Schwerte
Schwerte is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Schwerte is situated in the Ruhr valley, at the south-east border of the Ruhr Area. South of Schwerte begins the mountainous Sauerland region.Division of the town
After the local government reforms of 1975 Schwerte consists of the following districts:Schwerte is twinned with:
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History
Schwerte received civic rights in the 12th century.The railway facility in the eastern district of Schwerte became a branch of the Buchenwald concentration camp in April 1944. The camp had 445 prisoners in August and 670 in November 1944. The number of escapees was comparatively high; in November 1944 48 prisoners escaped. The camp in Schwerte was disbanded in December 1944 and the remaining prisoners were brought back to Buchenwald.
Main sights
- The Romanesque church of St. Victor has a carved altar of 1523, and stained glass of the 14th and 15th centuries.
- The Wuckenhof is a timber framed house built in the 16th century.
- The Ruhrtalmuseum is situated in a former town hall, that was built in 1547.
- The Rohrmeisterei was built in 1889 by a water purification company. It was a pumping station until 1924. Today it is part of the German route of industrial heritage.
Economy
Today, there are some industries left, which are confined to the manufacture of iron and steel goods.Notable residents
- Jens Ewald, a whitewater kayaker
- Paul Kevenhörster, a political scientist
- Wolfgang Kleff, a former football player
- Thomas Kroth, a former football player, lives in Schwerte
- Detlef Lewe, a sprint canoer lived in Schwerte
- Violetta Oblinger-Peters, a whitewater slalom canoer
- Heinrich Rehkemper, a baritone singer
- Carmen Rischer, a former rhythmic gymnast
- Erwin Rösener, an SS-Obergruppenführer Nazi officer executed for war crimes, who was posthumously indicted at Nuremberg for war crimes
- Lasse Sobiech, a professional footballer, currently playing for FC St. Pauli.
- Rosemarie Trockel, an artist
- Rabbi Werner van der Zyl was born in Schwerte