Altenhundem

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Altenhundem
City of Lennestadt
Coordinates: 51 ° 6 ′ 19 ″  N , 8 ° 4 ′ 23 ″  E
Height : 300 m
Residents : 4261  (Jun. 30, 2020)
Postal code : 57368
Area code : 02723
Altenhundem (Lennestadt)
Altenhundem

Location of Altenhundem in Lennestadt
Aerial view of Altenhundem (roundabout)
Aerial view of Altenhundem (roundabout)

Altenhundem is a district, the central place and the administrative center of Lennestadt in the Olpe district of North Rhine-Westphalia . Altenhundem had a total of 4281 inhabitants as of June 30, 2020, making it the largest of 43 districts of the city of Lennestadt, which was formed with the regional reform on July 1, 1969. The proportion of residents of senior citizens and foreigners is 21.7% and 12.3% respectively, above the average for the city area. Altenhundem is a typical railroad town .

geography

The place is in the Sauerland where the valley of the Hundem meets the Lennetal . Since the two valleys are very narrow, most of the buildings are on the slopes of the valleys, especially since the floor of the Hundem valley in the local area is occupied by extensive, but now largely disused railway systems .

The Lennestädter districts of Kickenbach , Langenei and Saalhausen are located upstream of the Lenne, while the districts of Meggen and Grevenbrück are located downstream . In the Hundem Valley, the place borders on the municipality of Kirchhundem . A small pass near the Hohe Bracht leads to the Bilstein district .

history

Town hall of Lennestadt

The first written mention of Altenhundem is in a document from the year 1379 of the Count von Spee`s archives at Ahausen Castle , in which a "Henneken Pystes Son von Altenhundeme" is mentioned. The place name is based on the water name Hundem . A reference to the Germanic "hunda" for "swell" leads to the possible content of the name "swell brook". The "Alten-" prefixed to the place name suggests that it is the oldest of the three settlements compared to Kirchhundem and Oberhundem .

Early clues about the size of the place can be found in an appraisal register (used to collect taxes) from 1543. According to this, there were 25 taxpayers in "Alten Hundeman" at the time, the number of which roughly matched the number of existing houses. Altenhundem should have had around 150 inhabitants around 1530 to 1540. In the following 300 to 400 years the population grew only moderately. This was due to the high child mortality rate, deadly diseases such as the plague in particular and also to the meager food supply and income from agriculture.

A certain structural change in the previously agricultural place became apparent towards the end of the 18th century. In 1783 the Berg brothers received permission from the mining authorities to put two iron hammers on the Hundem between Altenhundem and Kirchhundem . The era of hammer mills in Altenhundem ended after multiple changes of operator in the economic crisis in 1931.

With the secularization in 1803, Altenhundem , which was formerly part of the electoral office of Bilstein , fell with the Duchy of Westphalia to the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, who, however, had to cede it to the King of Prussia in 1816 together with the Duchy of Westphalia. The Duchy of Westphalia was incorporated into the Province of Westphalia created in 1815, which was incorporated into the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946.

In the 1840s, the Lennetal road from Altena via Grevenbrück, Altenhundem, Welschen Ennest to Krombach and the provincial road from Altenhundem to Schmallenberg were opened .

From an economic point of view, the opening of the first railway line in the Sauerland, the so-called Ruhr-Sieg line from Hagen via Altenhundem to Siegen, was of particular importance in 1861 . In 1887 the branch line was opened up the Lenne to Schmallenberg , and in 1914 the line to Erndtebrück . Altenhundem had thus become an important rail hub. In 1899, a total of 302 men were already employed at the train station, goods handling and the workshop. The total number of inhabitants of Altenhundem was 2055 in 1899 and had thus increased by 1400 within 40 years. The expansion of the station area with the construction of a locomotive shed, a locomotive stand with a turntable and a workshop was completed in 1927. The era of the "railway village" ended in 1965 with the closure of the depot. The main cause was the electrification of the Ruhr-Sieg line and thus the end of the steam locomotive era.

The construction of a public local water pipe took place in 1895; 155 houses with 1450 inhabitants were connected. Altenhundem was supplied with light and power as well as electrical street lighting in 1901. In 1928/29 extensive road construction work for house and street drainage was carried out.

The immigration, but also the concerns of companies and skilled workers, required an expansion of the school system. In 1911 a rectorate school was set up in Altenhundem, but it did not accept girls until 1921. This type of school prepared for attending grammar school (at that time in Olpe or Attendorn), a commercial profession or a job in administration.

On October 15, 1913, Altenhundem had 2930 inhabitants, 3.1% of whom were 65 years of age or older. In contrast, the proportion of retirees as of June 30, 2010 was 18.8% and was thus significantly higher.

Hohe Bracht observation tower (built 1929/30)

The construction of the observation tower on the Hohen Bracht in 1929/30 was of great importance for tourism in Altenhundem and the surrounding area . The opening ceremony on October 12, 1930 was the first outside broadcast of West German Broadcasting. The Hohe Bracht is the destination of many hikers and, because of its altitude, is also suitable for winter sports.

In addition to the construction of the observation tower, the construction of the access road to Hohen Bracht and the connecting road Bilstein - Altenhundem were among the important employment measures in the economic hardship from 1926 to 1928. A listed rectangular sandstone stele on Hohe-Bracht-Straße in Bilstein commemorates this ( see also the list of architectural monuments in Lennestadt Monument No. 9). The Bilstein-Altenhundem road also connects the Hundem and Veischedetal.

The riots against the Jews during the Nazi era were directed against members of the Neuhaus and Winter families in 1938. Stumbling blocks remind of this , see also the article Lennestadt . More than 145 soldiers from the Catholic parish lost their lives, and 11 dead were recorded in the death register of the Protestant parish. According to statistics from August 1945, 26 of the 390 residential buildings (as of 1939) were completely destroyed, 45 were badly damaged and 111 buildings were moderate to light.

Aerial view of Maria Königin monastery and grammar school (built 1957/58)

The occupation troops left Altenhundem on April 2, 1946, and the confiscated residential buildings and other buildings (e.g. Sauerlandhalle and Tobüren factory) were released. An important new beginning in the cultural field was the establishment of a culture ring with the later or current name "Kulturgemeinschaft Hundem-Lenne"; The program includes guest performances by well-known touring theaters. In the course of the economic upswing, Altenhundem already had 4,488 inhabitants in October 1948.

In the years 1957/58 the Maria Königin monastery was built by the order of the "Missionaries of the Holy Family". From the mission school connected to the monastery, the Maria Königin Gymnasium, which is now privately run, emerged in 1967 (see main article Maria Königin Monastery and Gymnasium ).

On July 1, 1969, Altenhundem becomes part of the newly founded town of Lennestadt as part of the regional reform. As the largest district, Altenhundem receives the administrative headquarters of the newly founded city.

The following sections contain further historical data on the two parishes, public institutions and the urban development measures after the regional reform in 1969.

Public and charitable institutions

Main entrance to St. Josefs Hospital

The town hall of the newly formed town of Lennestadt, built in the 1970s after the regional reform in North Rhine-Westphalia , is located in Altenhundem .

There is also a hospital in the village, the St. Josefs Hospital. With the Lennestadt high school and a vocational school, which is a branch of the Olpe vocational college , there is also a range of secondary schools here. In Kloster Maria Queen above the village this is complemented by a private school. The newly designed Altenhundem train station is located on the Hagen - Siegen line.

As one of the first hospices of this type in Germany, the St. Elisabeth Hospice eV was set up in 1991 by representatives of the social and health services and the churches . The employees of the hospice accompany terminally ill people (regardless of their religion) and, together with therapists, doctors and pastors, ensure the best possible quality of life until they die.

religion

Catholic Church

Altenhundem has been an independent parish since 1893. In the center of the village is the Catholic Church of Saint Agatha , which was built according to plans by the Mainz cathedral master builder Ludwig Becker . In July 1900 the foundation stone was laid for the three-aisled building in neo -Gothic style , and on September 23, 1901 the church was consecrated by Bishop Wilhelm Schneider . In the altar there are relics of Saints Cosmas and Damian . When looking into the choir, the neo-Gothic folding altar catches the eye. When closed, the princes of the apostles Peter and Paul can be seen at the top , below are images of saints including the church patroness St. Agatha . When the wings are opened, you can see reliefs with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The side altars, the Marien and Joseph altars are also striking. In front of the Marien Altar there is a pilgrimage candle on a stylish candlestick, it reminds of the first Altenhundem pilgrimage to Kohlhagen in 1984 . The group "Lamentation of Christ" has found a new place behind a protective grating in the Kreuzkapelle. With donations it was possible to purchase six new bronze bells for the church, which were consecrated in June 1998.

St. Agatha was extensively renovated in 2010. The work ranged from redesigning the interior painting, renewing the loudspeaker system, repairing the flooring in the central nave to cleaning and voicing the organ. The most noticeable change is the creation of a new Agatha Chapel at the rear of the church, which can seat around 60 people. An artistically designed glass wall separates the area of ​​the chapel from the rest of the church.

  • Exterior view of St. Agatha

  • Hinged high altar St. Agatha

  • Marien Altar with pilgrimage candle

  • Kreuzkapelle with group Lamentation of Christ

  • Leaded glass window with a portrait of St. Felizitas

  • New Agatha Chapel separated by a glass wall

Protestant church

With the construction of the Ruhr-Sieg Railway , Protestant railway and business families also came from Siegerland and Hesse a. a. in the area of ​​Altenhundem, Meggen and Maumke. After the previously founded church association Meggen-Grevenbrück had risen to its own branch congregation in 1861, the foundation stone for a new church was laid on June 29, 1867, and the inauguration took place on November 26, 1868. The church, which is located on the outskirts in Located in the direction of Meggen and its elevated position characterizes the surrounding area, it is the only neo-Romanesque building in Lennestadt and therefore an important testimony to an era of sacral architecture in Germany that is hardly represented in the vicinity of Lennestadt. The construction costs of 13,728 thalers, 12 groschen and 6 pfennigs could be raised through donations from the Gustav-Adolf-Werk and various collecting trips from pastor Rudolf Spennemann and the presbyter. During the Second World War, the church was severely damaged.

During the renovations in 1956, new windows were purchased, whereby the three chancel windows (colored lead glazing) with scenes from the Old Testament (including Moses receiving the 10 commandments), the New Testament (Jesus' baptism, Sermon on the Mount, etc.) and Revelation (Christ as judges of the world, heavenly Jerusalem, etc.) are particularly eye-catching.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the parish fair, extensive renovation work was carried out again in 1968 and various changes were made to the interior according to designs by the architect Wolfgang Kreuter, which give the church its current appearance. A new altar made of shell limestone and behind it a bronze crucifixion group are striking. A new organ was purchased two years earlier. The church has been a listed building since 1987 ; today it belongs to the Protestant parish of Lennestadt-Kirchhundem. For more details on the history, see the article Lennestadt (subsection religion).

The church of the New Apostolic Church is also located in Lindenstrasse .

  • Evangelical Church in Altenhundem

  • Side view from the cemetery

  • Interior organ loft

  • Chancel with crucifixion group

  • Crucifixion group

  • Leaded glass window with motifs from the Old Testament

Economy and Infrastructure

Renovated train station and forecourt (view February 2015)
Wigey industrial park (partial view 2014)
redesigned marketplace (partial view 2014)
newly designed market square (partial view with a view of the parish church)

In the town center there is a wide range of shopping opportunities, which underlines the central character of the place. In October 2007 a new shopping center, the Hundem-Lenne-Center , was opened on a disused part of the extensive railway site . In addition to a multiplex cinema in Olpe and the Attendorner JAC, Altenhundem also had the only cinema in the district for a long time.

The station on the Ruhr-Sieg route was bought and renovated by the city in 2003. Barrier-free access to the platforms has been possible since the end of 2007 . In 2012, the station was recognized as a hiking station . In 2013, Altenhundem station was the first station in South Westphalia to receive an award from the Verkehrsclub Deutschland as a “customer-friendly station”.

In addition, the federal highways 236 (Lennetal) and 517 (Hundemtal) run through Altenhundem.

As in many villages in the Sauerland, the highlight of social life is the shooting festival every year on the second weekend in July, which is combined with a fair on the square in front of the shooting hall.

In the course of redesigning the place to become the center of Lennestadt, many half-timbered houses, some of them typical of the Sauerland, were demolished in the period 1969–1990 to make room for the town hall and new commercial buildings. As a result, the place has lost its village character. Müller's mill from 1721, which was restored in 2002, and the old forge are considered to be one of the few preserved half-timbered houses .

In the Am Wigey area close to the town center , an industrial park was established in 1980 with currently 14 companies. Another commercial area could be built on the site of the former railway depot, 16 companies have settled here since 1994 (as of August 2009). The renovation of the market square and the renovation of the underground car park funded as part of the LenneSchiene project were completed in May 2014.

Famous pepole

  • Heinrich Cordes (born October 10, 1852 in Altenhundem, † April 24, 1917 in Berlin), royal councilor and privy councilor in Berlin, chess composer and poet
  • Wilhelm Schneider-Didam (born May 14, 1869 in Altenhundem, † April 5, 1923 in Düsseldorf), portrait painter of the Düsseldorf School
  • Johannes Cordes (born May 18, 1873 in Altenhundem; † March 1, 1926 in Paderborn), Paderborn cathedral organist and composer
  • Wilhelm Arnoldi (born December 30, 1884 in Siegen, † April 18, 1965 in Altenhundem), relocated to Altenhundem in 1888, ministerial director and initiator of the Hohe Bracht observation tower
  • Johanna Braach (born May 16, 1907 in Altenhundem; † unknown), chief criminal secretary in the time of National Socialism, employee at the “Reich Central Office for Combating Juvenile Crime” and deputy head of the Uckermark girls' concentration camp
  • Helmut Körschgen (* 1923; † August 18, 2002), amateur actor, known from the Helge Schneider films Texas - Doc Snyder keeps the world in suspense and 00 Schneider - Hunt for Nihil Baxter , buried in the Catholic cemetery of Altenhundem
  • Harald Skorepa (* 1952), German musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, psychotherapist and author
  • Dieter Wild (born January 10, 1931 in Altenhundem; † April 13, 2019 in Uelzen), journalist and deputy editor-in-chief of the news magazine Der Spiegel

Panoramic view of Altenhundem

View of Altenhundem from the tower of the Hohe Bracht, on the left the Maria Königin monastery

literature

  • Wilhelm Liese : History of the parish Kirchhundem and its daughter parishes Altenhundem, Heinsberg, Kohlhagen . Bonifacius printing works, Paderborn 1920.

Web links

Commons : Altenhundem  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Information from the city of Lennestadt
  2. ↑ cf. Günther Becker: Altenhundem - from the farming village to the center of Lennestadt. In: Schützenverein Altenhundem 1861 eV (Ed.): 1861-2011, 150 years Schützenverein Altenhundem. Lennestadt-Altenhundem 2010, p. 28
  3. ↑ cf. Michael Flöer: The place names of the district of Olpe. Westphalian Place Name Book (WOB), Publishing House for Regional History, Bielefeld 2014, pp. 138–141
  4. ↑ The population of the Electoral Cologne Sauerland in 1543 (Treasury register 1543, p. 27 f.) ( Memento from October 3, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ cf. Günther Becker: Altenhundem - from the farming village to the center of Lennestadt. In: Schützenverein Altenhundem 1861 eV (Ed.): 1861-2011, 150 years Schützenverein Altenhundem. Lennestadt-Altenhundem 2010, pp. 30, 31
  6. ↑ Günther Becker, Hans Mieles: Bilstein. Country castle and place. Contributions to the history of the Lennestadt area and the former rule of Bilstein. Lennestadt 1975, pp. 58, 236
  7. ↑ Stadtmarketing Lennestadt e. V. (Ed.): Lennestadt. A place to live. Lennestadt 2008, pp. 136, 137
  8. ↑ cf. Günther Becker: Altenhundem - from the farming village to the center of Lennestadt. In: Schützenverein Altenhundem 1861 eV (Ed.): 1861-2011, 150 years Schützenverein Altenhundem. Lennestadt-Altenhundem 2010, pp. 40, 51, 74
  9. ↑ cf. Günther Becker: Altenhundem - from the farming village to the center of Lennestadt. In: Schützenverein Altenhundem 1861 eV (Ed.): 1861-2011, 150 years Schützenverein Altenhundem. Lennestadt-Altenhundem 2010, pp. 39, 41, 52
  10. ↑ Stadtmarketing Lennestadt e. V. (Ed.): Lennestadt. A place to live. Lennestadt 2008, p. 138 ff.
  11. ^ Günther Becker: Altenhundem - from the farming village to the center of Lennestadt. In: Schützenverein Altenhundem 1861 eV (Ed.): 1861-2011, 150 years Schützenverein Altenhundem. Lennestadt-Altenhundem 2010, pp. 46, 47
  12. ↑ 50 years of Hohe Bracht. Series of publications of the district of Olpe, issue 1, Olpe 1980, p. 30
  13. ^ Günther Becker: Altenhundem - from the farming village to the center of Lennestadt. In: Schützenverein Altenhundem 1861 eV (Ed.): 1861-2011, 150 years Schützenverein Altenhundem. Lennestadt-Altenhundem 2010, pp. 60, 61 and 64
  14. ^ Günther Becker: Altenhundem - from the farming village to the center of Lennestadt. In: Schützenverein Altenhundem 1861 eV (Ed.): 1861-2011, 150 years Schützenverein Altenhundem. Lennestadt-Altenhundem 2010, pp. 68, 69 and 71
  15. ↑ Martin Bünermann: The communities of the first reorganization program in North Rhine-Westphalia . Deutscher Gemeindeverlag, Cologne 1970, p. 90 .
  16. ↑ Stadtmarketing Lennestadt e. V. (Ed.): Lennestadt. A place to live. Lennestadt 2008, p. 63
  17. ↑ see also: Otto Höffer, Ralf Breer: Churches and chapels in Attendorn, Lennestadt and Kirchhundem. Attendorn 1999, pp. 62, 63
  18. ↑ St. Agatha is reopened. Westfalenpost, local edition of December 18, 2010
  19. ^ Otto Höffer, Ralf Breer: Churches and chapels in Attendorn, Lennestadt and Kirchhundem. Attendorn 1999, pp. 68, 69.
  20. ↑ Press release (October 17, 2012; PDF; 10 kB) of the NRW Ministry of Transport , accessed on October 21, 2012.
  21. ^ [1] Railway station award by the Verkehrsclub Deutschland in 2013
  22. ↑ Lennestadt - Rathausreport, 3rd edition August 2009, p. 3