Finnentrop

Infobox German Location
Name = Finnentrop
Art = Stadt
image_photo = Haus bamenohl-front.jpg
imagesize =
image_caption = Bamenohl Manor
Wappen = Wappen von Finnentrop.pnglat_deg = 51 |lat_min = 10
lon_deg = 07 |lon_min = 58
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regierungsbezirk = Arnsberg
Kreis = Olpe
Höhe = 220 - 651
Fläche = 104.34
Einwohner = 18403
Stand = 2004-12-31
PLZ = 57413
Vorwahl = 02721, 02395, 02724
Kfz = OE
Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 9 66 012
Gliederung = 40
Straße = Am Markt 1
Website = [http://www.finnentrop.de/ www.finnentrop.de]
Bürgermeister = Dietmar Heß
Partei = CDU

Finnentrop is a community in Olpe district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Geography

Finnentrop lies near the forks of the rivers Bigge and Lenne in the Sauerland and is divided into the following constituent communities:

History

The community of Finnentrop came into being on 1 July 1969 when it was cobbled together from parts of the old "Amt" of Serkenrode (Meschede district), the communities of Schliprüthen and Oedingen and parts of Attendorn-Land and Helden. This restructuring also saw the community pass from Meschede district (which was abolished in 1974) to Olpe district.

The community’s name is drawn from the original centre of Finnentrop lying a few hundred metres up the Bigge, and now known as Altfinnentrop (“alt” is German for “old”). The ending "—trop" comes from "trop" or "torp", meaning “village”. The High German word "Dorf" is a cognate, as is the English word "thorpe". It is quite a common placename ending in North Rhine-Westphalia. Other examples are Bottrop, Castrop, Frintrop and Waltrop.

Until 13 July 1908, the place now known as Finnentrop had three names: "Habbecke", "Neubrücke" (“Newbridge”) and, once the Ruhr-Sieg Railway was built there came "Bahnhof Finnentrop" (“Finnentrop Railway Station”). Neubrücke consisted of only one building at the forks of the Bigge and Lenne ("Reuters Haus", first mentioned in 1847). The “new bridge” seems to have already been built by 1847, as the “Reuter” had to charge tolls. The other centre lying farther north, Habbecke, originally also consisting of only a few farms, may have arisen in the Middle Ages.

Farther up the Lenne lies Frielentrop, an old knightly estate, now surrounded by an industrial park.

The municipal arms bear a rose under a wavy chevron. The rose stands for the Lords of Finnentrop (von Vinnentrop) and comes down from the year 1358. The chevron stands for the two rivers, the Bigge and the Lenne, which merge in the community. The colour green refers to the great swathes of greenery in the municipal area.

Finnentrop maintains partnership arrangements with:
* Diksmuide, Belgium (since 1979);
* Helbra, Saxony-Anhalt (since 1990).

Culture and sightseeing

Theatre

* Schützenhof Lichtspiele – 1954-vintage cinema thoroughly renovated in 2006 with 170 seats
* Kulturgemeinde Finnentrop
* Laienspielgruppe „Ostentroper Scala“
* Laienspielgruppe Serkenrode

Music

* Junger Chor Schönholthausen (choir)
* Frauenchor Fun & Joy Finnentrop- Ostentrop/Schönholthausen (women’s choir)
* Frauenchor Lenhausen 1987 (women’s choir)
* Gesangverein Bamenohler Männerchor e. V. 1903 (singing club)
* Kinder- und Jugendchor Serkenrode (children’s and youth choir)
* MGV 1901 Fretter e. V. (men’s singing club)
* MGV Finnentrop von 1897 (men’s singing club)
* MGV Liederkranz Weringhausen 1908 (men’s singing club)
* MGV Sängerbund Heggen 1902 (men’s singing club)
* MGV Sängerbund Schönholthausen 1850 (men’s singing club)
* Männer-Gesang-Verein Cäcilia 1850 Ostentrop (men’s singing club)
* Sängerchor Serkenrode von 1881 (mixed choir)
* Musikzug der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr Bamenohl (fire brigade band)

Building

* Catholic parish church “St. Johannes-Nepomuk”
* Evangelical parish church
* Railway station: the reception building built in 1896 at a junction on the Ruhr-Sieg Railway was torn down in 2007.
* Reiterstellwerk (signal box)
* Ringlokschuppen (locomotive roundhouse)
* Festhalle Finnentrop (festival hall)
* Schloss Ahausen bei Heggen (castle)
* Haus Bamenohl in Bamenohl
* Schloss Lenhausen in Lenhausen (castle)

Regular events

* Shooting festivals in Finnentrop and the bigger outlying centres
* Waldfest „Im Schee“ Finnentrop (“forest festival”, weekend before Whitsun)
* Bürgerfrühschoppen der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr Finnentrop (beer-drinking event held by the fire brigade on German Unity Day, 3 October)
* Christmas Market at the town hall (second weekend in Advent)
* Prunksitzung by the Lenhaus Carnival Club (LCC) (revue, Saturday before "Altweibertag" – Old Women’s Day)
* Prunksitzung by the Festkommitee Finnentroper Karneval (revue)
* "Donnerwetter" Donnerstags im Frettertal (Held in the Fretter Valley, this takes place every Thursday ["Donnerstag"] , and its name is from a traditional German exclamation ["Donnerwetter!"] )

Culinary specialities

Finnentrop is the birthplace of the “Dicke-Sauerländer”-Bockwurst made by the firm Metten Fleischwaren.

Economy and infrastructure

Among the nationally known companies in Finnentrop are:
* Metten Fleischwaren
* Eibach Federn (springs)
* Menshen
* Thema-Federn (springs)

Transport

Finnentrop railway station lies on the Ruhr-Sieg line from Hagen to Siegen, from which the tourist railway called the Biggetalbahn, which runs to Olpe, branches off. Until May 1966, there was passenger service on the line from Finnentrop to Wennemen.

Public institutions:
* Rathaus Finnentrop (town hall)
* Erlebnisbad Finto (“adventure pool”)
* Deutsches Rotes Kreuz (German Red Cross)
* Jugendherberge Bamenohl (Germany’s first youth hostel after the Second World War)
* Freiwillige Feuerwehr Finnentrop mit elf Löschgruppen (volunteer fire brigade with eleven “extinguishing groups”)

Education

In Finnentrop there are several primary schools, one Hauptschule and one Realschule.

Famous people

Honorary citizens

* Erwin Oberkalkofen, former mayor
* Ernst Vollmer, former community director

Sons and daughters of the community

* Heinrich Martin Arens, in the USA: Henry M. Arens (born 21 November 1873 in Bausenrode, died 6 October 1963 in Jordan, Minnesota, politician, held many public offices, including one term as Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, member of the House of Representatives in Washington.
* Josef Baumhoff (born 10 September 1887; died 1962) was a German official, newspaper publisher and politician of the Centre Party.
* Johann Joseph Freidhoff (born 13 February 1768 in Heggen, died 14 March 1818 in Berlin) was one of the 18th century’s most important engravers.
* Alexander Haindorf (born 2 Mai 1784 in Lenhausen; died 16 October 1862 on the Caldenhof Estate near Hamm) was a medic, a Jewish reformer, a psychologist, a university lecturer, a publicist, an art collector and cofounder of the Westphalian Art Club.
* Friedrich Georg Pape (born 1763 in Fehrenbracht, died 1816), one of the first German democrats.
* Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg (born 1644; died 1706), Prince-Bishop of Münster (1688–1706)
* Gertrud von Plettenberg (died 1608), mistress of Ernest of Bavaria, Archbishop of Cologne.
* Klaus-Dieter Uelhoff (born 1936), politician (CDU), Member of the German Bundestag 1987–1998.

Famous people who have worked in the community

* Johannes Dornseiffer (born 2 February 1837 in Wenden-Gerlingen; died 11 December 1914 in Eslohe), vicar in Fretter and pastor in Eslohe, founder of the (agricultural) "Winterschule" (“Winter School”) in Fretter, stands as cofounder of many savings and loan companies in the Finnentrop-Eslohe area in personal contact with Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen.
* Anneliese Schmidt-Schöttler (born 1920), artist and hostel warden at the Bamenohl Youth Hostel, first youth hostel after the War.

Further reading

* Bitter, Franz, "Finnentrop Sauerland. Das Pfarrdorf, seine Industrie, der Eisenbahnknotenpunkt und seine Bewohner." Finnentrop 1955. edited by Sasse, R., 2005. [http://www.heimatbund-finnentrop.de/historie/007Finnentrop.pdf]
* Feldmann, Thomas, "Die Finnentroper Chronik." Finnentrop 1994.
* "Pickert’sche Sammlung", written by Voss, W., edited by Sasse, R., 2005, [http://www.heimatbund-finnentrop.de/historie/002PickertscheSammlung.pdf]
* further collection of literature from the "Arbeitskreis für Geschichte und Heimatpflege in der Gemeinde Finnentrop e.V. " [http://www.heimatbund-finnentrop.de/historie.htm]

External links

* [http://www.finnentrop.de/ Finnentrop.de] de icon
* [http://www.finnentrop.com/ Finnentrop.com] de icon