Bottrop

Bottrop
City
Flag of Bottrop
Flag
Coat of arms of Bottrop
Coat of arms
Location of Bottrop
Map
Bottrop is located in Germany
Bottrop
Bottrop
Bottrop is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Bottrop
Bottrop
Coordinates: 51°31′29″N 06°55′22″E / 51.52472°N 6.92278°E / 51.52472; 6.92278
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionMünster
DistrictUrban district
Government
 • Lord mayor (2020–25) Bernd Tischler[1] (SPD)
Area
 • Total
100.7 km2 (38.9 sq mi)
Elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[2]
 • Total
118,705
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
46236–46244
Dialling codes02041, 02045
Vehicle registrationBOT
Websitewww.bottrop.de
Altmarkt in the city
St. Cyriacus's Church (Catholic)
St. Martin's Church (Protestant)
Mine: Bergwerk Prosper 2
Tetrahedron landmark

Bottrop (German pronunciation: [ˈbɔtʁɔp] ⓘ) is a city in west-central Germany, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck, and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail center and contains factories producing coal-tar derivatives, chemicals, textiles, and machinery. Bottrop grew as a mining center beginning in the 1860s, was chartered as a city in 1921, and bombed during the Oil Campaign of World War II. In 1975, it unified with the neighbouring communities of Gladbeck and Kirchhellen, but Gladbeck left it in 1976, leading to Kirchhellen becoming a district of Bottrop as Bottrop-Kirchhellen. It is also twinned with Blackpool, England.

Boroughs

The total area of the municipal territory is about 101 km2 (39 sq mi). The longest north-south distance is 17 km (11 mi), and from west to east 9 km (5.6 mi). The highest peak within the city's territory is 78 m (256 ft), the lowest one being 26 m (85 ft) above sea level.

Bottrop is divided into three boroughs: Bottrop-Mitte (Bottrop-Center), Bottrop-Süd (Bottrop South) and Bottrop-Kirchhellen, each having a borough representation and a borough ruler.

These boroughs are further subdivided into city parts, partly named after their traditional names, while the newly built parts are only recently named:

  • Bottrop-Mitte: Eigen, Fuhlenbrock, Stadtmitte, and Marktviertel
  • Bottrop-Süd: Batenbrock, Boy, Ebel, Lehmkuhle, Vonderort, Gartenstadt Welheim (Garden city Welheim), and Welheimer Mark
  • Bottrop-Kirchhellen: Ekel, Feldhausen, Grafenwald, Hardinghausen, Holthausen, Im Loh, Kirchhellen, Kuhberg, and Overhagen

For statistical reasons, Bottrop is also divided into statistical boroughs. They are (with their official numbering):

  • 11 Altstadt
  • 12 Nord-Ost (Northeast)
  • 13 Süd-West (Southwest)
  • 21 Fuhlenbrock-Heide (Fuhlenbrock-Heath)
  • 22 Fuhlenbrock-Wald (Fuhlenbrock-Forest)
  • 31 Stadtwald (City forest)
  • 32 Eigen
  • 41 Batenbrock-Nord (Batenbrock-North)
  • 42 Batenbrock-Süd (Batenbrock-South)
  • 51 Boy
  • 52 Welheim
  • 61 Ebel/Welheimer Mark (Ebel-Welheim Market)
  • 62 Süd (South)
  • 71 Kirchhellen-Mitte (Kirchhellen-Center)
  • 72 Kirchhellen-Süd/Grafenwald (Kirchhellen-South/Grafenwald)
  • 73 Kirchhellen-Süd-West (Kirchhellen-Southwest)
  • 74 Kirchhellen-Nord-Ost (Kirchhellen-Northeast)

Kirchhellen

From 1919 until 1976, Kirchhellen was its own town. Following a communal reorganization reform in 1975, both Kirchhellen and Gladbeck joined the city of Bottrop. This resulted in the nickname "GlaBotKi". Gladbeck left the city in 1976, and became part of the district of Recklinghausen.

Most of Kirchhellen is Catholic (around 65%). It has three churches, including one Lutheran church.

Politics

Mayor

The current mayor of Bottrop is Bernd Tischler of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 2009. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

Candidate Party Votes %
Bernd Tischler Social Democratic Party 31,795 73.1
Andrea Swoboda Alliance 90/The Greens 4,117 9.5
Andreas Bucksteeg Free Democratic Party 3,023 7.0
Michael Gerber German Communist Party 2,071 4.8
Marianne Dominas Ecological Democratic Party 1,334 3.1
Günter Blocks The Left 1,153 2.7
Valid votes 43,493 97.5
Invalid votes 1,114 2.5
Total 44,607 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 92,241 48.4
Source: State Returning Officer

City council

Results of the 2020 city council election.

The Bottrop city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 17,668 40.2 Decrease 7.4 24 Decrease 2
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 10,513 23.9 Decrease 3.2 14 Decrease 1
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 5,639 12.8 Increase 7.4 8 Increase 5
Alternative for Germany (AfD) 3,076 7.0 Increase 5.2 4 Increase 3
Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) 1,856 4.2 Decrease 0.4 2 Decrease 1
German Communist Party (DKP) 1,832 4.2 Increase 0.2 2 ±0
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 1,821 4.1 Increase 1.5 2 Increase 1
The Left (Die Linke) 1,507 3.4 Decrease 0.7 2 ±0
Valid votes 43,912 98.5
Invalid votes 672 1.5
Total 44,584 100.0 58 Increase 4
Electorate/voter turnout 92,241 48.3 Decrease 0.2
Source: State Returning Officer

Culture and attractions

Theaters, museums, and buildings

  • Main Post Office, constructed 1921-1923
  • The Quadrat is a museum housing permanent exhibitis on local history and displaying works by Josef Albers and many temporary exhibitions.
  • City Hall (Neo-Renaissance 1910–1916) is regarded as the emblem of the city.
  • Schloss Beck theme park and castle (late baroque period 1766–1777)
  • Villa Dickmann, constructed 1901–1903 (art nouveau)
  • Alte Apotheke (Old Pharmacy, Wilhelminian style 1895)
  • Catholic churches
    • Heilige Familie
    • Heilig Kreuz, built 1955–57, windows by Georg Meistermann
    • Herz Jesu, built 1929
    • Liebfrauen
    • St. Antonius
    • St. Barbara
    • St. Bonifatius
    • St. Cyriakus, Propstei, built 1861/62 by Emil von Manger
    • St. Elisabeth, built 1954
    • St. Franziskus
    • St. Johannes Baptist (BOT-Boy)
    • St. Johannes der Täufer (BOT-Kirchhellen)
    • St. Joseph
    • St. Ludger
    • St. Mariä Himmelfahrt
    • St. Matthias
    • St. Michael
    • St. Paul
    • St. Peter
    • St. Pius
    • St. Suitbert, built 1955
  • Protestant churches[3]
    • Auferstehungskirche
    • Friedenskirche
    • Gnadenkirche
    • Martin-Niemöller-Kirche
    • Martinskirche, erbaut 1884
    • Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche
    • Pauluskirche
  • Malakow-Turm (1872) of the coal mine Prosper II
  • Coal Mining Tip Haniel with an open-air theater (Amphitheater) and the Stations of the Cross designed by Tisa von der Schulenburg and Adolf Radecki and opened in 1995.
  • Saalbau, convention center

Attractions

Periodic events

  • January: Festival Orgel PLUS (music festival started in 1989)
  • February: Rose Monday Parade and Carnival
  • May: Horse Market
  • May: Asparagus - Farmers' Market in Kirchhellen
  • Brezelfest (Pretzel Festival) in Kirchhellen
  • May/June/July: Schützenfeste (marksmen festivals) of Bottrops marksmen companies (BSV Bottrop Batenbrock, BSV Bottrop Eigen, BSV Bottrop Fuhlenbrock, BSV Bottrop Vonderort, BSV Andreas Hofer, Alte Allgemeine Bürgerschützengesellschaft, BSV Bottrop Boy)[4][5]
  • September: Michaelismarket

Religion

  • Catholic: 50% (19 churches)
  • Protestant (Lutheran): 20% (8 churches)
  • Atheist/agnostic: 20%
  • Muslim: 2%

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Bottrop is twinned with:[6]

References

  1. ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 19 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  3. ^ Evangelische Kirchen in Bottrop: http://www.kirchenkreis.org/content/e559/e3019/e2909/index_ger.html
  4. ^ Past Events of Alte Allgemeine Bürgerschützengesellschaft: http://www.alte-allgemeine.de/termine/eventlist/archive
  5. ^ Events BSV Bottrop Boy: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2009-08-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Städtepartnerschaften". bottrop.de (in German). Bottrop. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  • Media related to Bottrop at Wikimedia Commons