Waltrop


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

Division of the town

The town of Waltrop is surrounded by the Bauerschaften Lippe, 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 of 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 Soest Feud, the archbishops of Cologne could intervene against the counts of Mark, so that Waltrop became a part of Vest Recklinghausen.
The production of coal in the mine started in 1905. As a consequence, Waltrop grew larger and became an industrial town. The coal mine was closed down in 1974.
In 1939, Waltrop got its municipal rights.

Governance

The town 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, 3 seats
  5. Grüne Liste Waltrop, 2 seats
  6. Bündnis für Waltrop, 2 seats
plus a single member of Die Linke
plus a single member with no-party
Since 2014 Nicole Moenikes is mayor 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

Waltrop is twinned with:
  1. Herne Bay, Kent, England, 20 November 1976
  2. Cesson-Sévigné, France, 25 August 1984
  3. San Miguelito, Río San Juan, Nicaragua, 24 May 1988
  4. Gardelegen, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, 3 October 1990
  5. Görele, Giresun Province, Turkey, 1 June 2013