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Holzwickede
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Location of Holzwickede within North Rhine Westphalia
Location of Holzwickede within Unna district
Holzwickede is a municipality with 17,085 inhabitants in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is twinned with Weymouth & Portland in England and Louviers in France.
HolzwickedeTown Hall
History of Holzwickede
An early settlement discovered in the Holzwickede area dates back to the Iron Age. In Roman times, a road that passed close to Holzwickede, known as the Hellweg, brought trade and the town thrived. By the middle ages, this road was one of the most important Handelstraßen of that time and would later become part of the busy Bundesstrasse 1.
An early settlement discovered in the Holzwickede area dates back to the Iron Age. In Roman times, a road that passed close to Holzwickede, known as the Hellweg, brought trade and the town thrived. By the middle ages, this road was one of the most important Handelstraßen of that time and would later become part of the busy Bundesstrasse 1.
The Hilgenbaum, the oak tree that is featured on Holzwickede’s coat of arms, originates from earliest times. This tree was used as a meeting place, venue and as a kind of bulletin board. Over the years, the original oak tree has either been felled or burned down after a lightning strike, so that today only a relatively young tree can be seen.
COAT of ARMS
The upturn for Holzwickede came from 1855 with the advent of the railway that transported coal and ore from the Ruhr area. The railway district quickly expanded and, in the first half of the 20th century, the marshalling yard had evolved into one of the largest in Europe. The increase in the number of workers in the coal and steel industries, quickly swelled by leaps and bounds, creating a huge problem due to the lack of housing. The solution was the creation of a settlement colony providing purpose built estates with gardens and toilets in which the inhabitants took great pride.
Eisenheim and Margarethenhöhe
The oldest of these settlements is Eisenheim in Oberhausen, built in 1846. It is the pride of local residents, who in the 1970s fought vehemently against its demolition. Now a listed settlement, it is, perhaps, the most beautiful village in the Ruhr region. The Margarethenhohe serves as urban jewel and as one of the most successful examples of the Garden City idea.
The oldest of these settlements is Eisenheim in Oberhausen, built in 1846. It is the pride of local residents, who in the 1970s fought vehemently against its demolition. Now a listed settlement, it is, perhaps, the most beautiful village in the Ruhr region. The Margarethenhohe serves as urban jewel and as one of the most successful examples of the Garden City idea.
. Blast Furnaces, Gasometers and Winding Towers that had shaped the face of the Ruhr region for decades were silent, Today, they are important witnesses of 150 years of industrial past in the area, but also part of the ongoing structural change to the Ruhr. The former production sites are not places of wistful memories, but have long since evolved into vibrant industrial-cultural spaces and attractive venues with tourist attraction.
The Ruhr is a heavily industrialised area of western Germany named after the river that flows through the region. It is the centre of Germany's manufacturing industry and includes the cities of Essen and Dortmund
Natural resources such as coal, iron ore and limestone enabled the iron and steel industry to develop in the Ruhr. The chemical and textile industries also grew due to good transport links and available workforce.Canals and rivers such as the Rhine were used for transport and power. The area developed industrially in the 1930s and 1940s to supply arms for Germany.
Up until the 1970s the factories and associated services were an important source of employment for people in the region.
The decline in the Ruhr's importance as a heavy industrial area has caused job losses in steelworks and coal mines. Consequently, many people left the area from cities such as Dortmund, due to economic and associated social problems.
The environmental legacy of the heavy industry in the area includes waste tips from coal mining, air and water pollution.
The massive influx of workers to the area also caused many huge problems, one of which was the sewerage disposal. Because of the hundreds of mines in the area it was felt that they couldn’t go underground so they used their rivers as roads to the sea. This, of course, completely killed all life in the rivers and in fact the Emscher became the dirtiest river in Europe. In fact it was a sewer. In the pictue above you will notice that all the housing in this area is blocks of flats.
In the picture below however, with the closure of the mines, major reconstruction work took place and the sewerage canals have gradually been straightened and squeezed into an artificial “corset" beneath the meandering Emscher. In the upper section between Soelde and Holzwickede the river now looks like a clean natural river with the sewerage in its corset beneath it.
The Emscher Landscape Park combines industrial heritage and landscape art with a lot of nature. The park in the northern Ruhr region consists of gardens and parks, foot and cycle paths and numerous coal slag tips with unique landmarks.
Slinky Bridge
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Dragon Bridge
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Slinky Bridge
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Horizon Observatory on the Hoheward tip, Herten.
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The many spoil tips in the Emscher Park have become popular excursion destinations and are remnants of the mining area. The plateaus offer panaramic views of the Ruhr Metropolis and tips and wastelands have attracted new natural growth. In the Landscape Park one can see the beauty of the animals and plants that have adapted to difficult conditions.
Lighting effects in the sky on the Rungenberg tip, Gelsenkirchen.
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The River was the lifeline of the Ruhr area
The source of the Emscher is located beside an old half-timbered farmhouse and dwellings. It was virtually degraded to a sewer at the beginning of the 20th century due to the rapid industrial and demographic growth of the Ruhr region. However, since conservation work along the river began in the 1990s, a new Emscher Valley has been created. This huge leisure and recreational area is criss-crossed by kilometres of paths, picnic sites and playgrounds. The Ruhr Regional Association has taken over the maintenance and development of the Emscher Landscape Park.
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Castle Opherdicke
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Without doubt, the moated Castle Opherdicke is one of the best sights of Holzwickede. Its origins date back to the 12th century and today the building is used as a cultural centre for concerts, exhibitions and events.
It was there that the German British Club celebrated its 30th anniversary of its English town twinning with Weymouth & Portland.
It was there that the German British Club celebrated its 30th anniversary of its English town twinning with Weymouth & Portland.
In the village of Opherdicke is Holzwickede’s oldest church, a small Basilica that was founded between the years 1220-1250. Its imposing defensive towers provided protection from external threats to the inhabitants of Opherdicke.
