Balve
From Free net encyclopedia
Balve is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the north end of the Sauerland on the Hönne river, at Template:Coor dm. Population: 12,377 (2001). Area: 74.75 km². It belongs to the district Märkischer Kreis.
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History
The first mention of Balve was probably made around 780, when Widukind owned a farm called "Ballowa", although the first undisputed reference was in the 9th century. Balve belonged to the county of Arnsberg at that time. In 1358 it became the property of the Duchy of Westphalia, which belonged to the Archbishops of Cologne. In 1430 Balve was given the right to be called a city. During the Napoleonic period it belonged for a short time to Hesse, from 1802-1815, after which time it was added to the Kingdom of Prussia.
In 1975 during the local government reorgnization the city was enlarged by the addition of the former independent municipalities Asbeck, Beckum, Eisborn, Garbeck, Kesberg, Langenholthausen, Mellen and Volkringhausen from the abolished Amt Balve.
Points of interest
The church of Saint Blaise (Blasiuskirche) was built in the 12th century and is an example of Romanesque architecture.
The Luisenhütte is the only remaining blast furnace from the beginning of the 18th century which is still in workable condition.
The Balver Höhle is a huge cave which is used for many cultural events such as concerts.
In the Hönnetal, a narrow valley created by the river Hönne, the Reckenhöhle is a cave 450 m long .
Coat of arms
Image:Balve arms.png The coat of arms shows the historic connections of Balve. The eagle is taken from the arms of Arnsberg, and the black-and-white cross from those of Cologne. Both symbols were present in old seals of the city, the oldest known example of which 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 was identical with the present 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.