Volkringhausen
| Balve | ||
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Balve town centre in 2007
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 Balve
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Location of Balve within Märkischer Kreis district
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| Coordinates: 51°20′0″N 07°52′0″E / 51.33333°N 7.86667°ECoordinates: 51°20′0″N 07°52′0″E / 51.33333°N 7.86667°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
| Admin. region | Arnsberg | |
| District | Märkischer Kreis | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Hubertus Mühling (CDU) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 74.76 km2 (28.86 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 240 - 546 m (−1,551 ft) | |
| Population (2015-12-31) | ||
| • Total | 11,602 | |
| • Density | 160/km2 (400/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 58802 | |
| Dialling codes | 02375 | |
| Vehicle registration | MK | |
| Website | www.balve.de | |
Balve is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in Hönnetal, a narrow valley created by the river Hönne, which is near the Sorpe Dam, formerly part of Balve, and at the north end of the Sauerland, near Dortmund. The town was established in 1975 with several divisions including Balve, Beckum and Eisborn and Garbeck.
The first disputed reference to Balve was in around 780, when it was mentioned that a Widukind owned a farm called Ballowa, another name for the town. The first undisputed reference was in 864, in which a blind girl from Balve was said to be healed at the grave of the Saint Ludger in the crypt of Werden Abbey.
Ballowa is also mentioned in the Thidrekssaga, a chivalric saga written in the mid-13th century in Norway. In the saga, Ballowa is the home of two dwarfs who taught Weyland much about making iron weapons. At the time of writing, Balve belonged to the county of Arnsberg.
In 1358 the town became the property of the Duchy of Westphalia, which belonged to the Archbishops of Cologne. In 1430 it was given the right to be called a city. During the Napoleonic period, it belonged for a short time (1802–1815) to Hesse, after which time it became part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
In 1975, during a local government reorganization, the city was enlarged by the addition of the several former independent municipalities from the abolished Amt Balve, including Asbeck, Beckum, and Eisborn.
Local organizations include a Red Cross chapter, and the Schützenbruderschaft St. Sebastian Balve, founded in 1947.Primary schools in the town include Grundschule Balve and Grundschule Beckum. Several international companies have roots in the town, including Balver Zinn, Chemie Wocklum, and Kruse Group.
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Wikipedia