Meschede
Town
View over Meschede
View over Meschede
Flag of Meschede
Flag
Coat of arms of Meschede
Coat of arms
Location of Meschede within Hochsauerlandkreis district
Meschede is located in Germany
Meschede
Meschede
Meschede is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Meschede
Meschede
Coordinates: 51°21′N 8°17′E / 51.350°N 8.283°E / 51.350; 8.283
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionArnsberg
DistrictHochsauerlandkreis
Subdivisions17
Government
 • Mayor (2020–25) Christoph Weber[1] (CDU)
Area
 • Total218.5 km2 (84.4 sq mi)
Elevation
260 m (850 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total29,608
 • Density140/km2 (350/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
59872
Dialling codes0291
Vehicle registrationHSK
Websitewww.meschede.de

Meschede (German: [ˈmɛʃədə] ⓘ) is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis.

Education

One of the five branches of South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (also: Fachhochschule Südwestfalen (FH SWF)) is located here.

Geography

Meschede is situated in the Ruhr valley, near to the Hennesee, south of the nature-park Arnsberger Wald. Major towns in the vicinity of Meschede are Paderborn (51 km), Kassel (85 km), Siegen (57 km), Hagen, Dortmund (60 km) and Hamm (49 km).

Neighbouring municipalities

Division of the town

After the local government reforms of 1975 Meschede consists of these districts and villages:

  • Baldeborn
  • Berge
  • Berghausen
  • Beringhausen
  • Blüggelscheidt
  • Bockum
  • Bonacker
  • Calle
  • Drasenbeck
  • Einhaus
  • Enkhausen
  • Enste
  • Ensthof
  • Erflinghausen
  • Eversberg
  • Frenkhausen
  • Freienohl
  • Frielinghausen
  • Galiläa
  • Giesmecke
  • Grevenstein
  • Heggen
  • Heinrichsthal
  • Höhringhausen
  • Horbach
  • Immenhausen
  • Klause
  • Köpperkopf
  • Köttinghausen
  • Kotthoff
  • Laer
  • Löllinghausen
  • Löttmaringhausen
  • Mielinghausen
  • Mosebolle
  • Mülsborn
  • Obermielinghausen
  • Olpe
  • Remblinghausen
  • Schederberge
  • Schedergrund
  • Schüren
  • Stesse
  • Stockhausen
  • Vellinghausen
  • Visbeck
  • Wallen
  • Wehrstapel
  • Wennemen
  • Windhäuser
  • Wulstern.
Panorama of Meschede

History

Meschede was founded as a settlement around a convent, the Walpurgis-Stift , in the 10th century. In 1572, it became a member of the Hanseatic League.

In the 18th century, many inhabitants of Meschede died in at least two epidemics of dysentery.

Both in World War I and in World War II, Meschede was notorious as a location where the Germans exploited POWs in labour camps. In February, 1945, the town was destroyed by Allied air raid bombings, because of its strategically important railway station, but rebuilt after the war.

In 1921, the Sauerländer Heimatbund was founded.

In 1970, Meschede's St. Walburga Hospital was the site of a smallpox outbreak, as described in the book The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston.

Economy

Meschede is the seat of three major companies:

An industrial zone is located near the crossing of the A 46 with the B 55 (see below).

Tourism also is important to the town's economy.

Transportation

Meschede is connected with two national roads, the federal roads B 7 and B 55, and the motorway A 46.

Meschede has a railroad station, and is connected via the Sauerland Net, RB 57, to Arnsberg and other towns.

It has an airfield, the Meschede-Schüren Airfield, with a 900 m runway.

Climate

The city's climate is continental. The lowest temperature recorded was −20 °C (−4 °F), its highest was recorded at 39 °C (102 °F).

Culture

Spanish fricco is a traditional stew dish of Meschede.[3]

Mayors of Meschede

  • 1952–1961: Engelbert Dick (CDU)
  • 1961–1969: Josef Busch (CDU)
  • 1969–1974: Bruno Peus (CDU)
  • 1975–1998: Franz Stahlmecke (CDU)
  • 1998–1999: Bruno Peus (CDU)
  • 1999–2015: Hans-Ulrich (Uli) Hess (CDU)
  • 2015–present: Christoph Weber (CDU)

Notable people

Main sights

Twin towns – sister cities

Meschede is twinned with:[4]

Meschede also has friendly relations with:[4]

References

  1. ↑ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 21 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2021" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Rezept fürs Mescheder Traditionsgericht Frikko bleibt geheim". Westphalen Post (in German). 15 January 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2022. (subscription required)
  4. 1 2 "Partnerstädte". meschede.de (in German). Meschede. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
Meschede in winter 2004
Meschede in winter 2005
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meschede.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.