Waltrop

Waltrop
Town
Saint Peter Church
Coat of arms
Location of Waltrop within Recklinghausen district
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Recklinghausen
Government
• Mayor	Anne Heck-Guthe (SPD)
Area
• Total	46.98 km2 (18.14 sq mi)
Elevation	67 m (220 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)
• Total	29,586
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	45731
Dialling codes	02309, 02363 (Oberwiese)
Vehicle registration	RE

Waltrop is a town in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the Datteln-Hamm Canal, approx. 15 km east of Recklinghausen and 15 km north-west of Dortmund.

Division of the town

The town Waltrop is surrounded by the Bauerschaften (rural boroughs) Lippe (Unterlippe/Oberlippe), Elmenhorst, Brockenscheidt, Leveringhausen, Oberwiese and Holthausen.

History

People already settled in this area about 2,000 years ago.

The village developed around the parish church St. Peter which was built in the 9th/ 10th century. It is known that in 1432 Waltrop was a part of the county Dortmund. After the Soester Fehde, the archbishops of cologne could intersperse themselves against the counts of Mark, so that Waltrop became a part of the Vest Recklinghausen.

The production of coal in the coal mine started in 1905. As a consequence, Waltrop grew larger and became an industrial city. The coal mine was closed down in 1974.

In 1939, Waltrop got its municipal rights.

Governance

The city council of Waltrop consists of 40 seats, which are divided into 6 parliamentary groups

1. SPD, 15 seats
2. CDU, 14 seats
3. FDP, 2 seats
4. Waltroper Aufbruch (WA), 3 seats
5. Grüne Liste Waltrop (GLW), 2 seats
6. Bündnis für Waltrop, 2 seats

plus a single member of Die Linke plus a single member with no-party

Since 2004 Anne Heck-Guthe (SPD) is mayorette of Waltrop.

Notable places

Waltrop is home to a museum of old ship lifts, including the Henrichenburg boat lift and a historical coal mine.

Local industry

• Manufactum, upscale retailer for traditionally-made household goods
• Langendorf, a tipping trailer manufacturer

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Waltrop is twinned with:

1. Herne Bay, Kent, England
2. Cesson-Sévigné, France
3. San Miguelito, Río San Juan, Nicaragua
4. Gardelegen, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany (former GDR)

External links

• Official site Template:De icon