Balve
Balve is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in "Hönnetal", a narrow valley created by the river Hönne, which is near the Sorpe Dam, formerly part of Balve, and at the north end of the Sauerland, near Dortmund. The town was established in 1975 with several divisions including Balve, Beckum and Eisborn and Garbeck. History. The first reference to Balve is from around 780, when it was mentioned that a Widukind owned a farm called "Ballowa", another name for the town, although this reference has been disputed. The first undisputed reference  was in 864, in which a blind girl from Balve was said to be healed at the grave of the Saint Ludger in the crypt of Werden Abbey. Ballowa is also mentioned in the Thidrekssaga, a chivalric saga written in the mid-13th century in Norway. In the saga, Ballowa is the home of two dwarfs who taught Weyland much about making iron weapons. At the time of writing, Balve belonged to the county of Arnsberg. In 1358 the town became the property of the Duchy of Westphalia, which belonged to the Archbishops of Cologne. In 1430 it was given the  right to be called a city. During the Napoleonic period, it belonged for a short time (1802–1815) to Hesse, after which time it became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1975, following a substantial reorganisation of local government in Germany, the city was enlarged by the addition of the several former independent municipalities from the abolished "Amt Balve", including Asbeck, Beckum, and Eisborn. Organizations, economy and transportation. Local organizations include a Red Cross chapter, and the "Schützenbruderschaft St. Sebastian Balve", founded in 1947. Primary schools in the town include "Grundschule Balve" and "Grundschule Beckum". Several international companies have roots  in the town, including "Balver Zinn", "Chemie Wocklum", and "Kruse Group". Train stations in Balve include Binolen, Volkringhausen, Sanssouci, Garbeck and Balve, the latter station part of the "Hönnetalbahn" (RB 54) line. Religion. The main religion in Balve is Roman Catholicism. The church Saint Blaise, built in the 12th century and an example of Romanesque architecture, was consecrated to Mary. On February 3 each year a special ceremony is held in the church, called the Blessing of the Throats. The altar servers of Saint Blaise visit other cities every year, for example Georgsmarienhütte in 1982. Bones from Benedict of Nursia  and Saint Blaise, and a 400-year-old monument for Hermann von Hatzfeld, are located in the church. Additionally, two Roman Catholic parishes have been present in Balve for several years. A Lutheran church is located at Hönnetalstrasse near to the "Gemeindezentrum". Culture. Performing arts. The "Männerchor 1860 Balve" is the largest choir in Balve. Other choirs include the "Männerchor Garbeck" and "MC Cäcilia Volkringhausen". The town's bands include "Musikverein Balve" and "Musikverein Garbeck". Until 2005, the organization "Festpiele Balver Höhle" and the town of Balve have jointly hosted a jazz festival. Acts at the festival have included performances  by Jan Garbarek and by Piirpauke. One of the theatre ensembles in Balve is the "Kolpingtheatergruppe", directed by Christoph Rapp. Another form of entertainment, the Balver Märchenwochen, involves performing fairy tales at Christsmas. Festivals. The "Festspiele Balver Höhle" is held at the Balver Höhle, a cave in Balve. The festival is a major focus of the culture in and around the town, featuring music and theatre performances. The only marksmen's festival, "Schützenfest", is also held in a cave, and is organized by "Schützenbruderschaft St. Sebastian". A large bonfire on Easter Sunday is another tradition in Balve, organized by the  Kolpingsfamilie Balve. On May 1 each year the fire brigade of Balve is invited to the "Feuerwehrfest", and for 20 years a christmas market has organized by "Balver Fachhandel" that features a live nativity scene. Sports. One of the soccer clubs in Balve, SG Balve/Garbeck, won the DFB-Ü 40-Cup in 2007. The town also organizes the Balve Optimum, a competition between horse riders. Participiants in the Balve Optimum have included: Points of interest. There are many caves in the "Hönnetal", including the Balver Höhle at "Helle", a large cave used for cultural events such as concerts, stage  acting and the annual marksmen's festival, and the "Reckenhöhle", a cave 1,478 ft in length that has flowstone. Experts have found signs of cannibalism in some of the caves. Other points of interest include Coat of arms. The town's coat of arms references the history of Balve. The eagle is taken from the arms of Arnsberg, and the black-and-white cross from that of Cologne. Both symbols were present in old seals of the city, of which the oldest known example dates from 1462. The coat of arms was officially granted on June 24, 1911, and confirmed  on February 6, 1976, after the local government reorganization of 1975. The bottom part of the coat of arms of the former "Amt Balve" is identical Bolve's town arms. The top half showed St. Peter, wearing a red coat and holding in his left hand a golden key and in his right a golden book. This coat of arms was granted on March 5, 1957, and expired when the Amt was dissolved in 1975.