Unna is situated on an ancient salt-trading route, theWestphalian Hellweg. Trade on this route and during the period of theHanseatic League came from as far as London. The city is located at the eastern extremity of theRuhr district, about 15 kilometres (9 miles) east of the centre ofDortmund. Unna also serves as a dormitory city, being home to many commuters who work inDortmund and other nearby cities. Local dialects of German includeWestfälisch andRuhrpott. The recreational district ofSauerland is nearby. The RiverRuhr runs just south of Unna throughFröndenberg, before heading through the main part of the Ruhr district.
The history of human settlement in what is now the city of Unna can be traced back to theNeolithic Era.
The medieval Gothic Church
In theMiddle Ages, Unna gained significance as a way station on theHellweg. It is first recorded by name in an ecclesiastical document of 1032. Around 1200, Count Friedrich vonAltena-Isenberg was invested with the fiefdom of Unna, among other estates, by thearchbishop-electorate of Cologne. Over the next few hundred years the town was repeatedly fought over, and burned down several times. In the 14th century the town became wealthy: a mint was established and regional trade blossomed. This is documented by the discovery of around 70 gold coins during excavation works in 1952. The coins originated from various countries and are thought to have been buried around 1375.[3]
From the mid-15th century on, the city was a notable trade centre and member of theHanseatic League. In 1597 more than half the population died of theBubonic plague. In the early 17th century, the town changed hands several times in religious wars, and in 1666 fell under the control ofPrussia. In the early 19th century, the primary character of the town started to change from agricultural to industrial, with improved communications by road, rail and waterways. Coal mining started in 1870, together with industries dependent on it. The population rose from around 2,500 at the start of the 19th century to 15,000 in 1900.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the city district Königsborn (thenBad Königsborn) gained prominence as ahealth resort withmineral springs. The cityscape of Königsborn still shows many historic buildings from that era, and the former spa gardens still serve as a recreation place for locals and tourists. In 2013, a geological survey showed that the mineral springs could still be used for health purposes.
During theSecond World War, in 1943-45 there were major air attacks directed at the significant barracks and other military installations in the city. In the older part of the city, there are many half-timbered buildings built between the 16th and 19th centuries. Unna's economy was largely based on agriculture until the 19th century, when it became industrialised. After World War II, the artisan district which had survived bombing was largely torn down to make way for modern development; however many of the buildings have been restored.
Unna is seat of the world's onlyart museum dedicated exclusively to the collection and presentation ofLight art, theCentre for International Light Art (CILA).[4] It is located in the former Linden brewery, a red brick industrial building complex dating from the 19th century close to the heart of the city. Its landmark is an installation ofFibonacci numbers by Italian artistMario Merz on the brewery's chimney (the thirteenth-century mathematicianLeonardo Fibonacci lived inPisa, twinned with Unna since 1996). The light art installations are integrated into the industrial structures of the brewery's former cellar vaults. The former brewery buildings are also home to the city library, the adult education centre (Volkshochschule), and the tourist information centre.
Part of the medieval city wall
Unna'sHellweg Museum, a regional history museum, is located in the medieval Unna castle. Many historic buildings as well as parts of the city wall, including towers near the artisan quarter, remain intact and in good condition. Unna holds the largest Italian festival north ofItaly every two years (happily namedUn(n)a Festa Italiana), when buildings are decorated with light installations by artists fromBari in Italy. An annual Christmas market and a city festival are located in the Old Market Square, stretching from there through the pedestrian area to the city hall.
Donkey fountain in the city square (Josef Baron)
Unna is home to a large community of artists, some of whose works are on public display in the city. In the Old Market Square, e.g., there is a statue by painter and sculptorJosef Baron, depicting a man pulling a stubborn donkey, which is the city mascot.
Former Brewery (Lindenbrauerei)
A common part of traditional German drinking culture, numerous breweries once formed part of the cityscape, of which the largest and most well known was theLindenbrauerei (formerlyLinden-Adler-Brauerei). It marketed its products under the nameLindenbier orLindenpils. Most of the breweries have since closed down, but the Lindenbrauerei started a small-scale production again at the beginning of the 21st century.[5] In common with other German towns, Unna also produces its own traditional herbal liquor, 'Herting Pörter', named after the city's Herting gate or 'port'. The liquor is produced near where the gate used to be, and is sold locally.[6]
Until the mid-nineteenth century the focus of Unna's economy was on the region's agriculture. Industrialisation rapidly followed. In contrast with the switch to service sector employment in some industrial towns further west in the Ruhr area, most of the jobs in Unna are still in heavy industry (iron and metal work, machine manufacturing) or craft based. Since 1972, thenickel alloys producerVDM Metals operates a melting and casting plant in Unna, for example.[7] Also known is Alexis Tsiami, who has developed new methods for opening car doors.[8]
In recent years Unna has boomed as a logistics centre. It houses the former distribution centre for the (recently much diminished)Karstadt department store chain; the distribution centre has been acquired by theDHL division ofDeutsche Post. There is also aDPD distribution centre along with a central distribution depot for the pump producerWilo. Another large logistics complex belonging to DHL came into operation in 2008.
