Castrop-Rauxel

Castrop-Rauxel

Castrop-Rauxel (Germany)
Coordinates 51°33′N 7°19′E / 51.55°N 7.31667°E / 51.55; 7.31667
Administration
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Münster
District Recklinghausen
Town subdivisions 15
Mayor Johannes Beisenherz (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area
Elevation 98 m  (322 ft)
Population 76008  Error: invalid time
 - Density 1471 /km2 (3811 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate RE
Postal codes 44575–44581
Area codes 02305,
02367 (Henrichenburg)
Website (German language)

Castrop-Rauxel () is a former mining city in the eastern part of the Ruhr Area.

Contents

Geography

Castrop-Rauxel is between Dortmund to the east, Bochum (south), Herne (west), and to the north, Recklinghausen, Datteln and Waltrop.

History

First mentioned in 834 as "Villa Castorpe", the city of Castrop was founded in 1902 by merging the municipalities Castrop, Obercastrop and Behringhausen. On April 1, 1926 Castrop-Rauxel was formed when Castrop merged with 10 other municipalities. During World War II, a plant at Castrop-Rauxel used the Bergius process to produce synthetic (German: Ersatz) oil products.

In 1975, the village of Henrichenburg was annexed and Castrop-Rauxel became part of the Recklinghausen (district). In 1984 the last of 7 coal mines at Castrop=Rauxel ("Erin") closed.

Transportation

Castrop-Rauxel has access to three major highways, the Emscherschnellweg A 42 ,the Sauerlandlinie A 45 and the A 2.
There are 3 railway stations within the city. The central station (Castrop-Rauxel Hauptbahnhof) on the Cologne-Minden Railway is located in the suburb of Rauxel. Connecting Castrop-Rauxel to the western Ruhr cities like Duisburg, Oberhausen, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne and in the east to Dortmund and Hamm. The unmanned stations of Castrop-Rauxel South (Castrop-Rauxel Sued) and Castrop-Rauxel Merklinde on the Emschertalbahn are offering hourly services with trains to Dortmund, Herne and Dorsten. Located in the city centre is the central bus station Muensterplatz. From here passengers can travel to almost all suburbs and to neighboring cities like Herne, Dortmund and Bochum.
The Rhine-Herne Canal runs right through Castrop-Rauxel; Castrop-Rauxel also has a small Yacht club on this body of water.

International relations

Castrop-Rauxel is twinned with:[1]

Economy

Castrop-Rauxel has been attempting to change from a former mining city to a city with a modern lifestyle, high recreational value, new economy companies, a 27 hole golf course, and various cultural events.

Culture

The WLT (Westphalian State Theater) is the oldest and most relevant source of theatrical entertainment in Castrop-Rauxel. There is one cinema with two screens in Castrop. Castrop’s history is closely connected to horse racing, the Reiterbrunnen in the very center of Castrop’s market square is a reminder of the race days on the Naturhindernisbahn, now part of the Goldschmieding Park.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ a b c d e f . © 2009 Twins2010.com. http://www.twins2010.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pic/Dokumente/List_of_Twin_Towns_01.pdf?PHPSESSID=2edd34819db21e450d3bb625549ce4fd. Retrieved 2009-10-28. 

[[|v]] · [[|d]] · eTowns and municipalities in Recklinghausen (district)