Hattingen

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Hattingen
Town
Aerial view
Aerial view
Flag of Hattingen
Flag
Coat of arms of Hattingen
Coat of arms
Location of Hattingen within Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district
Location of Hattingen
Hattingen is located in Germany
Hattingen
Hattingen
Show map of Germany
Hattingen is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Hattingen
Hattingen
Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°23′57″N 7°11′09″E / 51.39917°N 7.18583°E / 51.39917; 7.18583
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionArnsberg
DistrictEnnepe-Ruhr-Kreis
Government
 • MayorMelanie Witte-Lonsing[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total
71.67 km2 (27.67 sq mi)
Highest elevation
306 m (1,004 ft)
Lowest elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2024-12-31)[2]
 • Total
53,044
 • Density740.1/km2 (1,917/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
45525–45527–45529
Dialling codes02324
Vehicle registrationEN
Websitewww.hattingen.de

Hattingen (German pronunciation: [ˈhatɪŋən] ) is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

History

Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 1396, when the Duke of Mark granted permission to build a city wall. Today, Hattingen has a picturesque historic district with Fachwerk (timber-framed houses) built between the 14th and 16th centuries. The old city is still partly surrounded by the city walls today.

There are three castles remaining within the municipal area of Hattingen.[3] Isenburg Castle was built in the 12th century in the hillsides above the Ruhr. The castle was destroyed in 1225, but prominent ruins remain. Blankenstein Castle was built in the 13th century above the Ruhr river and Haus Kemnade is a moated castle from the 16th century. All three castles are famous tourist landmarks and open to the public.

Hattingen became part of the Hanseatic League in 1554 and became an important trading town. In 1720, there were 52 operating coal mines within the municipal area and Hattingen became one of the first industrial cities of the Ruhr region. Steel production started in 1853, when the Henrichshütte was founded. The Henrichshütte became one of the most important employers of the whole region and dominated the town until it closed in 1987.

Today, Hattingen still faces problems concerning structural change of the economy, but is becoming a centre of tourism, especially its historical downtown.

Neighbouring cities

Saint George's church

The cities bordering Hattingen are Bochum, Essen, Sprockhövel, Velbert, Witten and Wuppertal.

Division of the town

Hattingen is divided into the districts of Blankenstein, Bredenscheid-Stüter, Hattingen-Mitte, Holthausen, Niederbonsfeld, Niederelfringhausen, Niederwenigern, Oberelfringhausen, Oberstüter, Welper and Winz-Baak.

Notable people

Politics

In the local elections of 2004 the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was the largest party on the council with 24 seats. It was followed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with 18 and the Alliance 90/The Greens with 7, the WBG (a conservative lis) and Free Democrats with four each, FLW (also a conservative list) with three, National Democratic Party two, and the PDS/WAL (socialists) and AUF Witten (a left wing list) with one each.

From 2004 to 2020, for the first time in its history, the council was led by a female mayor: Sonja Leidemann (SPD). In the election of 2020 she lost her mandate to Lars König (CDU).

Mayor

The current mayor of Hattingen is Melanie Witte-Lonsing, who ran as a joint candidate from SPD and the Greens. The most recent mayoral election was held on 14 September 2025, with a runoff held on 28 September, and the results were as follows:

Candidate Party First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Melanie Witte-Lonsing Social Democratic Party, Alliance 90/The Greens (SPD, the Greens) 11,151 45.8 9,549 51.3
Nils Brüggemann Christian Democratic Union, Free Democratic Party (CDU, FDP) 10,895 44.7 9,083 48.8
Nico Schwarz Die PARTEI 2,322 9.5
Valid votes 24,368 96.4 18,632 98.8
Invalid votes 903 3.6 220 1.2
Total 25,271 100.0 18,852 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 43,859 57.6 43,802 43.0
Source: City of Hattingen (1st round, 2nd round)

City council

Results of the 2020 city council election.

The Hattingen city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 14 September 2025, and the results were as follows:

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 7,534 30.2 Decrease 3.0 16 ±0
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 7,275 29.1 Decrease 1.7 15 ±0
Alternative for Germany (AfD) 4,081 16.3 New 9 New
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 3,235 13.0 Decrease 10.7 7 Decrease 4
Die Linke 1,233 4.9 New 3 New
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 859 3.4 Decrease 3.4 2 Decrease 1
Die PARTEI 757 3.0 Decrease 2.5 2 Decrease 1
Valid votes 24,974 98.9
Invalid votes 291 1.1
Total 25,265 100.0 54 Increase 6
Electorate/voter turnout 43,859 57.6 Increase 7.0
Source: City of Hattingen

State Landtag

In the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hattingen is part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis I constituency. Rainer Bovermann of the SPD has been representative since the constituency's creation in the 2005 election; he was most recently re-elected in 2017.

Federal parliament

In the Bundestag, Witten is part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis II constituency. Axel Echeverria of the SPD was elected as representative in the 2021 German federal election.

References