Kreuztal | |
|---|---|
 Town hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Kreuztal within Siegen-Wittgenstein district  | |
  Kreuztal  Kreuztal | |
| Coordinates:50°58′N7°58′E / 50.967°N 7.967°E /50.967; 7.967 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Admin. region | Arnsberg |
| District | Siegen-Wittgenstein |
| Subdivisions | 13 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–25) | Walter Kiß[1] (SPD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 70.97 km2 (27.40 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 350 m (1,150 ft) |
| Population (2023-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 30,925 |
| • Density | 440/km2 (1,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Postal codes | 57223 |
| Dialling codes | 02732 |
| Vehicle registration | SI |
| Website | www.kreuztal.de |
Kreuztal is a town in theSiegen-Wittgenstein district, inNorth Rhine-Westphalia,Germany.
Kreuztal is a town in the low mountains of the northernSiegerland and lies at the western edge of theRothaargebirge about 10 km north ofSiegen.
Across the municipal area from the east flows the Ferndorfbach, swinging to the south in the inner town and leaving the municipal area through the constituent community of Buschhütten.
In the northern municipal area rises the Littfe, which then runs through the constituent communities of Burgholdinghausen, Littfeld, Krombach, Eichen and Fellinghausen before emptying into the Ferndorfbach in the inner town. Further tributary brooks to the Littfe are the Langebach, the Heimkäuser Bach, the Breitenbach, the Krombach, the Stendenbach and the Bockenbach.
In the town's west end rises the Heesbach, which then runs through the constituent communities of Oberhees, Mittelhees, Junkernhees and Fellinghausen, emptying into the Littfe at the footbridge. One tributary to the Hees is the Ostheldener Bach, which feeds the Robertsweier (pond). The Berghäuser Bach, which flows through the Berghäuser Weier (another pond), empties into the Ostheldener Bach downstream from the Robertsweier.
The municipal area is part of theRheinisches Schiefergebirge, or RhenishSlate Mountains. The southernmost constituent community of Buschhütten gives way to theSieggorge to the south. While thebedrock contains many layers ofiron-bearing rock, the surface is formed of weathered clayey-sandy earth.
The municipal area covers 70.96 km2. This breaks down as:
The town's highest point is theHoher Wald at 655 m above meansea level, and its lowest point is to be found in Buschhütten where the Ferndorfbach leaves the municipal area at a height of 260 m above sea level. The municipal area's north-south extent is 12 km, and its east-west extent is 11 km.
The town, lying in the northwestern part of the district, borders in the south onSiegen, in the west onFreudenberg andWenden, in the north onKirchhundem andOlpe and in the east onHilchenbach andNetphen. The town is shaped by the valleys of the Ferndorfbach, Littfe and Hees, which together form a cross-shaped valley.
The town's highest elevation is the mountainHoher Wald at 655 m above sea level. The peak is however not open to the public, as it belongs to theBundeswehr. Other mountains are theHölzenberg 626 m above sea level,Kindelsberg 617.9 m above sea level (the town's landmark), theMartinshardt 616.1 m above sea level, theZiegenberg 521 m above sea level, theWilder Stein 478.9 m above sea level, dieRodenull 436 m above sea level, theKöpfchen 407.4 m above sea level, thePfaffenberg 398.7 m above sea level, theBuberg, thePühlsberg, theKrähenberg, theAltenhahn, theLöherhauberg, theHöhberg, theRohberg, theWolfshagen, theMühlberg, theMühlenkopf, theKilgeshahn, theSiegerberg, theKohlenberg, theHohler Stein, theDudeltätsch and theHeidlofsberg.
The town is made up of the centres of Burgholdinghausen, Krombach and Eichen in the north, Kreuztal in the middle, Osthelden, Oberhees, Mittelhees, Junkernhees and Fellinghausen in the west, and Ferndorf,Kredenbach, Langenau and Buschhütten in the south.
The town of Kreuztal as it stands now is the child of the municipal reform of 1 January 1969. It came into being through the voluntary merger of the communities of Burgholdinghausen, Buschhütten, Eichen, Fellinghausen, Ferndorf, Kredenbach, Kreuztal, Krombach, Littfeld, Mittelhees, Oberhees and Osthelden.
The first documentary mentions go back to 1067, among which are found a place called "Berentraph", the later constituent community of Ferndorf, one of the earliest named places in theSiegerland. Until the town was founded, Ferndorf was the oldAmt's namesake.
The constituent community of Ernsdorf was first mentioned in a document as "Erinstorff" in 1417-1419. During the time of theConfederation of the Rhine, Ernsdorf was the local mayor's seat.
The name that the town now bears first cropped up in 1826 in the baptismal register of the community of Ferndorf.
Development in the town was sparked by the railway. In 1861, the Ruhr-Sieg line opened, leading Kreuztal to become a railway hub by 1880. Up to 1888, a spur toErndtebrück,Bad Laasphe andMarburg was built. Also in the plans was a line toOlpe andMeinerzhagen, but this was only partly finished, as far asKrummenerl.
(as of 30 December 2003)
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2021) |
The town council's 38 seats are apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 September 2004:
| CDU | SPD | Greens | FDP | FW | BGK | total | |
| 2004 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 38 |
Note: FW and BGK are citizens' coalitions.
Kreuztal's civiccoat of arms might heraldically be described thus: Party per fess, above, in Or a horn azure, below, in azure a saltire Or.
The horn charge is Ferndorf's old arms, and is also the emblem of the princely house of Nassau-Orange, and thereby also a reference to the town's past. The saltire is a reference to the local geography, as the valleys form a cross shape, and it is acanting symbol, too, since "Kreuztal" literally means "Crossdale" inGerman (that name does, of course, refer to the geography). Gold and blue are Nassau's colours.[1]
At theStadthalle, lying in the school centre, there are regular theatrical productions.
In Ferndorf is the local history museum (Heimatmuseum). On show here in about 200 m2 are finds from prehistory and early history, as well as handicrafts and exhibits about home décor in the 17th and 18th centuries.
On theKindelsberg, the town's second highest peak at 618 m, stands the 22 m-high Kindelsbergturm (tower). It was built in 1907 by theSauerländischer Gebirgsverein (Sauerland Mountain Club, or SGV) and has had further remodelling in the course of its history. From the top is a view over the municipal area, and in good weather, the viewer can even see into theSiebengebirge nearBonn.
The stately home of Junkernhees was originally built in 1523 by a Sir Adam (der Ritter Adam) with amoat around it. In 1698, it was expanded by being given ahalf-timbered gable. Two outbuildings, the formerbrandydistillery and the old mill from 1796, are also preserved.
This was built in the first half of the 13th century as Saint Lawrence's. It consists of a lateRomanesque hall church with a western tower and a three-halled nave with a tower built before it.
Built in 1250, the main choir is one hall, and the nave two and a half. Thepulpit was made in 1764 and the altar table in 1781. The tower that stands today was built in 1706, after the earlier tower was destroyed by alightning strike.
These buildings, built between 1860 and 1880, nowadays house the citizen and culture centre with the townarchive. The park was named after the manufacturing family Dresler, who once owned the park. In the park are found the "yellow villa", the "white villa", the wagon shed, the coachhouse (today a restaurant and inn called theKutscherhaus – the same in German), the music pavilion and the garden house. The wagon shed houses adaycare centre.
At the Altenberg between the constituent community of Littfeld andHilchenbach-Müsen are found the remains of a settlement from the 13th century. A hiking trail leads through this formermining settlement.Archaeological finds are on display at the mining museum in Hilchenbach-Müsen.
The "Ewiger Fuhrmann" – Everlasting Wagoner – is at 150 m one of the world's tallestwind generators, and indeed was the tallest when it was built. The rotor is about 66 m wide. The tower itself is a steel lattice and weighs roughly 145 t. The power house alone weighs 63 t all together. Yearly, it generates about 3 gWh.[2]
In the heart of the town is the former entry area to the Kaiser Wilhelm Gallery (an underground gallery) with itsStollenhaus ("Gallery House"), which now houses the town administration's office for schools, kindergartens and sport.
The Hamblock Inn lies in the constituent community of Krombach and can look back on 500 years of tradition. Even today, the hitching posts bear witness to the long-distance trade of yore fromFrankfurt toSoest and fromWipperfürth to theNetherlands.
Kreuztal distinguishes itself with its particularly well developed sporting club life. Almost every kind of sport is offered by the many clubs:
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The TV Germania Buschhütten 1885 holds itstriathlon on the second Sunday in May, an event regarded as one of Germany's most important triathlons.
The municipal area is crossed from north to south by Federal Highway (Bundesstraße) B 54. Towards the south, running parallel to this road is also the B 54n, known as theHüttentalstraße (HTS) and built as aStadtautobahn (anAutobahn running through abuilt-up area). It connects the town with AutobahnA 45 to the south. Sometime in 2006, the B 54n is to be extended to Krombach in the north of the municipal area, where it will one day connect to theA 4, which is likewise under construction.
Eastwards run Federal Highways B 508 towards Hilchenbach and B 517 towards Kirchhundem andLennestadt.
Parallel to the highways run therailways. From north to south runs theRuhr-Sieg line, and east-west runs theRothaar Railway through theWittgensteiner Land towardsMarburg. Within the municipal area are six railway stations or halts (as of 2003). Thecentral station lies in Kreuztal (main town). Halts are to be found in Littfeld, Eichen, Ferndorf and Kredenbach. Although it serves Dahlbruch, a constituent community of Hilchenbach, this station is nonetheless within Kreuztal's municipal area. Kreuztal also has South Westphalia's onlymarshalling yard, and connected thereto is the region's only railwaycontainer terminal. This is found in Langenau, and beyond its national functions, it also serves regional goods transport in the Sauerland and Siegerland. To and from the Kreuztal Marshalling Yard, trains run, by way of the national marshalling yard inHagen-Vorhalle, to all destinations that can be reached by rail.
The town is connected by many regional buslines with surrounding towns. Since 1998, South Westphalia's first private bus service (Bürgerbus) has been running. On regional trains and buses, the tariff is that used by the South Westphalia Transport Community (Verkehrsgemeinschaft Westfalen-Süd).
Kreuztal can also be reached through the Siegerland Airport in the south of the district.
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