Neunkirchen (Siegerland)

Neunkirchen
Coat of arms of Neunkirchen Coat of arms
Neunkirchen
Location of Neunkirchen within Siegen-Wittgenstein district
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Arnsberg
District	Siegen-Wittgenstein
Government
• Mayor	Bernhard Baumann
Area
• Total	39.6 km2 (15.3 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)
• Total	13,638
• Density	340/km2 (890/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	57290
Dialling codes	02735
Vehicle registration	SI
Website	www.neunkirchen-siegerland.de

Neunkirchen (English: Nine Churches) is a municipality in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Geography

Neunkirchen lies on the river Heller, about 10 km south of Siegen.

Neighbouring communities

Neunkirchen neighbours the communities of Burbach, Wilnsdorf, Herdorf and Daaden.

Constituent communities

File:Stadtgliederung Neunkirchen (Siegerland).png

Constituent communities

Neunkirchen consists of the following centres:

• Altenseelbach
• Neunkirchen
• Salchendorf
• Struthütten
• Wiederstein
• Zeppenfeld

Until 1 January 1969 all these places were independent municipalities, before they were all merged to form today's greater community of Neunkirchen.

History

Neunkirchen had its first documentary mention on 23 August 1288.

Religion

Neunkirchen has been shaped by the great influence of various Free-Church-Evangelical (freikirchlich-evangelisch) religious communities. This even, and especially, applies to the economic field, making its mark on the kind of approaches to management seen in the community. This practice works anachronistically, and for uninitiated atheists – and even for Christians of both greater denominations in Germany – it can be quite incomprehensible. Those from outside seeking jobs are well advised to make inquiries as to the leadership style to be expected here, as well as to be sure of getting the most generous possible probationary period.

Politics

Municipal council

The council's 28 seats are apportioned thus, in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 September 2004:

	CDU	SPD	Greens	FDP	UWG	total
2004	8	11	1	3	5	28

Note: UWG is a citizens' coalition.

Coat of arms

Neunkirchen's civic coat of arms might be described thus: Or three lozenges in bend sable.

The greater community's current arms are the same as those formerly borne by Altenseelbach before amalgamation. They were adopted as Neunkirchen's arms in 1969. The charge of the three lozenges comes from the arms borne by the Lords of Seelbach in the Middle Ages. A similar charge – in the same colours – can be seen in nearby Burbach's arms.[1]

Partnerships

• Pausa, Saxony, since 1990
• Gainsborough, United Kingdom, friendship links since 1972; partnership since 1991

Economy and infrastructure

Established businesses

• Heinrich Baumgarten KG – special plant for making handles for the cookware industry
• Baumgarten automotive technics GmbH
• Schäfer Werke
• EMW Eisen- und Metallhandel
• Karl Sauer GmbH
• K. Sauer GmbH - lamps and contents
• F. WEIDT GMBH Logistics Consulting

Literature

Otto Braun: 700 Jahre Neunkirchen. Neunkirchen 1988.

External links

• Neunkirchen (German)
• Altenseelbach (German)