Olfen

Olfen
Coat of arms
Olfen
Location of Olfen within Coesfeld district
Coordinates: 51°43′N 7°23′E / 51.717°N 7.383°ECoordinates: 51°43′N 7°23′E / 51.717°N 7.383°E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Coesfeld
Government
• Mayor	Josef Himmelmann (CDU)
Area
• Total	52.43 km^2 (20.24 sq mi)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
• Total	12,490
• Density	240/km^2 (620/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	59399
Dialling codes	02595 02592 (part of Vinnums)
Vehicle registration	COE
Website	www.olfen.de

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." Interesting sights include a castle and historic sawmill.

History

Bishop Wolfhelm, who originated from the Ulfloa Oberhof, gave the small town its name. It was in the year 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.

[See the German version for more details.]

Olfen with St.-Vitus-church

Olfen Füchtelner Mühle (Füchteln mill)

Mayor

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

Sons and daughters of the city

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

Sister cities

• La Grange, Texas, United States^[3]

References

1. "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen". Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW (in German). 18 July 2016.
2. Wilhelm Sendermann ist neuer Bürgermeister, Ruhrnachrichten vom 13. September 2015
3. "Interactive City Directory". Sister Cities International.