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Wesel

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Wesel
Town
Willibrordi-Dom in Wesel
Willibrordi-Dom in Wesel
Coat of arms of Wesel
Coat of arms
Location of Wesel within Wesel district
Wesel (district)Recklinghausen (district)North Rhine-WestphaliaBorken (district)BottropOberhausenDuisburgKrefeldViersen (district)Kleve (district)Neukirchen-VluynMoersKamp-LintfortRheinbergDinslakenWeselXantenSonsbeckHünxeSchermbeckHamminkelnAlpenVoerde
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionDüsseldorf
DistrictWesel
Subdivisions5
Government
 • MayorUlrike Westkamp (SPD)
Area
 • Total
122.617 km2 (47.343 sq mi)
Elevation
23 m (75 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[1]
 • Total
61,277
 • Density500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
46483, 46485, 46487
Dialling codes02 81
0 28 03 (Büderich)
0 28 59 (Bislich)
Vehicle registrationWES
Websitewww.wesel.de
97% of Wesel was destroyed before it was finally taken by Allied troops in 1945

Wesel (German pronunciation: [ˈveːzəl]) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.

Geography

Wesel is situated at the point where the Lippe River flows into the Rhine.

Division of the town

Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.

History

The city originated from a Franconian manor that was first recorded in the 8th century. In the 12th century, the Duke of Clèves took over possession of Wesel. The city was given extensive privileges and became a member of the Hanseatic League during the 15th century. Within the Duchy of Cleves, Wesel was second only to Cologne in the lower Rhine region as an entrepôt. It was an important commercial centre: a clearing station for the transshipment and trading of goods.

Wesel was inherited by the Hohenzollerns of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1609. Friedrich Wilhelm von Dossow was the Prussian Governor of Wesel during the 18th century. After the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, the city became part of the Prussian Rhine Province.

During World War II, Wesel became a target of the Allies bombing, as it was a strategic depot. On the 16, 17 and 19 February 1945, the town was attacked with impact and air-burst bombs, which destroyed 97% of the city. The Wehrmacht blew up bridges along the Rhine and Lippe to prevent Allied forces from advancing; among others, on 10 March, they destroyed the 1,950m-long railway bridge, the last Rhine bridge remaining in German hands. On 23 March, Wesel came under the fire of over 3,000 guns when it was bombarded anew, in preparation for Operation Plunder. Before the town was finally taken by Allied troops, 97% of its structures were destroyed. From almost 25,000 in 1939, the population was reduced to 1,900 by May 1945.[2] In 1946 Wesel became part of the new state North Rhine-Westphalia of West Germany.

Politics

Wesel's mayors:

  • 1808–1814: Johann Hermann Westermann
  • 1814–1840: Christian Adolphi
  • 1841–1862: Franz Luck
  • 1863–1870: Wilhelm Otto van Calker
  • 1870–1881: Carl Friedrich August von Albert
  • 1881–1891: Caspar Baur
  • 1891–1902: Josef Fluthgraf (1896 Oberbürgermeister)
  • 1903–1931: Ludwig Poppelbaum
  • 1931–1933: Emil Nohl
  • 1933–1945: Otto Borgers

Since 1945:

  • 1945: Jean Groos
  • 1945: Wilhelm Groos
  • 1946–1947: Anton Ebert (CDU)
  • 1947–1948: Paul Körner (CDU)
  • 1948–1952: Ewald Fournell (CDU)
  • 1952–1956: Helmut Berckel (CDU)
  • 1956–1966: Kurt Kräcker (SPD)
  • 1967–1969: Willi Nakaten (SPD)
  • 1969–1979: Günther Detert (CDU)
  • 1979–1984: Wilhelm Schneider (SPD)
  • 1984–1989: Volker Haubitz (CDU)
  • 1989–1994: Wilhelm Schneider (SPD)
  • 1994–1999: Bernhard Gründken (SPD)
  • 1999–2004: Jörn Schroh (CDU)
  • since 2004: Ulrike Westkamp (SPD)

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Twin towns — Sister cities

Wesel is twinned with:=

Buildings and places of interest in Wesel

  • Berliner Tor
  • Willibrordi-Dom (Cathedral)
  • Zitadelle Wesel (Citadel)
  • Broadcasting Mast Wesel, one of Germany's tallest constructions

People born in Wesel

Miscellaneous

One of Germany's highest radio masts is situated in the district of Büderich on the left bank of the Rhine. It measures 320.08 metres.

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  2. ^ Entry for 23-24 March 1945, "RAF campaign diary March 1945"]
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