Online-Card - Rüthen

Rüthen is the biggest community in land area in the south-eastern part of the district of Soest and in addition to the town itself it consists of a further 14 villages. A range of hills called the „Haarstrang“ forms the dividing line between two major areas, the Münsterland in the north and the Sauerland in the south. The 800-jear-old town-on-the-hill, which was also in the Hanseatic League, is a popular recreational destination owing to its position on the upper reaches of the Möhne and the thickly wooded surroundings. Its 4,000 hectares of woodland makes it the third biggest of its kind in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Here the visitor can enjoy nature, history and culture at first hand.

Present-day Rüthen is a small country town which boasts a variety of different establishments ranging from a junior school, a secondary modern school, a grammar school, numerous sports facilities and a community centre to a mixed bag of industrial and manufacturing businesses as well as retail outlets. The town of Rüthen is an important centre for education and business in the south east of the Soest district.

From 1450 onwards Rüthen was one of the most important towns in the dukedom of Westphalia and was actively engaged in county politics as the representative of the Curia. Between 1650 and 1750 Rüthen was the building centre for the surrounding area. This was due to the green sandstone quarried in Rüthen which was highly prized by the master builders and stonemasons. Furthermore, many craftsmen builders and artists came to Rüthen from abroad. Important buildings bear witness to the town`s history. The oldest parts of the three-kilometer-long town wall and its fortifications (the Hachtor, the Witches` Tower and numerous tower remnants) date from around 1300.