Dorsten

Dorsten
Dorsten
Historical town hall and St. Agatha cathedral
Historical town hall and St. Agatha cathedral
Coat of arms of Dorsten
Dorsten is located in Germany
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Dorsten
Coordinates 51°39′36″N 6°57′51″E / 51.66°N 6.96417°E / 51.66; 6.96417Coordinates: 51°39′36″N 6°57′51″E / 51.66°N 6.96417°E / 51.66; 6.96417
Administration
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Münster
District Recklinghausen
Mayor Lambert Lütkenhorst (CDU)
Basic statistics
Area 171 km2 (66 sq mi)
Elevation 74 m  (243 ft)
Population 76,775 (31 December 2010)[1]
 - Density 449 /km2 (1,163 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate RE
Postal codes 46282, 46284, 46286
Area codes 02362, 02369, 02866
Website www.dorsten.de
Dorsten in 1641

Dorsten (German pronunciation: [ˈdɔʁstən]) is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and has a population of just below 80,000.

Dorsten is situated on the western rim of Westphalia bordering the Rhineland. Its historical old town lies on the south bank of the river Lippe and the Wesel–Datteln Canal and was granted city rights in 1251. During the twentieth century, the town was enlarged in its north by the villages of the former Herrlichkeit Lembeck. While Dorsten's northern districts are thus shaped by the rural Münsterland with its many historical castles, just south of the town the Ruhr region begins, Germany's largest urban agglomeration with more than seven million inhabitants.

The exact linguistic derivation of the word “Dorsten” is unknown, leaving the meaning of the town’s name unclear.

Contents

History

Archaeological findings show that the area was already populated during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, from about 4000 BC onwards. The Romans established a military camp in Dorsten-Holsterhausen in 11 BC and Varus passed through it in 9BC on his way to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

From around 700 AD onwards, the Archbishopric of Cologne began to evangelise the area around Dorsten. Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden, together with the Count of Cleves, granted Dorsten the city rights in 1251. Due to its economically favourable position on the river Lippe, the town became a member of the Hanseatic League of international trading cities and turned into the richest town in the Vest Recklinghausen.

In 1488, Franciscan monks established a monastery which continues to exist today as the world’s oldest permanently existing cloister of this order. The monks founded Gymnasium Petrinum in 1642 and in 1699 the Ursulines set up a cloister including a boarding school for girls. However, the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48) and the continuous occupation by various forces badly derogated Dorsten’s medieval wealth.

It was only during the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century that Dorsten returned to its former prosperity. Spinning, weaving and metal casting industries found their way into town and in 1912, the first coal mine opened. Between 1929 and 1975, surrounding villages became districts of the gradually enlarging town of Dorsten. Only a few days before the end of the Second World War, the historical old town was almost completely destroyed in an Allied air raid. However, after 1945, the town’s centre was rebuilt on its historical foundations and thus still resembles its medieval shape today.

Dorsten is widely known today for its Jewish Museum of Westphalia which was established in 1987. In 2001, the last coal mine closed and the town celebrated its 750th jubilee with a festival in the old town.

Main sights

  • Schloss Lembeck
  • Historical Town Hall
  • Jewish Museum of Westphalia
  • Historical Tüshaus Mill

Transportation

Dorsten has its own airfield. The airfield has a grass strip with a runway of 800 metres and one government-sponsored hangar being used by the local gliding club.

Personalities

International relations

Twin towns - Sister cities

Dorsten is twinned with:[2]

References

Notes

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dorsten — Dorsten, Stadt an der Lippe im Kreise Recklinghausen des preußischen Regierungsbezirks Münster; zwei Klöster, Progymnasium, Ölfrucht u. Tabaksbau, Leinwandweberei, Handel mit Holz u. Vieh, Schiffsbau; 3100 Ew …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Dorsten — Dorsten, Stadt im preuß. Regbez. Münster, Kreis Recklinghausen, an der Lippe, Knotenpunkt an der Staatsbahnlinie Bismarck i. Westf. Winterswijk, mit einer evang. und 3 kath. Kirchen, Synagoge, Gymnasium, Amtsgericht u. einer Anstalt für… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Dorsten — Dorsten, Stadt im preuß. Reg. Bez. Münster, an der Lippe, (1900) 5100 E., Amtsgericht; Eisenindustrie …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Dorsten — Dorsten, preuß. Stadt im westfälischen Reg. Bez. Münster mit 3200 E., Leinen u. Wollentuchweberei, Färberei, Viehzucht, Holzhandel …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Dorsten — Wappen Deutschlandkarte …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dorsten — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Dorsten (homonymie). Dorsten …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dorsten — ▪ Germany       city, North Rhine–Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. It lies on the Lippe River and the Wesel Datteln Canal. A village in Roman times, Dorsten was chartered by the archbishops of Cologne in 1251 and fortified in the 14th… …   Universalium

  • Dorsten — Dọrsten,   Stadt im Kreis Recklinghausen, Nordrhein Westfalen, an der unteren Lippe und am Wesel Datteln Kanal, 82 000 Einwohner; Jüdisches Museum Westfalen (1992 eröffnet); Steinkohlenbergbau (Förderung 1994: 2,3 Mio. t), Energiewirtschaft …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Dorsten — Original name in latin Dorsten Name in other language Doessen, Dorsten, Dssen, ZCX, duo si teng, dwrstn, Дорстен State code DE Continent/City Europe/Berlin longitude 51.66166 latitude 6.96514 altitude 36 Population 79981 Date 2012 08 04 …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Dorsten (Begriffsklärung) — Dorsten steht für: Dorsten, Stadt in Nordrhein Westfalen Dorsten ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Johannes von Dorsten († 1481), deutscher Theologe und Augustinermönch Theodor Dorsten (1492–1552), deutscher Arzt und Botaniker …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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