Hagen

Hagen is a city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the southeastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme meet the Ruhr. In 2010, the population was 188,529.

The city is home to the FernUniversität Hagen (University of Hagen), the only state-funded distance education university in Germany.

History
The Hagen region first appears in historical records in the Lorsch Annals (Annales Laureshamenses): In 775, Charlemagne's troops conquered the Saxon Hohensyburg (then called Sigiburg) castle located near the city limits of Dortmund above the Ruhr-Lenne estuary.

Hagen itself was first mentioned around the year 1200, and is presumed to have been the name of a farm at the confluence of the Volme and the Ennepe rivers. After the conquest of Burg Volmarstein in 1324, Hagen passed to the County of Mark. After the Treaty of Xanten in 1614, it was granted to the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which became part of the newly founded Kingdom of Prussia in 1701.

A major fire destroyed a significant part of Hagen's buildings in 1724. With the help of the Prussian state administration, Hagen was rebuilt within a short time.

Hagen was granted town privileges on 3 September 1746.

After the defeat of Prussia in the Fourth Coalition, Hagen was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Berg founded by France from 1807 to 1813. It became part of the new Prussian province of Westphalia after the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

During the German Empire from 1871 to 1914, Hagen experienced a period of prosperity. Through urbanisation and industrialisation of the 19th century, the city developed into the main centre for the entire region south of the river Ruhr. In 1887, Hagen was administratively separated from the district of Hagen and became an independent city (urban district).

In the years following the turn of the century, the banker and patron Karl Ernst Osthaus brought many later important architects to the city, including Henry van de Velde, Peter Behrens and Walter Gropius. They established Hagen's reputation as a link between Art Nouveau and Modernism (Hagener Impul). The centrepiece of this initiative was the Folkwang Museum and the (only partially built) garden city of Hohenhagen (Gartenstadt Hohenhagen).

In reaction to the Kapp Putsch in March 1920, when rightists tried to overthrow the elected government and set up an authoritarian regime, tens of thousands of leftist workers in the Ruhr Valley, Germany's most important industrial area, rose up in protest. They were known as the Red Ruhr Army.

Thousands of workers went on strike and fought during the Ruhr Uprising, 13 March – 2 April 1920. Government and paramilitary forces were ordered against the workers, suppressing the uprising, and killing an estimated 1,000 workers. A memorial to the uprising was installed in Hagen.

By 1928, Hagen had developed into a city of more than 100,000 inhabitants.

During World War II, Hagen was bombed repeatedly, by both the Royal Air Force and the United States Eighth Air Force. On the night of 1 October 1943, 243 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitoes from the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command attacked the city. According to the Bomber Command Campaign Diary, "This raid was a complete success achieved on a completely cloud-covered target of small size, with only a moderate bomber effort and at trifling cost." Hagen sustained severe damage from that raid, and hundreds of civilians were killed. After the war, the city centre was almost completely destroyed, so that only the surrounding districts still partially reflect the city's Wilhelminian architectural character.

In April 1945, the US Army liberated the city, which was later part of the British occupation zone. In August 1948, Hagen was included in the new state of North Rhine-Westphalia and soon became part of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, also known as West Germany), founded in 1949.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hagen experienced another stormy growth and mainly elted into the flatter, northern plain.

Recent discoveries
In August 2021, discovery of a cache of Nazi artifacts from a house was announced. A history teacher revealed a painted portrait of Adolf Hitler and medals decorated with eagles and swastikas, a newspaper from 1945, a pistol, gas masks, brass knuckles, and stacks of documents. It is also found out that the house once served as the headquarters of the Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt.

Economy
Owing to the extensive use of water power along the rivers Ruhr, Lenne, Volme and Ennepe, metal processing played an important role in the region of Hagen in and even before the 15th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, textile and steel industries, as well as paper production were developed here.

In the early 21st century, Hagen is the home of the Suedwestfaelische Industrie- und Handelskammer, as well as Sparkasse Hagen, the local public savings bank. The bank's former headquarters, the Sparkasse Hagen Tower, was a regional landmark until its demolition in 2004.

The city is heavily indebted and in the process of cutting city services in order to balance its budget.

The city has capitalized on the export of a wide variety of breads, most notably Hagenschmagenbrot, a traditional dark bread.

Education
One of the five branches of South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences is located in the city (also: Fachhochschule Südwestfalen (FH SWF)), which offers various engineering programmes. This institution was founded in the city in 1824.

Attractions
Hagen is home to the LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen, or Hagen Westphalian Open-Air Museum, a collection of historic industrial facilities. Trades such as printing, brewing, smithing, milling, and many others are represented, not only with static displays, but as living, working operations that visitors may in some cases participate in. It is located near the Hagen community of Eilpe.

The Historisches Centrum Hagen includes the city museum and Werdringen castle. In the Blätterhöhle cave in Hagen, the oldest fossils of modern people in Westphalia and the Ruhr were found. Some date to the early Mesolithic, 10,700 years B.C.E. It seems that the descendants of Mesolithic people in this area maintained a foraging lifestyle for more than 2000 years after the arrival of farming societies.

Boroughs


some localities of Hagen:
 * Hagen-Dahl
 * Hagen-Emst
 * Hagen-Priorei
 * Hagen-Rummenohl
 * Hagen-Halden

Demographics
The following table shows the largest foreign resident groups in the city of Hagen.

Bundestag
Part of the Hagen – Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis I constituency for elections to the Bundestag

Mayor
The current Mayor of Hagen is independent Erik O. Schulz, elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

! colspan=2| Candidate ! Party ! Votes ! % ! colspan=3| Valid votes ! 60,884 ! 98.1 ! colspan=3| Invalid votes ! 1,156 ! 1.9 ! colspan=3| Total ! 62,040 ! 100.0 ! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout ! 147,361 ! 42.1
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Erik O. Schulz
 * align=left| Independent (CDU/Green/FDP)
 * 31,086
 * 51.1
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Wolfgang Jörg
 * align=left| Social Democratic Party
 * 15,547
 * 25.5
 * align=left| Josef Bücker
 * align=left| Hagen Active
 * 5,214
 * 8.6
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Michael Eiche
 * align=left| Alternative for Germany
 * 5,197
 * 8.5
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Laura Knüppel
 * align=left| Die PARTEI
 * 1,704
 * 2.8
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Ingo Hentschel
 * align=left| The Left
 * 1,534
 * 2.5
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Thorsten Kiszkenow
 * align=left| Pirate Party Germany
 * 420
 * 0.7
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Franco Flebus
 * align=left| The Republicans
 * 182
 * 0.3
 * align=left| Pirate Party Germany
 * 420
 * 0.7
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Franco Flebus
 * align=left| The Republicans
 * 182
 * 0.3
 * 0.3
 * colspan=7| Source: State Returning Officer
 * }
 * }

The following is a list of mayors since 1946:
 * 1946–1956: Fritz Steinhoff (SPD)
 * 1956–1963: Helmut Turck (SPD)
 * 1963–1964: Fritz Steinhoff (SPD)
 * 1964–1971: Lothar Wrede (SPD)
 * 1971–1989: Rudolf Loskand (SPD)
 * 1989:     Renate Löchter (SPD)
 * 1989–1999: Dietmar Thieser (SPD)
 * 1999–2004: Wilfried Horn (CDU)
 * 2004–2009: Peter Demnitz (SPD)
 * 2009–2014: Jörg Dehm (CDU)
 * since 2014: Erik O. Schulz (independent)

City council
The Hagen 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:

! colspan=2| Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- ! colspan=2| Valid votes ! 61,116 ! 98.7 ! ! ! ! colspan=2| Invalid votes ! 825 ! 1.3 ! ! ! ! colspan=2| Total ! 61,941 ! 100.0 ! ! 52 ! 10 ! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout ! 147,361 ! 42.0 ! 3.1 ! !
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
 * 16,813
 * 27.5
 * 4.5
 * 14
 * 6
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Social Democratic Party (SPD)
 * 15,573
 * 25.5
 * 7.3
 * 13
 * 8
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)
 * 8,114
 * 13.3
 * 4.3
 * 7
 * 1
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Alternative for Germany (AfD)
 * 5,692
 * 9.3
 * 5.6
 * 5
 * 3
 * align=left| Hagen Active (HA)
 * 4,186
 * 6.8
 * 1.3
 * 4
 * 1
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Free Democratic Party (FDP)
 * 2,829
 * 4.6
 * 1.0
 * 2
 * ±0
 * align=left| Citizens for Hohenlimburg (BfHo)
 * 2,066
 * 3.4
 * 1.1
 * 2
 * 1
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| The Left (Die Linke)
 * 1,762
 * 2.9
 * 1.4
 * 2
 * 1
 * align=left| Hagen Activist Circle (HAK)
 * 1,740
 * 2.8
 * New
 * 2
 * New
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Die PARTEI (PARTEI)
 * 1,692
 * 2.8
 * New
 * 1
 * New
 * colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey|
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Pirate Party Germany (Piraten)
 * 436
 * 0.7
 * 0.9
 * 0
 * 1
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| The Republicans (REP)
 * 194
 * 0.3
 * New
 * 0
 * New
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Independents
 * 19
 * 0.0
 * 0
 * 0.9
 * 0
 * 1
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| The Republicans (REP)
 * 194
 * 0.3
 * New
 * 0
 * New
 * bgcolor=|
 * align=left| Independents
 * 19
 * 0.0
 * 0
 * 0.0
 * 0
 * 0
 * colspan=7| Source: State Returning Officer
 * }
 * }

Transport
The Autobahnen A1, A45 and A46 pass by Hagen.

Hagen has been an important rail junction for the southeastern Ruhr valley since the first rail line opened in 1848. The marshalling yard of Hagen-Vorhalle is among Germany's largest, and the central station offers connections to the ICE network of Deutsche Bahn as well as to local and S-Bahn services. Since December 2005, Hagen has also been the starting point for a service into Essen, the Ruhr-Lenne-Express, operated by Abellio Deutschland. Since 2022, it has been operated by DB Regio.

Local traffic is handled by Hagener Straßenbahn (Hagen Tramways), which, despite its name, offers only bus services, as the last tramway route in Hagen was abandoned in May 1976. All in all there is a large-scale network of 36 bus lines in Hagen. All local rail and bus services operate under the transport association VRR.

Sport
The German Basketball Federation (DBB) is based in Hagen.

Sport clubs in Hagen:
 * TSV Hagen 1860 - largest club (multiple fistball champions)
 * SSV Hagen (1974 basketball champions), later known as Brandt Hagen
 * SSV Hagen, a sport club for football, cycling, jiu-jitsu, weightlifting and jazzdance. The football team plays its home matches in the Ischelandstadion.
 * Phoenix Hagen, Basketball Bundesliga - ENERVIE Arena im Sportpark Ischeland
 * Hasper SV
 * Hohenlimburger SV (multiple women water polo champions)

Hagen is also famous of its annual equestrian show 'Horses & Dreams' in April at Hof Kasselmann. It is one of the greatest equestrian shows in Germany and abroad. In 2005 they were the host of the European Dressage Championships after Moscow withdrew. In 2021 Hagen is again host of the 2021 European Dressage Championships for seniors and U25.

Twin towns – sister cities
Hagen is twinned with:
 * 🇫🇷 Liévin, France (1960)
 * 🇫🇷 Montluçon, France (1965)
 * 🇩🇪 Steglitz-Zehlendorf (Berlin), Germany (1967)
 * 🇦🇹 Bruck an der Mur, Austria (1974)
 * 🇷🇺 Smolensk, Russia (1985)
 * 🇮🇱 Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Israel (1997)

Notable people

 * Artur Axmann (1913–1996), politician (NSDAP) and Reichsjugendführer
 * Freddy Breck (1942–2008), percussionist
 * Heinrich Brocksieper (1898–1968), painter and photographer, experimental filmmaker and former Bauhaus student
 * Franz Bronstert (1895–1967), painter
 * Wilhelm Böing (born 1846), father of William E. Boeing, founder of the Boeing aviation company
 * Georg von Detten (1887–1934), Nazi Party politician and SA-Gruppenführer
 * Hansheinrich Dransmann (1894–1964), conductor, composer
 * René Eidams (born 1989), darts player
 * Liselotte Funcke (1918–2012), liberal politician, vice president of federal parliament, state Minister of Economy in North Rhine-Westphalia, Federal Commissioner for Foreigners
 * Jan-Ole Gerster (born 1978), film director and screenwriter
 * Mousse T. (Mustafa Gündogdu) (born 1966), DJ, musician, remixer and producer
 * Karl Halle (1819–1895), also known as Sir Charles Hallé, pianist, composer and orchestra conductor
 * Friedrich Harkort (1793–1880), railway and industrial pioneer and politician (German Progressive Party)
 * Bettina Hauert (born 1982), professional golfer
 * Annette Humpe (born 1950), music producer, singer of the bands Ideal and Ich + Ich
 * Claus Jacobi (politician) (born 1971), politician (SPD), mayor of Gevelsberg
 * Nena (Gabriele Susanne Kerner) (born 1960), pop singer
 * Mambo Kurt (born 1967), musician and solo entertainer
 * Will Lammert (1892–1957), sculptor
 * Ernst Meister (1911–1979), lyricist, radio playwright, narrator and theater author
 * Erwin Milzkott (1913–1986), violinist
 * Barbara Morgenstern (born 1971), musician
 * Hans Nieland (1900–1976), politician (NSDAP)
 * Karl Ernst Osthaus (1874–1921), banker and patron of avant-garde art and architecture
 * Hugo Paul (1905–1962), politician (KPD)
 * Hans Reichel (1949–2011), guitarist, violinist, instrument maker and typographer
 * Herbert Reinecker (1914–2007), writer and screenwriter
 * Nicholas Rescher (born 1928), philosopher
 * Eugen Richter (1838–1906), politician (German Progressive Party)
 * Jürgen Schläder (born 1948), musicologist
 * Emil Schumacher (1912–1999), painter (abstract art)
 * Hugo Siepmann (1868-1950), industrialist
 * Fritz Steinhoff (1897–1969), politician (SPD)
 * Georg von Vincke (1811–1875), politician
 * Antje Vowinckel (born 1964), sound artist, radio artist and musician.
 * Burkhart Waldecker (1902–1964), explorer
 * Henning Wehn (born 1974), comedian
 * Rotraut Wisskirchen (1936–2018), Biblical archaeologist