Waltrop

Infobox German Location
Art = Stadt
Name = Waltrop
Wappen = Wappen von Waltrop.pnglat_deg = 51 |lat_min = 37
lon_deg = 07 |lon_min = 23
Lageplan =
Bundesland = Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regierungsbezirk = Münster
Kreis = Recklinghausen
Höhe = 67
Fläche = 46.98
Einwohner = 29948
Stand = 2006-12-31
PLZ = 45731
Vorwahl = 02309,
02363 (Oberwiese)
Kfz = RE
Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 5 62 036
Straße = Münsterstr. 1
Bürgermeister = Anne Heck-Guthe
Bürgermeistertitel = Bürgermeisterin
Partei = SPD

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 2000 years ago.

The village developed around the parish church St. Peter which was build in the 9th/ 10th century.It is known that in 1432 Waltrop was a part oft he 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 startet in 1905. As a consequence, Waltrop grew larger and became an industrial city. The coal mine was closed down in 1979.

In 1939 Waltrop got its municipal rights.

Governance

The city council of Waltrop consits of 40 seats, which are divided into 6 parliamentary groups
#SPD, 15 seats
#CDU, 14 seats
#FDP, 3 seats
#Waltroper Aufbruch (WA), 3 seats
#Grüne Liste Waltrop (GLW), 2 seats
#Bündnis für Waltrop, 2 seats

plus a single member of Die Linke

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.

Twin towns

Waltrop is twinned with
#, England
#Cesson-Sévigné, France
#San Miguelito, Río San Juan, Nicaragua
#Gardelegen, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany (former GDR)

External links

* [http://www.waltrop.de Official site] de icon