Steinheim, Westphalia Explained

Type:Stadt
Steinheim
Image Coa:Wappen Steinheim.svg
Coordinates:51.8658°N 9.0944°W
Image Plan:Steinheim in HX.svg
State:Nordrhein-Westfalen
Region:Detmold
District:Höxter
Elevation:180
Area:75.68
Postal Code:32839
Area Code:05233
Licence:HX
Gemeindeschlüssel:05 7 62 032
Divisions:9
Website:www.steinheim.de
Mayor:Carsten Torke[1]
Leader Term:2020 - 25
Party:CDU

Steinheim (Low German; Low Saxon; German, Low; Saxon, Low: Staime) is a town in Höxter district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

The middle centre of Steinheim forms the economic, cultural and social hub of the Steinheimer Börde, one of the main territories of the old Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn. This territory was known as Wethi-Weizengau in Saxon times. Particularly scenic are the foothills of the Eggegebirge.

Geography

Location

Steinheim lies roughly 15 km southeast of Detmold. The town belongs to the district of Höxter and is situated in the north-eastern part of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Constituent communities

The greater town of Steinheim consists of the main town of Steinheim and eight outlying villages:

History

Steinheim was granted town rights in 1275 by Simon I, Bishop of Paderborn.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/s/steinhei.htm

Main sights

Cultural events

Politics

Town council

Town council's 26 seats are apportioned as follows, in accordance with municipal elections held on 26 September 2004:

Note: UWG is a citizens' coalition.

Mayors

At the 2015 municipal elections, the new mayor Carsten Torke (CDU) was elected with an absolute majority, succeeding the previous mayor Joachim Franzke (CDU). Torke was re-elected in 2020.

Coat of arms

Steinheim's civic coat of arms might heraldically be described thus: In argent a wall with three crenellated towers, the middle tower higher than the two flanking, gules, in the wall below the middle tower a gate Or.

Steinheim's oldest town seal, from the 15th century, shows the wall with the three towers, but not the gate. The wall and towers have figured on all seals since that time, but some seals showed the gate, and others did not. Arms were officially granted the town on 23 March 1908, and showed only the wall and towers, not the gate. On 22 March 1971, the town adopted a new coat of arms whose composition was roughly the same, but it included a narrow green chief (stripe across the top). These arms soon yielded to the present arms when a disagreement arose over the new arms, with the council opposing the new blazon that included the green chief.

The current arms were adopted on 3 July 1972.http://www.ngw.nl/int/dld/s/steinhei.htm

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

Owing to Steinheim's advantageous location on the north-south-running East Westphalia Road (Ostwestfalenstraße), otherwise known as Federal Highway (Bundesstraße) B252, connections to the B1 (Paderborn-Ruhr area) and Autobahnen A 2 (Hanover-Ruhr area) and A 44 (Dortmund-Kassel) are right at hand.

Steinheim can also be reached by rail throughout the day, with hourly trains from both Hanover and Paderborn.

Education

Steinheim has several kindergartens and daycare centres, two primary schools, one special school, a Realschule and a Gymnasium. Till 2011 Steinheim also had a Hauptschule.

Town partnerships

Steinheim maintains partnership links with the following places [2] https://web.archive.org/web/20060714044118/http://www.steinheim.de/uploads/download/flyer_mai_05_web.pdf:

References

  1. https://www.wahlergebnisse.nrw/kommunalwahlen/2020/index_bm.shtml Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020
  2. Web site: Kalemie.

External links