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 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
Twin towns – sister cities
Schwerte is twinned with:- Béthune, France
- Bruay-la-Buissière, France
- Violaines, France
- Allouagne, France
- Hastings, England, UK
- Cava de' Tirreni, Italy
- Leppävirta, Finland
- Pyatigorsk, Russia
- Ioannina, Greece
Notable people
- Johannes Goddaeus, jurist
- Heinrich Rehkemper, baritone singer
- Erwin Rösener, SS-Obergruppenführer Nazi officer executed for war crimes
- Werner van der Zyl, rabbi
- Detlef Lewe, sprint canoer, lived in Schwerte
- Paul Kevenhörster, political scientist
- Wolfgang Kleff, footballer
- Rosemarie Trockel, artist
- Carmen Rischer, rhythmic gymnast
- Thomas Kroth, footballer, lives in Schwerte
- Violetta Oblinger-Peters, Austrian slalom canoeist
- Jens Ewald, slalom canoeist
- Lasse Sobiech, footballer