Olfen

Olfen is a town in the district of Coesfeld, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is sometimes called the "Gate to the Ruhr Area". It is also considered the "horse-friendliest town in North Rhine-Westphalia".

For the anti-inflammatory drug, see Diclofenac.
Olfen
Coat of arms
Location of Olfen within Coesfeld district
Olfen
Olfen
Coordinates: 51°43′N 7°23′E
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionMünster
DistrictCoesfeld
Area
 • Total52.43 km2 (20.24 sq mi)
Highest elevation
80 m (260 ft)
Lowest elevation
45 m (148 ft)
Population
 (2018-12-31)[1]
 • Total12,846
 • Density250/km2 (630/sq mi)
Time zoneCET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes
59399
Dialling codes02595
02592 (part of Vinnums)
Vehicle registrationCOE/LH
Websitewww.olfen.de

History

Bishop Wolfhelm, who originated from the Ulfloa Oberhof, gave the small town its name in 889. Wolfhelm was the fourth bishop of "Mimingardeford", today called Münster.

The fire disaster of 1857, in which 142 houses were destroyed, has gone down as the "Great Fire of Olfen" in Olfen's history books.

Buildings

Interesting sights include St. Vitus church, a castle and a historic sawmill.

  • Olfen, St. Vitus church
  • Olfen, Füchteln mill
  • Füchteln mill on a foggy day (art project)

Politics

Wilhelm Sendermann (CDU) was elected for mayor in September 2015 with 87,4 % of the vote.[2]

Notable people
  • Thomas Hoof (born 1948), founder of Manufactum
  • Günter Schlierkamp (born 1970), professional bodybuilder

Town partnerships
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gollark: SPUDNET does not need reinstatement.
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gollark: It is being installed slowly because it's a bad node program.
gollark: That is a tautology and thus useless.

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2018" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  2. Wilhelm Sendermann ist neuer Bürgermeister, Ruhrnachrichten vom 13. September 2015
  3. "Interactive City Directory". Sister Cities International.
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