| Type: | Stadt |
| Waltrop | |
| Image Coa: | DEU Waltrop COA.svg |
| Coordinates: | 51.6167°N 30°W |
| Image Plan: | Waltrop in RE.svg |
| State: | Nordrhein-Westfalen |
| Region: | Münster |
| District: | Recklinghausen |
| Elevation: | 67 |
| Area: | 46.98 |
| Postal Code: | 45731 |
| Area Code: | 02309, 02363 (Oberwiese) |
| Licence: | RE |
| Gemeindeschlüssel: | 05 5 62 036 |
| Mayor: | Marcel Mittelbach[1] |
| Leader Term: | 2020 - 25 |
| Party: | SPD |
Waltrop (pronounced as /de/ is a town in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the Datteln-Hamm Canal, approximately 15 km east of Recklinghausen and 15 km north-west of Dortmund.
The town of Waltrop is surrounded by the Bauerschaften (rural boroughs) Lippe (Unterlippe/Oberlippe), Elmenhorst, Brockenscheidt, Leveringhausen, Oberwiese and Holthausen.
People already settled in this area about 2,000 years ago.
The village developed around the parish church of St. Peter which was built in the 9th/10th century.It is known that in 1432 Waltrop was a part of the county Dortmund. After the Soest Feud, the archbishops of Cologne could intervene against the counts of Mark, so that Waltrop became a part of Vest Recklinghausen.
The production of coal in the mine started in 1905. As a consequence, Waltrop grew larger and became an industrial town. One coal mine was closed down in 1979, the other closed in 1992.
In 1939, Waltrop got its municipal rights.
The town council of Waltrop consists of 36 seats, which are divided into 6 parliamentary groups since September 2020:
Since 2020 Marcel Mittelbach (SPD) is mayor of Waltrop.
Waltrop is home to a museum of old ship lifts, including the Henrichenburg boat lift and a historical coal mine, called Zeche Waltrop.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany. Waltrop is twinned with:[2]
Herne Bay, United Kingdom (1976)
Cesson-Sévigné, France (1984)
San Miguelito, Nicaragua (1988)
Görele, Turkey (2012)