Recklinghausen

Recklinghausen is a city in Germany. It is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area. The city is also the capital of the Recklinghausen district.

The city borders the rural Münsterland. The north of Recklinghausen has large fields and farms. The south is more industrial.

Recklinghausen is the 60th-largest city in Germany and the 22nd-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia.

History

Recklinghausen was first mentioned in the year 1017. By 1236, it became a town. Over time, it changed hands many times and faced hard times during wars.

During its history, Recklinghausen had difficult times related to old beliefs. In World War II, the city was bombed because it had important oil supplies. After that, it was taken over by soldiers from the United States.

Main sights

Recklinghausen has a special museum for icons. It has more than 1,000 important pieces from Russia, Greece, and the Balkan countries, as well as early Coptic Christian art from Egypt. This museum is the largest of its kind outside these areas. It started in 1956 and reopened after updates in February 2006 to celebrate its 50th year.

The Ruhrfestspielhaus (Ruhr Festival Theatre) was remodeled in 2001 and won a German Architecture Award. Inside, you can see "Die Liegende Nr 5," a famous sculpture by Henry Moore. At the Lohtor, in front of a memorial for those who suffered in World War I, stands a large sculpture made from over 30,000 bricks created by Per Kirkeby.

Annual events

Recklinghausen has a big cultural event called the Ruhrfestspiele. It is known all over the world. Every year, starting on May 1st, there are many plays and shows from different countries. The main stage is the Ruhrfestspielhaus, but nearby theatres also take part.

Transport

Recklinghausen has two major roads called motorways: the A2 and the A43. The city is connected to bigger water paths by the Rhein-Herne-Kanal. There are two train stations in Recklinghausen. The main one is called the Central Station (Recklinghausen Hauptbahnhof). It has fast trains like Intercity and EuroCity services. The other station is the South Station (Recklinghausen Südbahnhof).

The city also has two train lines that are part of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn. One line, S 2, goes to Dortmund through Herne and Castrop-Rauxel. The other line, S 9, goes to Hagen through Gladbeck, Bottrop, Essen, Velbert, and Wuppertal.

Politics

Mayor

Axel Tschersich is the current mayor of Recklinghausen. He belongs to the Social Democratic Party. The last mayoral election took place on 14 September 2025.

City council

The Recklinghausen city council works together with the mayor to guide the city. The most recent city council election happened on 13 September 2020.

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Recklinghausen has friendly connections with several cities around the world. These include:

• Acre, Israel
• Bytom, Poland
• Dordrecht, Netherlands
• Douai, France
• Preston, England, United Kingdom
• Schmalkalden, Germany

Notable people

Recklinghausen has been home to many famous people. Some well-known names are:

• Louis Engelbert, 6th Duke of Arenberg (1750–1820), a prince of Recklinghausen
• Prosper Louis, 7th Duke of Arenberg (1785–1861), the second prince of Recklinghausen
• Erich Bödeker (1904–1971), an artist
• Walter Giller (1927–2011), an actor
• Karl Ridderbusch (1932–1997), an opera singer
• Ursula Dirichs (born 1935), an actress
• Rosemarie Koczy (1939–2007), an artist and teacher
• Klaus Schulten (1947–2016), a scientist who studied living things
• Renate Künast (born 1955), a politician with Alliance 90/The Greens
• Ralf Möller (born 1959), an actor
• Ludger Pistor (born 1959), an actor
• Hape Kerkeling (born 1964), a comedian and writer
• Steffen Brand (born 1965), a runner
• Martin Max (born 1968), a footballer
• Mark Dragunski (born 1970), a handball player
• Moguai (born 1973), a DJ and music producer
• Frank Busemann (born 1975), an athlete who competed in ten events
• Thomas Godoj (born 1978), a singer from Poland and Germany who won Deutschland sucht den Superstar
• Nina Jazy (born 2005), a swimmer
• Ayliva (born 1998), a singer

Mayors since 1809

Bürgermeister

• 1809–1833: Alois Joseph Wulff
• 1833–1839: Peter Banniza
• 1840–1842: Karl Boelmann
• 1843–1850: Franz Bracht
• 1854–1890: Friedrich Hagemann
• 1890–1899: Alexander Rensing

Oberbürgermeister

• 1899–1904: Albert von Bruchhausen
• 1904–1919: Peter Heuser
• 1919–1931: Sulpiz Hamm
• 1932–1939: Fritz Niemeyer
• 1939–1945: Fritz Emil Irrgang, NSDAP
• 1945–1946: Josef Hellermann, CDU
• 1946–1948: Wilhelm Bitter, CDU
• 1948–1952: Joseph Dünnebacke, CDU
• 1952–1972: Heinrich Auge, SPD
• 1972–1984: Erich Wolfram, SPD

Bürgermeister

• 1984–1987: Erich Wolfram, SPD
• 1987–1998: Jochen Welt, SPD

Hauptamtliche Bürgermeister

• 1998–1999: Peter Borggraefe, SPD
• 1999–2014: Wolfgang Pantförder, CDU
• 2014–2026: Christoph Tesche, CDU