Bergkamen (German pronunciation: [bɛʁkˈkaːmən] ; Westphalian: Biärgkoamen) is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated south of the river Lippe, approx. 15 km (9 mi) north-east of Dortmund and 15 km (9 mi) south-west of Hamm.
Bergkamen | |
|---|---|
 Bergkamen city hall | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Bergkamen within Unna district  | |
  Bergkamen  Bergkamen | |
| Coordinates: 51°37′N 7°38′E / 51.617°N 7.633°E | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Arnsberg |
| District | Unna |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–25) | Bernd Schäfer[1] (SPD) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 44.8 km2 (17.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 68 m (223 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
| • Total | 49,475 |
| • Density | 1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 59192 |
| Dialling codes | 02307, 02389, 02306 |
| Vehicle registration | UN |
| Website | www.bergkamen.de |
Bergkamen, a fairly new town in the east part of the Ruhr Area and south of the Münsterland, was founded in 1966 by the merging of at first five smaller communities. The town's history, however, reaches back to ancient Roman times - this can be experienced by visiting the Bergkamen Municipal Museum, which has a large Roman department, and the nearby archeological site, the “Roemerlager“.
Main sights
edit- Westphalian Sports Boat Centre - Marina Ruenthe
- The neighbouring national trust area, “Beversee“, and the wooded hill, “Grosses Holz“, a renaturalized former slag heap, provide an inviting atmosphere for relaxation.
Cultural events
edit- Harbour Festival ("Hafenfest") in June
- Light Festival ("Lichtermarkt") in October.
Bergkamen is home to theatre performances at the “studio theater bergkamen“ and numerous exhibitions in the town's own art gallery “sohle1“ or the “Stadtmuseum“
History
edit
In February 1946, a coal mine in the city suffered a dust explosion that killed 418 miners. This was the worst mining accident in German history.[3]
Twin towns – sister cities
edit
Hettstedt, Germany (1990)
Silifke, Turkey (1994)
Gennevilliers, France (1995)
Wieliczka, Poland (1995)
Notable people
edit
- Ernst von Bodelschwingh-Velmede (1794–1854), Prussian Minister of Interior and Cabinet
- Carl von Bodelschwingh (1800–1873), Prussian Finance Minister
- Ernst von Bodelschwingh (1906–1993), politician (Member of Bundestag, CDU)
- Hans Sennholz (1922–2007), economist
- Dietrich Schwanitz (1940–2004), best-selling author, grew up in Rünthe
- Eugen Drewermann (born 1940), theologian, church critic, best-seller author
- Peer Steinbrück (born 1947), politician (SPD), Member of Landtag, for Bergkamen 2000–2005
- Konrad Ott (born 1959), philosopher and ethicist
- Heiko Antoniewicz (born 1965), cook
- Frauke Petry (born 1975), politician (AfD), lived in Bergkamen and went to school there
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 30 June 2021.
- ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ^ Exorcising Hitler; The Occupation and Denazification of Germany, Frederick Taylor, Bloomsbury Press
- ^ "Städtepartnerschaften". bergkamen.de (in German). Bergkamen. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
External links
edit
