Schwelm

Schwelm is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr Rural District the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Geography
Schwelm is in the southeast of the "Ruhrgebiet", the Ruhr Area of Germany, between Westphalia and the "Bergisches Land". Schwelm is commonly known as the "Pforte Westfalens" ("Gate to Westphalia").

History
The history of Schwelm goes back to the ninth century, where it is first mentioned as "Suelmiu". The city of Schwelm was officially established in 1496 and became seat of the Ennepe-Ruhr district in 1929. According to its area, Schwelm is the smallest town in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Points of interest
Schwelm is home to the "Brauerei Schwelm", the Schwelm Brewery, one of the few remaining private breweries in Germany. It was started in 1830 by Haarmann & Kathagen, the brewery was one of the first worldwide to switch from wooden to metal barrels. The original office building of the brewery, the "Rietz'sche Haus" built in 1701, is still in use today.

The oldest piano manufacturer in the world is in Schwelm. Since 1794, "Rud. Ibach Sohn" has been building pianos and, until 1904, organs in Schwelm.

Notable citizens
 Friedrich Christoph Müller (1751 in Allendorf (Lumba) - 1808): theologian and map maker (in Schwelm between 1785 and 1808)
 Gustav Heinemann (July 23, 1899 - July 7, 1976): third president of the Federal Republic of Germany (from 1969 to 1974)
 Johannes Joachim Degenhardt (January 31, 1926 - July 25, 2002): Cardinal and Archbishop of Paderborn
 Franz Josef Degenhardt (March 12, 1931): political singer/songwriter
 Friedrich Niewöhner (September 7, 1941 - November 1, 2005): philosophy historian
 Martin Grötschel (October 9, 1948): mathematician and laureate of the Leibniz price
 Rolf Rüssmann (October 13, 1950): footballer and football manager
 Judith Kuckart (June 17, 1959): tripper, choreographer, stage director and author
 Thorsten Schmidt (February 18, 1972): racing cyclist and participant of the Tour de France
 Olivia Luczak (November 24, 1981): Polish-German amateur boxer

References

Other websites

 www.schwelm.de 
 Ibach Pianos  
 Schwelmer Brauerei 

Category:Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia
Category:Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis