Wettringen (Münsterland)

Wettringen

Coat of arms
Wettringen

Coordinates: 52°12′30″N 7°19′00″E / 52.20833°N 7.31667°E / 52.20833; 7.31667Coordinates: 52°12′30″N 7°19′00″E / 52.20833°N 7.31667°E / 52.20833; 7.31667
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Münster
District Steinfurt
Government
 • Mayor Engelbert Rauen (CDU)
Area
 • Total 57.2 km2 (22.1 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 8,102
 • Density 140/km2 (370/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 48493
Dialling codes 02557
Vehicle registration ST
Website www.Wettringen.de

Wettringen is a village and a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Geography

Wettringen is situated on the river Steinfurter Aa. It is located in the region Münsterland, approx. 40 km north of Münster and approx. 25 km east to the Dutch border.

Division of the town

Wettringen consists of multiple smaller districts:

  • Wettringen
  • Aabauerschaft
  • Andorf
  • Bilk
  • Brechte
  • Dorfbauerschaft
  • Haddorf
  • Klein Haddorf
  • Maxhafen
  • Rothenberge
  • Tie-Esch
  • Vollenbrok

History

Wettringen was first mentioned in 838. A historical document says that in 838 Kaiser Louis the Pious donated the church of "Wateringas" to the nun monastery of Herford. This romanesque church was founded in 800 by Charlemagne. It was reconstructed in 1522.

In 1590, during the Dutch Revolt, Spanish Troops plundered Wettringen multiple times. In 1622, during the Thirty Years' War Wettringen was the victim of plunder and pillage again.

Churchtower (Pfarrkirche Sankt Petronilla) in the street

In 1771 the "Münster Canal" was extended from its former end Clemenshafen in Neuenkirchen to its new end in Maxhafen. It was renamed to "Max-Clemens Canal" after the prince-bishops Maximilian Frederick of Königsegg-Rothenfels and Clemens August of Bavaria. The original plan was a connection between Münster and the Dutch Town of Zwolle, but the last segment was never completed. In 1840 shipping on the canal was given up due to being uneconomic.

In 1861 the old church was torn down and the diocese architect of Münster, Emil von Manger from Oelde, started to build a new gothic revival church. It was completed in 1863 and was consecrated to Saint Petronilla. This church still stands today in the village centre.

The Second World War also left its marks on Wettringen. On March 31, 1945, allied troops came to Wettringen. At the end of the year, approx. 1200 fugitives, predominantly from Silesia, found shelter in the village. In memory of the victims of the World War I and II a memorial was built in 1957 and it was complemented by a stele in 1998 to remind especially to the victims of the Holocaust. An old memorial from 1929 had to be removed due to traffic planning.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of Wettringen is colored in silver, red and gold, the traditional colors of the Münsterland. At the top is a silver bar with a curved red line in the middle. It is the symbol of the Edelherren of Wettringen. Below that is the red bar taken from the coat of arms of the nun monastery of Herford. At the bottom a swan is shown. This symbol is taken from the coat of arms of the Fürst of Bentheim-Steinfurt.

Main Sights

Buildings

Politics

Town council

The town council of Wettringen after the election of 2004 is split-up as follows:

The Mayor is Engelbert Rauen.

Twin towns

Wettringen's twin towns are Fretin (France), the Dutch village Dalen and the German village Gnoien.

References

  1. ↑ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen". Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW (in German). 18 July 2016.
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