsere gute alte Straßenbahn. Eine Reise in die Vergangenheit. Iserlohn 1995. ISBN 3-922885-78-0
- Hans-Herbert Mönnig Verlag Iserlohn (no author mentioned): Iserlohn – unsere lebendige Stadt. Ein Bildband von Iserlohnern für Iserlohner. Iserlohn 1997. ISBN 3-922885-93-4
- Heinz Stoob (†): Westfälischer Städteatlas; Band: I; 9 Teilband (Stadtmappe Iserlohn). Im Auftrage der Historischen Kommission für Westfalen und mit Unterstützung des Landschaftsverbandes Westfalen-Lippe; edited by Heinz Stoob and Wilfried Ehbrecht. Dortmund-Altenbeken, 1975. ISBN 3-89115-336-8