City history
When Haltern was granted town rights...
In 1289, Haltern - where an episcopal court had existed since 1169 - was granted town privileges by the Bishop of Münster due to its strategic border location at the Lippe crossing between the Prince-Bishopric of Münster and the Electorate of Cologne. As a result, the town was allowed to fortify itself with high curtain walls, defensive towers and town gates, of which only the Siebenteufelsturm (1502) remains today.
The Old Town Hall, a Gothic building with Renaissance gables and an archway, was built between 1575 and 1577.
Like many towns in Münsterland, Haltern belonged to the Westphalian Hanseatic League from 1554 to 1611 and flourished economically. After secularization and the Napoleonic Wars, the town came to Prussia in 1815 and was incorporated into the province of Westphalia.
Until 1929, the town belonged to the district of Coesfeld and was then assigned to the district of Recklinghausen.
In modern times, water became an essential structural element. Around 1930, the Haltern reservoir was created with a capacity of approx. 20 million cubic meters.
A further dam with a reservoir capacity of 10 million cbm was completed near Hullern in 1985. Haltern water is now used to supply many communities from Duisburg to Münster. The Haltern water and forest landscapes with the lake resort, the silver lakes and a wide range of sports and leisure facilities are an annual destination for countless recreation seekers from near and far and are rightly regarded as the "green lungs of the Ruhr region".
Haltern am See is also a well-known place of pilgrimage. The "Haltern Cross", a 14th century Passion cross in the parish church of St. Sixtus, is particularly revered and is carried through the streets in a festive procession during the annual "Haltern Cross Procession" on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. There has also been a pilgrimage to Annaberg with the pilgrimage church of St. Anna since 1689.
If you are interested in the detailed history or specific historical events of the individual districts or the town center, please contact the town archive, Mr. Husmann, telephone 02364/933-104.
Impressions from the old town
