page_title: Unna
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Unna / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The medieval Gothic City Church
context_page_description: Unna is a city of around 57,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the seat of the Unna district.
context_section_description: The history of human settlement in what is now the city of Unna can be traced back to the Neolithic Era.
  In the Middle Ages, Unna gained significance as a way station on the Hellweg. It is first recorded by name in an ecclesiastical document of 1032. Around 1200, Count Friedrich von Altena-Isenberg was invested with the fiefdom of Unna, among other estates, by the archbishop-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.
  From the mid-15th century on, the town was a notable trade centre and member of the Hanseatic League. In 1597 more than half the population died of the Bubonic plague. In the early 17th century, the town changed hands several times in religious wars, and in 1666 fell under the control of Prussia. 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 (then Bad Königsborn) gained prominence as a health resort with mineral 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 the Second 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.
caption: The medieval Gothic Church
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