Wipperfürth

Infobox German Location
Art = Stadt
Name = Wipperfürth
Wappen = Wappen-wipperf.pnglat_deg = 51 |lat_min = 7 |lat_sec = 0
lon_deg = 7 |lon_min = 24 |lon_sec = 0
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regierungsbezirk = Köln
Kreis = Oberbergischer Kreis
Höhe = 177 - 406
Fläche = 118.16
Einwohner = 23575
Stand = 2007-6-30
PLZ = 51688
PLZ-alt = 5272
Vorwahl = 02267
Kfz = GM
Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 3 74 052
Gliederung = 8
Straße = Marktplatz 1
Website = [http://www.wipperfuerth.de/ www.wipperfuerth.de]
Bürgermeister = Guido Forsting
Partei = CDU

Wipperfürth is a Northrhine-Westfalian municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis in Germany, about 40 km north-east of Cologne, and the oldest town in the Bergischen Land.

History

The eldest documentary mention dates from 1131. In the Siegburger Mirakelbuch the place is already designated Oppidum(=town). Manner of writing of the first naming: "Weperevorthe". between 1217 and 1222 received Wipperfürth town rights. Since 1283 the administration of the town was governed by count Adolf V. von Berg. Already in 1275 king Rudolf von Habsburg allowed the count to move his mint from Wildberg to Wipperfürth. Here, Pfennige were stamped according to Cologne model. In 1328, with the privilege of king of Ludwig of Bavaria the first coinage of Groschen in Germany began in Wipperfürth. Since the 14th century the town was a member of the Hanse. Businesspeople of the town traveled to Stockholm, Dorpat, Malmö, Novgorod, Reval and Lübeck. The town coat of arms of 1267 shows a church in merlons-reinforced wall. Leftovers of this town wall can still be found on the Klosterberg. The oldest building are located at the market, together with the market well. The development of the town was hindered by numerous town fires: 1333, 1352, 1368, 1383, 1404, 1412 and 1465. From 1815-1932 Wipperfürth was capital town of the district with the same name.

The coat of arms of Wipperfürth

The arms were granted on December 9, 1975, but have been in use a long time before. Wipperfürth received city rights between 1217 and 1222. The oldest seal dates from around 1250 and already shows a city wall, church and a small shield with the arms of the Counts of Berg, who ruled over the city. In the 14th century the small shield was removed. The present arms are based and nearly identical to the composition of the first seal. The city wall denotes the civic character of Wippenfürth, the church is the local St. Nicholas church.

Geography

Geographical position

Wipperfürth lies on the flow Wupper which is designated in the upper reaches to the east of the town Wipper.

Neighbouring municipalities

The neighbouring municipalities and neighbouring towns are: Lindlar, Kürten, Wermelskirchen, Hückeswagen, Radevormwald, Halver, Kierspe and Marienheide.

Districts

The town Wipperfürth is made up of 8 districts:
* Wipperfürth
* Egen
* Kreuzberg (Wipperfürth)
* Ohl
* Agathaberg
* Their
* Wipperfeld
* Hämmern

Localities

Culture and places of interest

Dams

* Kierspe dam
* Neye dam
* Schevelinger dam
* Bever dam

Buildings

* Altes Seminar ("Old seminar") in the Lüdenscheider Straße.
* the former Franziskanerkloster (a cloister)

Churches

By far the oldest church in Wipperfürth is the Catholic parish church St.-Nikolaus placed in the downtown of Wipperfürth. Not far away, the Protestant church was build next to the marked-place in 1875. The so called Antoniuskirche ("Antonius-church", a minister) was build on the Klosterberg ("cloister hill").

Spare time and sport

The town disposes of various sports field, stadium with field, indoor swimming pool with 25 meters of roads incl. sauna and sunbathing area, airfield, tennis courts, squash, riding spaces and play bowls.

Sport clubs

* Airfield - Wipperfürth-Neye EDKN
* DLRG Wipperfürth
* 1.Wipperfürther Rock´n Roll Club
* BKV Oberberg
* Boxing club Wipperfürth
* BSG Wipperfürth
* Canoe friends Wipperfürth e. V.
* Aerial sport association Wipperfürth
* Motor sport club Wipperfürth in AAA road service e. V.
* Cycling club Wipperfürth
* Riding association Wipperfürth
* Chess club Wipperfürth
* Sports fisherman association Wipperfürth
* Sports club Wipperfürth
* Stadtsportverband Wipperfürth
* Dance corps
* Dance school Böhlefeld
* Diving sport community Wipperfürth
* TC Silber-Blau Wipperfürth
* TV Wipperfürth
* VfR Wipperfürth
* VSG Wipperfürth e. V.
* WTC Wipperfürth

Economy and infrastructure

During the industrial revolution several companies originated in the area of the textile industry. The most important industry company is the electric light bulb factory founded in 1904 Radium.

Radium also is even today together with the armature factory VOSS the biggest employer in Wipperfürth. Here particularly the electric-working industry, plastic-working industry, metal working industry and paper-working industry is resident.

Traffic

Federal highways

Wipperfürth lies in the intersection of the federal highways B 237 (Remscheid- Meinerzhagen) and B 506 (Cologne - Wipperfürth). The B 256 unidirectional Gummersbach in the place Ohl for the B 237.

Bus routes

(VRS: Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg, VRL: Verkehrsgemeinschaft Ruhr-Lippe), OVAG: Oberbergische Verkehrsgesellschaft AG, MVG: Märkische Verkehrsgesellschaft GmbH, KWS: Kraftverkehr Wupper-Sieg AG)
* VRS (KWS) Linie 426 to Bergisch Gladbach (S) via Kürten
* VRS (KWS) Linie 427 to Bergisch Gladbach (S) via Kürten-Weiden
* VRS (KWS) Linie 429 to Bergisch Gladbach (S) via Kürten-Olpe
* VRS (OVAG) Linie 332 to Engelskirchen Bf. via Lindlar
* VRS (OVAG) Linie 333 to Engelskirchen Bf. via Lindlar-Frielingsdorf
* VRS (OVAG) Linie 336 to Marienheide via Gummersbach or ro Hückeswagen and Remscheid-Lennep
* VRS (OVAG) Linie 337 to Egen via Neye
* VRS (OVAG) Linie 338 to Kreuzberg
* VRL (MVG) Linie 55 to Lüdenscheid via Kreuzberg und Halver

Public facilities

* Employment centre
* District court
* Tax office
* Youth welfare office
* forestry office
* Test place of the safety standards authority
* Branch of the of a circle health office

Health service

Hospitals: St. Josef hospital Wipperfürth (258 beds)

Education

The municipality has two high schools, [http://www.evb-gymnasium.de/ Engelbert von Berg - Gymnasium] (high school), and [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.-Angela-Gymnasium_Wipperf%C3%BCrth St. Angela Gymnasium] (high school), a secondary modern school, a Konrad Adenauer - secondary school, a work pedagogic school (occupational lecture), eight elementary schools and two special schools.

Personalities

Honorary citizen

* 1986 Hermann Voss old mayor
* 2004 Hans Leo Kausemann old mayor and old District Administrator

Born in Wipperfürth

* Joseph Mausbach (1861-1931), morality theologian, Sozialethiker, parliamentarian

Personalities, in connection with the town

* Konrad Martin (1812-1879), bishop of Paderborn
* Johann Joseph Bauerband (1800-1878), lawyer, university professor, politician
* Alois Pollender (1800-1879), discoverer anthrax bazillus (1855)
* Stephan Ley (in 1867-1950?), Beethoven - explorer
* Fritz Vollbach, composer and musician
* Ernst Lotz (1887-1948), the first minister of education and culture from Rhineland-Palatinate
* Franz Rudolf Bornewasser (1866-1951), bishop from Trier since 1922
* Udo Lattek, former football coach
* Barbara Kisseler, civilized nation secretary in Berlin

Twin town

* Surgères, Charente-Maritime in France

Further sources of information

= Literature (German)=

*Joseph John, "Geschichte der Stadt Wipperfürth", Gummersbach 1842;
*Conrad Schmitz, "Geschichte der Stadt Wipperfürth", Wipperfürth 1910;
*Paul Engel, "Wipperfürth im Wandel der Zeiten", Wipperfürth 1949;
*Peter Opladen, "Das Dekanat Wipperfürth", Siegburg 1955;
*Anneliese Triller/Jörg Füchtner, "Das Abschriftenbuch der Stadt Wipperfürth", Essen 1969;
*Frank Berger/Fred Antweiler, "Wipperfürth gestern und heute", Remscheid 1984
*Fred Antweiler/Frank Berger, "Wipperfürth und seine Kirchdörfer", Bergisch Gladbach 1986.

External links

* [http://www.wipperfuerth.de/ Official site] de icon
* [http://www.wipperfürth.de/forum/webcam_gross.htm Wipperfürth webcam picture, automatically renewed every 60 seconds]