Soest, Germany
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Soest | |
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Location of Soest within Soest district | |
Coordinates: 51°34′16″N 8°06′33″E / 51.57111°N 8.10917°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
Admin. region | Arnsberg |
District | Soest |
Subdivisions | 19 |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–25) | Eckhard Ruthemeyer[1] (CDU) |
Area | |
• Total | 85.81 km2 (33.13 sq mi) |
Elevation | 90 m (300 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 48,607 |
• Density | 570/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 59494 |
Dialling codes | 02921 |
Vehicle registration | SO |
Website | www.soest.de |
Soest (German pronunciation:
Geography
Soest is located along the Hellweg road, approximately 23 kilometres (14 miles) south-west of Lippstadt, roughly 50 km (31 mi) east of Dortmund and roughly 50 km (31 mi) west of Paderborn.
Neighbouring places
Legends
The Norwegian
History
Owing to its fertile soil (predominantly brown silty clay loam[4]), the area around Soest is believed to have been settled well before the village is first mentioned in the Dagobertsche Schenkung in 836. Excavations in recent decades have uncovered signs of habitation stretching back more than 4000 years. During the 11th and 12th centuries, Soest grew considerably, making it one of the largest towns in Westphalia with some 10,000 citizens. It was also, until 1609, an important member of the Hanseatic League.
In the geographical work Atar Al-Belad composed by Iranian scholar Mohammad Qazvini (1203-1283), Soest is described for its salt production and referred to as a "Slavic country": “There is a salty spring, while there is no salt to be found in the surroundings. When people make salt they take water from the spring, filling a kettle and placing it in an oven made from stone, lighting a large fire underneath, turning it into a thick and murky fluid. Then it is left to cool, leaving solid white salt. In this manner, all white salt is produced in the Slavic countries.”
An increasingly confident and powerful Soest liberated itself, between 1444 and 1449, from the
The painter
During and after the Thirty Years' War, Soest suffered a tremendous loss of both population and influence; at its lowest point, in 1756, having merely 3,600 citizens.
With the creation of the
Under the re-drawing of political borders within the Reich by the
From 1953 to 1971, a sizable garrison of Canadian soldiers and their families was stationed at Soest (with the Canadian camps located just east of the town in Bad Sassendorf), as well as at Werl and Hemer-Iserlohn and Deilinghofen to the southwest. In addition, an American Nike Battery (66th Battalion) was situated just south of the town, and was subsequently turned over to the German military.
From 1971 to 1993, the former Canadian properties, including the Married Quarters along Hiddingser Weg, south of the B-1, were used and occupied by British military personnel and their families. With the eventual closure of the Belgian and British army facilities, many of these properties were re-purposed for civilian use, abandoned, or demolished. The former Married Quarters area was converted to civilian housing. The former CANEX (the Canadian Army's food and clothing store for NATO families) was converted to a NAAFI under the British and finally demolished in 2006.
Education
The city is home to a major branch of the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (also: Fachhochschule Südwestfalen (FH SWF)) which offers various engineering, and Business Administration programmes.
Sights
Soest has a multitude of historical buildings and attractions. The many medieval churches are built from a greenish sandstone unique to this area.
St. Patroclus
In 960,
The cathedral is an example of early medieval Romanesque architecture fashioned from the local greenish sandstone. Its massive squared bell tower or steeple can be seen for many kilometres,[citation needed] rising up out of the city centre of the old town and a landmark of the Soester Boerde.
Allerheiligenkirmes
The Allerheiligenkirmes is named for All Saints' Day as it starts every year at the first Wednesday after All Saints' and lasts for five days. It is Europe's biggest inner-city fair[citation needed] and was held for the 673rd time in 2010.
Specialties of Soest
Among the traditional specialities of Soest are Möppken bread and pumpernickel. The Haverland bakery in the city centre, which formerly supplied dark bread to the royal court of Bavaria, has existed since 1570. A more recent speciality is Bullenauge (Bull's Eye), a mocha liqueur, sold mostly at the Allerheiligenkirmes. Another speciality is the Soester beer, also known as Zwiebel-Bier (Onion Beer) as it has been brewed, since 1993, in the Zwiebel (Onion) Inn.
Coat of arms
The town's coat of arms shows a key, which is the symbol for Saint Peter, the patron saint of Cologne. The key symbol remained unchanged, even after Soest no longer fell within the jurisdiction of Cologne.
Twin towns – sister cities
- Bangor, Wales
- Gotland, Sweden
- Guérard, France
- Herzberg, Germany
- Kampen, Netherlands
- Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Sárospatak, Hungary
- Soest, Netherlands
- Strzelce Opolskie, Poland
Notable people
- Johannes von Soest (1448–1506), composer, theorist and poet
- Johann Gropper (1503–1559), Catholic church politician of the Reformation period
- Peter Lely (1618–1680), Dutch-English painter.[5]
- August Meineke (1790–1870), German classical scholar.[8]
- Heinrich von Sybel (1817–1895), historian
- Otto Modersohn (1865–1943), landscape painter
- Sigfrid Henrici (1889–1964), army officer of armoured forces
- Ernst Krappe (1891–1977), lawyer and politician
- Wilhelm Morgner (1891–1917), Expressionist painter
- August Müller (1895–1960), member of parliament (CDU)
- Hartwig Bleidick (born 1944), footballer
- Ralf König (born 1960), known comic book creator
- Sascha Schmitz(born 1972), singer-songwriter and actor
- Sebastian Hille (born 1980), footballer
- Oliver Kirch (born 1982), footballer
- Michael Lejan (born 1983), footballer
- Rebecca Handke (born 1986), pair skater
- Gaëtan Bille (born 1988), Belgian cyclist
- Julian Büscher(born 1993), footballer
Gallery
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Soest, view to a street
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Soest, view to a street
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Soest, view to a street
References
- ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 30 June 2021.
- Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ISBN 978-2-87772-364-0.
- ^ "Geological map". Archived from the original on 2014-10-10.
- ^ a b Rossetti, William Michael (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). p. 408.
- ^ Historic Centre
- ^ "Städtepartnerschaften". soest.de (in German). Soest. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 83. .
External links
- Official website (in German)
- Articles about "Aldegrever and the Protestant Reformation in Soest" / virtual exhibition "Iconoclastic Controversy and sensual pleasure - Heinrich Aldegrever" with introductory texts and about 170 commented copperplate engravings (in German)
- Skydive Soest - Germany's largest weekend dropzone (in German)