Coat of arms: (in hand)	Map
Basic data
State:	North Rhine-Westphalia
Adm. Region:	Arnsberg
Kreis (district):	Hochsauerlandkreis
Area:	228,99 km²
Population:	28.636 (31 December 2004)
Population density:	125 per km²
Height:	450 m above sea level. (at the Town Hall steps)
Post code:	59914 - 59929 (alt: 5790)
Telephone dialling prefix:	02961 (Network Brilon) 02963 (Network Brilon- Messinghausen) 02964 (Network Brilon-Alme) 02991 (Network Marsberg- Bredelar)
Coordinates:	51° 23' N 08° 34' E
Numberplate ID code:	HSK
Municipal code:	05 9 58 012
Divided into:	17 districts
Address of the Town Council:	Bahnhofstraße 33 59929 Brilon
Official Website:	www.brilon.de
E-Mail Address:	info@brilon.de
Politics
Mayor:	Franz Schrewe (SPD)

Brilon is a town of medium size in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that belongs to the Hochsauerlandkreis. Image File history File links Brilonlocation. ... Germany is a federal republic made up of 16 states, known in German as Länder (singular Land). ... North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen, short: NRW) is the largest in population (though only fourth in area) among Germanys 16 federal states. ... A Regierungsbezirk is an administrative region of Germany, a subdivision of certain federal states (Bundesländer). ... Arnsberg is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the south_east of the country. ... There are 439 German districts, administrative units in Germany. ... Hochsauerland is a Kreis (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Height is a measurement of the distance from the bottom to the top of something which is upright. ... German Postleitzahl map of the first two digits Postal codes in Germany, known as Postleitzahl (pl. ... Area codes in Germany (German Vorwahl) have from two to five digits, not counting the leading zero. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically); large version (pdf) The geographic (earth-mapping) coordinate system expresses every horizontal position on Earth by two of the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system which is aligned with the spin axis of the Earth. ... License plates in Germany show the place where the car carrying them is registered. ... A mayor (from the Latin maīor, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... SPD redirects here. ... North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen, short: NRW) is the largest in population (though only fourth in area) among Germanys 16 federal states. ... Hochsauerland is a Kreis (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ...

Geography

Brilon is situated on the Brilon Heights at an altitude of about 450 m on the upper reaches of the river Möhne. The town lies between the Arnsberg Forest nature reserve to the west and the Lake Diemel nature reserve and the Hoppecke to the south-east.

Neighbouring Places

• Bad Wünnenberg
• Büren
• Diemelsee
• Marsberg
• Olsberg
• Rüthen
• Willingen (Upland)

Division of the town

After the local government reforms of 1975 Brilon consists of 17 districts: 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

• Alme (1.273 inhabitants)
• Altenbüren (1.453 inhabitants)
• Bontkirchen (553 inhabitants)
• Brilon Town (14.513 inhabitants)
• Brilon-Wald (595 inhabitants)
• Esshoff (80 inhabitants)
• Gudenhagen/Petersborn (1.273 inhabitants)
• Hoppecke (1.330 inhabitants)
• Madfeld (1.395 inhabitants)
• Messinghausen (898 inhabitants)
• Nehden (503 inhabitants)
• Radlinghausen (129 inhabitants)
• Rixen (143 inhabitants)
• Rösenbeck (858 inhabitants)
• Scharfenberg (1.533 inhabitants)
• Thülen (1.088 inhabitants)
• Wülfte (421 inhabitants)

(Source of population figures: www.briloner-wirtschaft.de / As at: 31 December 2004) December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The first documentary reference occurs in a deed of the Emperor Otto II dated 973, confirming to the Cathedral of Magdeburg all those possessions in Westphalia given to it by his father, including the Villa Brilon. This reference must of course apply to a considerably older settlement than the present town, presumably what is now Altenbrilon. The Brilon estate passed later by exchange to the Archbishops of Paderborn, who endowed their Steward ("Vogt") with it. The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... Otto II ( 955 – December 7, 983, Rome), was the third German ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ... Events Edgar of England is crowned king by Saint Dunstan Births September 15 - Al_Biruni, mathematician († 1048) Abu al-Ala al-Maarri, poet Deaths May 7 - Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor Categories: 973 ... View of Magdeburg with the cathedral on the right The Cathedral of Magdeburg, officially called the Cathedral of Saints Catherine and Maurice (known as Magdeburger Dom in German) was the first Gothic cathedral in Germany and with a height of 104 m, it is the tallest cathedral in the former... Westphalia (German: Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück and included in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. ... Position of Paderborn in Germany Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Paderborn. ...

In about 1220 Archbishop Engelbert I of Cologne acquired the Brilon lands of the brothers Hermann and Gernand of Brilon. The Archbishop laid out a fortified town and gave it municipal rights. Bloody conflicts followed between the Archbishops of Cologne and the Bishops of Paderborn over the rights of possession of the place. These ended when the Bishop of Paderborn, after being taken prisoner, waived his rights to Brilon (1256). Centuries: 12th century - 13th century - 14th century Decades: 1170s 1180s 1190s 1200s 1210s - 1220s - 1230s 1240s 1250s 1260s 1270s Years: 1215 1216 1217 1218 1219 - 1220 - 1221 1222 1223 1224 1225 See also: 1220 state leaders The world in 1220 Middle Ages in Europe Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Events Mongols... The Archbishopric of Cologne was one of the major ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire. ... Note: the description Engelbert I of Berg can refer either to Count Engelbert I of Berg or to his son, Count Engelbert II of Berg, if referred to by his ecclesiastical office, when the form Engelbert I of Berg, Archbishop of Cologne sometimes occurs besides the more usual Engelbert I... For broader historical context, see 1250s and 13th century. ...

Thereafter Brilon developed under the rulership of the Prince-Bishops of Cologne into a thriving town of c 3,000 inhabitants with an active trading and mining life and far-reaching business connections. As a trading town Brilon was also a member of the Hansa. In 1350 Brilon had between 500 and 600 houses. At this time Brilon held the position of the second city of Westphalia behind Soest. After the secession of Soest in 1444 Brilon was elevated to being the capital of Westphalia. Hansa can refer to Hansa Records - Record label based in Germany. ... Events 29 August - An English fleet personally commanded by King Edward III defeats a Spanish fleet in the battle of Les Espagnols sur Mer. ... Soest is the name of two localities, one in the Netherlands and one in Germany: Soest, Netherlands Soest, Germany and the district around Soest, Germany is also called Soest: Soest (district) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Events March 1 - Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeg proclaimed commander of the Albanian resistance April 16 - Truce of Tours. ...

In 1655, after three years of negotiations between the town magistrate and the Minorites resident in Brilon, the Gymnasium Petrinum[1] was founded as a monastery school. It is thus one of the oldest Gymnasien ("grammar schools") in Westphalia. Events May 10 - English troops land on Jamaica March 25 - Saturns largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christian Huygens. ... Franciscans is the common name used to designate a variety of mendicant religious orders of men or women tracing their origin to Francis of Assisi and following the Rule of St. ... A gymnasium is a type of school of secondary education in parts of Europe. ...

But already in the 15th century conflicts and military actions were leading to an economic decline; and the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries brought unspeakable misery to this once flourishing little town. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

During the Napoleonic period Brilon passed to Hesse-Darmstadt, in 1802. After the Congress of Vienna of 1816 it was transferred to Prussia, which made it the centre of the Prussian Kreis or district. In this way, as the seat of government offices and schools, Brilon regained significance. The construction of traffic connections and various municipal measures brought about a strong development of crafts and trade. The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... The Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt came into existence in 1568, as the portion of George, youngest of the four sons of Landgrave Philipp of Hesse. ... --69. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and... There are 439 German districts, administrative units in Germany. ...

In World War II the town was initially spared from Allied air raids. But on 10 January 1944 there came an attack by American bombers which destroyed whole streets, particularly Hoppecker Strasse and Derkere Mauer. A bomb broke through the roof of the Provost's Church but did not explode. In this bombing raid 37 people were killed, including 3 children. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest... In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ... Strategic bombing is a military strategem used in a total war style campaign that attempts to destroy the economic ability of a nation-state to wage war. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ...

After the war Brilon became part of the newly created state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the course of the local government reorganisation of 1975 the following communities were added to the town: formerly administered by the Amt Thülen: Alme, Bontkirchen, Hoppecke, Madfeld, Messinghausen, Nehden (belonging to Thülen parish), Radlinghausen, Rixen, Rösenbeck, Scharfenberg, Thülen and Wülfte; and formerly belonging to the Amt Bigge: Altenbüren and Esshoff. North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen, short: NRW) is the largest in population (though only fourth in area) among Germanys 16 federal states. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

Population Growth

(Brilon Town)
  2,592 inhabitants (1784), including 63 Jews 1)
  3,584 inhabitants (1844), including 111 Evangelicals, 84 Jews
  4,471 inhabitants (1890), including 231 Evangelicals, 95 Jews
  5,849 inhabitants (1925)
  6,480 inhabitants (1933)
  6959 inhabitants (1939)
14,305 inhabitants (1966)

1) Source: Vergangene Zeiten (Past times), volume 1
incl. the dependent communities (Filialgemeinden) Wülfte and Rixen

Arms

The arms of Brilon are: Party per fess, in chief, argent, a cross sable, and in base, sable, a key in bend argent, wards to the dexter. They were granted on 28 January 1911, but in this form first appear in a seal of 1548. The cross in the upper part is from the arms of the state of Cologne. The key, a motif which appears already in mediaeval seals, is one of the keys of Saint Peter, patron saint of Cologne. January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Events Mary I of Scotland sent to France Births September 2 - Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (died 1616) September 29 - William V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1626) Francesco Andreini, Italian actor (died 1624) Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher, astronomer, and occultist (burned at the stake) 1600 (died 1600) Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general... Cologne (German: ▶(?) [kœln]; Kölsch: Kölle) is with its one million residents Germanys fourth largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. ... Saint Peter, also known as Peter, Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha—original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14)—was one of the twelve original disciples or apostles of Jesus. ... In several forms of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ... The Archbishopric of Cologne was one of the major ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire. ...

Twin Towns

• Hesdin (France)
• Heusden-Zolder (Belgium)
• Thurso (Scotland, UK)
• Buckow (Brandenburg)

Hesdin is a commune of northern France. ... Heusden-Zolder is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. ... This article refers to the town in Scotland. ... Transport in Scotland List of not fully sovereign nations National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland List of Universities in Scotland List of Scots List of Scottish writers List of Monarchs of Scotland References This article does not cite... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ...

Culture and Sights

Museums

• Brilon Town Museum

Buildings

Brilon

• Derker Gate
• Evangelical Town Church (built in 1856 to plans by Schinkel)
• Geschichtsbrunnen (History Fountain)
• Church of St Nicholas
• Provost's Church of St Peter and St Andrew
• Town Hall and Market Place with the "Kump"
• Schultenhaus (House of the Mayor)
• Sauvigny House
• District Courthouse. Late Classical stuccoed building of 1877
• Residential buildings: Schulgasse 14, a two-storied rough stone building of 1431, 1659 and 1720 with half-timbered extensions; Steinweg 26, a half-timbered building of 1767 with older masonry

Parks

• Arnsberg Forest Nature Reserve
• Lake Diemel Nature Reserve
• Brilon Park

Regular Events

• Shooting Festival, last weekend in June
• Schnadegang or Schnadezug [2][3] (marking the town boundaries) every second year on the Monday after the Shooting Festival
• Brilon Open Air Festival (street theatre and live music) in July or August
• Old Town Festival, at the end of August
• St Michael's Fair, last weekend in September

Economy and Infrastructure

Communications

From Brilon heading westwards, approx 30 minutes away on the Bundesstrasse B 7 is the motorway A 46 at Bestwig, in the direction of the Ruhrgebiet. Heading eastwards, the motorwayA 44 at Marsberg, in the direction of Kassel is about 40 minutes away. On the Bundesstrasse B 480 it is possible to reach the motorway A 33 at Wünnenberg in about 30 minutes, in the direction of Paderborn/Bielefeld. Bundesautobahn 46 (translates from German as Federal Motorway 46, short form Autobahn 46, abbreviated as BAB 46 or A 46) is an Autobahn in Germany. ... Geography Map of the Ruhr Area The Ruhr Area (German Ruhrgebiet or, colloquially, Ruhrpott) is a metropolitan area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consisting of a number of large industrial cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to the south, Rhine to the west, and Lippe to the north. ... The Bundesautobahn 44 (BAB 40 or A 44) is a German Autobahn. ... Watershed of the river Weser Kassel (until 1926 officially Cassel) is a city situated along the Fulda River, one of the two sources of the Weser river, in northern Hesse in west-central Germany. ... The Bundesautobahn 33 (Abbreviation: BAB 33, Autobahn 33, or A33 – connects the Bundesautobahn 30 in the North and the Bundesautobahn 44 in the South, serving Holland, Lower Saxony and Thuringia. ... Position of Paderborn in Germany Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Paderborn. ... Map of Germany showing Bielefeld Bielefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ...

The railway station Brilon Wald is about 10 km from the town centre. From here local trains leave every hour for Warburg, Hagen and Korbach via Willingen. There is also the bank M. M. Warburg & Co. ... Map of Germany showing Hagen Hagen is the 37th largest city in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia. ... Korbach, an over 1000 year old town, is Kreisstadt (capital of the district) of Waldeck-Frankenberg in the north of Hesse (Germany). ...

From the air Brilon is accessible through the airport at Paderborn-Lippstadt. Sports aeroplanes can land at Brilon Airport in the Thülener Bruch.

Media

The regional daily newspaper is the Westfalenpost, with a local edition for Brilon und the Hochsauerland district. Furthermore, there is the free weekly paper Sauerlandkurier with information from the whole of the Sauerland. Also weekly is the Briloner Anzeiger, a newspaper for Brilon, Olsberg and Willingen. The Sauerland is a rural hilly area spreading across most of the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, heavily forested and sparsely inhabited. ...

Public Organisations

• Brilon District Court
• Brilon Finance Office
• District administration for the Hochsauerland District, Brilon Office
• Hospital "Maria Hilf"

People

Honorary Citizens

• Eduard Pape (b 13 September 1816 in Brilon, d 11 September 1888),
  lawyer, contributor to the Bürgerliche Gesetzbuch in 1887.

September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Publication in the Reich Law Gazette on August 24, 1896 The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (or BGB) is the civil code of Germany. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

Natives of the Town

• Johann Suibert Seibertz (b 27 November 1788, d 17 November 1871 in Arnsberg),
  historian and judge
• Eduard Pape as above.
• Franz Heinrich Reusch (b 4 December 1825, d 3 March 1900 in Bonn),
  Old Catholic theologian and Church historian.
• Dr. Fritz Dorls (b 9 September 1910, d 25 January 1995)
  MdB (Member of the German Parliament), founder and President of the banned extreme Right-wing party, the SRP.
• Friedrich Merz (b 11 November 1955), MdB (Member of the German Parliament),
  former Chairman of the Parliamentary Party of the CDU.

November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year. ... 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Map of Germany showing Arnsberg Arnsberg is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Franz Heinrich Reusch (December 4, 1823 - March 3, 1900) was an Old Catholic theologian. ... December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1900 (MCM) is a common year starting on Monday. ... Bonn is a city in Germany (19th largest), in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the north of the Siebengebirge. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Socialist Reich Party (German: Sozialistische Reichspartei) was a German political party founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, in 1949, as an openly National Socialist and Hitler-admiring split from the Deutsche Rechtspartei. ... Friedrich Merz (* 11th November 1955 in Brilon) is a German politican (CDU). ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

Other

In Brilon is the start of the 184 km long newly opened ramblers' trail across the Rothaar Mountains, the Rothaarsteig.

Literature

(in German):

• Provost's Office, Brilon(ed): Propsteikirche Brilon. 3rd. edition, Brilon 1988
• Thomas Spohn: Brilon (Westfälische Kunststätten, Heft 84). Münster 1997
• Vergangene Zeiten - Geschichte aus Brilon Band 1 (ISBN 3-86133-341-4)

External links

(in German:)

• Offical Town Website of Brilon
• Gymnasium Petrinum
• The Schnadegang, with pictures
• Brilon Schnadegang, with historical background

Arnsberg | Bestwig | Brilon | Eslohe | Hallenberg | Marsberg | Medebach | Meschede | Olsberg | Schmallenberg | Sundern | Winterberg Map of Germany showing Arnsberg Arnsberg is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... View over Meschede Meschede is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Coat of arms of Olsberg Olsberg is a commune in Rheinfelden district in Aargau, Switzerland. ... Winterberg is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ...