Castrop-Rauxel

Castrop-Rauxel
File:Castrop-Stadtmittelpunkt.jpg
Coat of arms of Castrop-Rauxel
Castrop-Rauxel is located in Germany Castrop-Rauxel Castrop-Rauxel
Location of the town of Castrop-Rauxel within Recklinghausen district 240x240px
Coordinates	51°33′N 7°19′E{{#coordinates:51|33	7|19	type:city(76008)_region:DE-NW	primary	name= }}
Administration
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Recklinghausen
Town subdivisions	15
Mayor	Johannes Beisenherz (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	51.66 km2 (19.95 sq mi)
Elevation	98 m  (322 ft)
Population	76,008  (30 June 2009)
- Density	1,471 /km2 (3,811 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	RE
Postal codes	44575–44581
Area codes	02305, 02367 (Henrichenburg)
Website	(German language)

Castrop-Rauxel (German pronunciation: [ˈkastʁɔpˈʁaʊksəl]) is a former mining city in the eastern part of the Ruhr Area.

Geography

Castrop-Rauxel is between Dortmund to the east, Bochum (south), Herne (west), and to the north, Recklinghausen, Datteln and Waltrop.

Urban Area

The urban area of Castrop-Rauxel has a total expanse of 51.66 km² (19.95 sq mi). The Halde Schwerin is marked as the highest point of the city with 147 m over NN, the lowest point is the Pöppinghauser street beside house number 264 with 50.2 m over NN.

The city is divided into 15 districts, listed in order from north to south: Becklem, Henrichenburg, Ickern, Habinghorst, Pöppinghausen, Deininghausen, Rauxel, Bladenhorst, Behringhausen, Castrop, Dingen, Schwerin, Obercastrop, Frohlinde and Merklinde.

The total area of the city divided into different uses (31.12.2010):

Surface	in m²	in %
Buildings and open spaces	16.384.832	31,7%
Operating area	1.497.843	2,9%
Recreation area	2.835.924	5,5%
Traffic area	6.191.789	12,0%
Agricultural land	14.116.843	27,3%
Forest land	7.938.248	15,4%
Water surface	1.941.522	3,8%
Other uses	758.372	1,5%
Total area	51.665.373	100%

Population figures for the individual districts (Stand: 2005):

Districts	Population
Henrichenburg	5.333
Ickern	16.650
Habinghorst, Pöppinghausen	9.970
Deininghausen, Dingen, Rauxel	10.056
Bladenhorst, Rauxel-Nord	6.065
Schwerin	6.672
Behringhausen, Castrop, Obercastrop	16.743
Frohlinde	3.509
Merklinde	2.621

History

First mentioned in 834 as "Villa Castorpe",^{[citation needed]} the city of Castrop was founded in 1902 by merging the municipalities Castrop, Obercastrop and Behringhausen. On April 1, 1926 Castrop-Rauxel was formed when Castrop merged with 10 other municipalities. During World War II, a plant at Castrop-Rauxel used the Bergius process to produce synthetic (German: Ersatz) oil products.

In 1975, the village of Henrichenburg was annexed and Castrop-Rauxel became part of the Recklinghausen (district). In 1984 the last of 7 coal mines at Castrop-Rauxel ("Erin") closed.

Transportation

Castrop-Rauxel has access to three major highways, the Emscherschnellweg A 42,the Sauerlandlinie A 45 and the A 2.
There are 3 railway stations within the city. The central station (Castrop-Rauxel Hauptbahnhof) on the Cologne-Minden Railway is located in the suburb of Rauxel. Connecting Castrop-Rauxel to the western Ruhr cities like Duisburg, Oberhausen, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne and in the east to Dortmund and Hamm. The unmanned stations of Castrop-Rauxel South (Castrop-Rauxel Sued) and Castrop-Rauxel Merklinde on the Emschertalbahn are offering hourly services with trains to Dortmund, Herne and Dorsten. Located in the city centre is the central bus station Muensterplatz. From here passengers can travel to almost all suburbs and to neighboring cities like Herne, Dortmund and Bochum.
The Rhine-Herne Canal runs right through Castrop-Rauxel; Castrop-Rauxel also has a small Yacht club on this body of water.

International relations

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

Castrop-Rauxel is twinned with:

• 25px Wakefield, United Kingdom
• 25px Vincennes, France
• 25px Kuopio, Finland
• 25px Delft, Netherlands
• 25px Zehdenik, Germany

Economy

Castrop-Rauxel has been attempting to change from a former mining city to a city with a modern lifestyle, high recreational value, new economy companies, a 27 hole golf course, and various cultural events.

Culture

The WLT (Westphalian State Theater) is the oldest and most relevant source of theatrical entertainment in Castrop-Rauxel. There is one cinema with two screens in Castrop. Castrop’s history is closely connected to horse racing, the Reiterbrunnen in the very center of Castrop’s market square is a reminder of the race days on the Naturhindernisbahn, now part of the Goldschmieding Park.

References

Notes

da:Castrop-Rauxel