Wesel
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|
Wesel | |
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St Willibrord , has been restored after wartime bombing. | |
Location of Wesel within Wesel district | |
Coordinates: 51°39′31″N 6°37′4″E / 51.65861°N 6.61778°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
Admin. region | Düsseldorf |
District | Wesel |
Subdivisions | 5 |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–25) | Ulrike Westkamp[1] (SPD) |
Area | |
• Total | 122.617 km2 (47.343 sq mi) |
Elevation | 23 m (75 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 61,330 |
• Density | 500/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 46483, 46485, 46487 |
Dialling codes |
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Vehicle registration | WES, DIN, MO |
Website | www |
Wesel (German pronunciation: [ˈveːzl̩] ⓘ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark, Fusternberg, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.
History
Origin
The city originated from a Franconian manor that was first recorded in the 8th century. In the 12th century, the Duke of Clèves took possession of Wesel. The city became a member of the Hanseatic League during the 15th century. Wesel was second only to Cologne in the lower Rhine region as an entrepôt. It was an important commercial centre: a clearing station for the transshipment and trading of goods.
Early modern
In 1590 the Spanish captured Wesel after a four-year siege. The city changed hands between the Dutch and Spanish several times during the
World War II
During
From almost 25,000 in 1939, the population was reduced to 1,900 by May 1945.[3] In 1946 Wesel became part of the new state North Rhine-Westphalia of West Germany.
Politics
Wesel's mayors:
- 1808–1814: Johann Hermann Westermann
- 1814–1840: Christian Adolphi
- 1841–1862: Franz Luck
- 1863–1870: Wilhelm Otto van Calker
- 1870–1873: Heinrich Bang
- 1873–1881: Carl Friedrich August von Albert
- 1881–1891: Caspar Baur
- 1891–1902: Josef Fluthgraf (1896 Oberbürgermeister)
- 1903–1931: Ludwig Poppelbaum
- 1931–1933: Emil Nohl
- 1933–1945: Otto Borgers
Since 1945:
- 1945: Jean Groos
- 1945: Wilhelm Groos
- 1946–1947: Anton Ebert (CDU)
- 1947–1948: Paul Körner (CDU)
- 1948–1952: Ewald Fournell (CDU)
- 1952–1956: Helmut Berckel (CDU)
- 1956–1966: Kurt Kräcker (SPD)
- 1967–1969: Willi Nakaten (SPD)
- 1969–1979: Günther Detert (CDU)
- 1979–1984: Wilhelm Schneider (SPD)
- 1984–1989: Volker Haubitz (CDU)
- 1989–1994: Wilhelm Schneider (SPD)
- 1994–1999: Bernhard Gründken (SPD)
- 1999–2004: Jörn Schroh (CDU)
- since 2004: Ulrike Westkamp (SPD)
Twin towns – sister cities
- Hagerstown, United States (1952)
- Felixstowe, England (1972)
- Salzwedel, Germany (1990)
- Kętrzyn, Poland (2002)
Transport
There is a
Buildings and places of interest
- Berliner Tor, city gate
- Willibrordi-Dom (Cathedral). Commemorative plaque for Peter Minuit, Gründer von New York (founder of New York)
- Zitadelle Wesel(Citadel)
- Restored 15th century city hall
- Broadcasting Mast Wesel, one of Germany's tallest constructions
- Niederrheinbrücke Wesel, modern Rhine bridge opened in 2009
- Auesee, an artificial bathing lake
Notable people
- Derick Baegert (1440–after 1509), painter
- Andreas Wytinck van Wesel, or Andreas Vesalius, anatomist, imperial physician to the court of Emperor Charles V
- Jan Joest (1455–1519), painter
- Bishop of Dorpat
- Hans Lippershey (1550–1619), eyeglass maker associated with the invention of the telescope
- Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (1555–1601), English diplomat and soldier
- Carl Philipp, Reichsgraf von Wylich und Lottum (1650–1719), Prussian field marshal
- Peter Minuit (1594–1638), founder of New Amsterdam, which later became New York City
- Johann Friedrich Welsch (1796–1871), painter
- Konrad Duden (1829–1911), author of the first Duden
- Ludwig Hugo Becker (1833–1868), painter
- Friedrich Geselschap (1835–1898), painter
- Richard Veenfliet (1843–1922), painter and soldier
- Ida Tacke (1896–1978), co-discoverer of the chemical elements rhenium and technetium
- Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893–1946), foreign minister of Nazi Germany (1938–1945)
- Jan Hofer (born 1950), journalist and television presenter
- Dieter Nuhr (born 1960), comedian
- Martin Bambauer (born 1970), church musician
- Raimund Berens, film producer
Miscellaneous
One of Germany's highest
See also
References
- ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 30 June 2021.
- Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ Entry for 23–24 March 1945, "RAF campaign diary March 1945"
- ^ "Städtepartnerschaften". wesel.de (in German). Wesel. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ "Linien & Netze | Abellio Deutschland". abellio.de (in German). Retrieved 19 June 2019.
Books
- Jutta Prieur (Hrsg.): Geschichte der Stadt Wesel: Beiträge zur Stadtgeschichte der frühen Neuzeit (= Studien und Quellen zur Geschichte von Wesel 20). Stadtarchiv, Wesel 1998, ISBN 3-924380-15-5
- Daniel Vasta (Hrsg.): Wesel – Hansestadt am Niederrhein: Beiträge zum zeitgenössischen Geschehen (= Bilder von Menschen, Land und Leuten, Wesel 2009). Sutton Verlag, Wesel 2009,
- Martin W. Roelen (Hrsg.): Ecclesia Wesele: Beiträge zur Ortsnamenforschung und Kirchengeschichte (= Studien und Quellen zur Geschichte von Wesel 28). Stadtarchiv, Wesel 2005, ISBN 3-924380-23-6
External links
- Official website (in German)
- ^ Wesel
- ^ Daniel Vasta in Wesel. Vasta.de. Retrieved on 2013-07-23.