Dülmen

Dülmen
Dülmen
Town
	Dülmen center with Town Hall and Market Square, St. Viktor Church
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of Dülmen within Coesfeld district
	Dülmen Dülmen
	Coordinates: 51°49′51″N 7°16′42″E / 51.83083°N 7.27833°E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Coesfeld
Subdivisions	7
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Carsten Hövekamp (CDU)
Area
• Total	184.49 km2 (71.23 sq mi)
Highest elevation	150 m (490 ft)
Lowest elevation	46 m (151 ft)
Population (2023-12-31)
• Total	47,937
• Density	260/km2 (670/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	48249
Dialling codes	02594 (some districts differ)
Vehicle registration	COE
Website	www.duelmen.de

Dülmen (German pronunciation: [ˈdʏlmən] ^ⓘ) is a town in the district of Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Geography

Dülmen is situated in the south part of the Münsterland area, between the Lippe river to the south, the Baumberge hills to the north and the Ems river to the east. South of Dülmen the Ruhr area is located.

Neighbouring municipalities

Divisions

Town Hall and Market Square

After the local government reforms of 1975 Dülmen consists of the 7 subdivisions Dülmen, Kirchspiel, Buldern, Hausdülmen, Hiddingsel, Merfeld and Rorup.

Merfeld was first mentioned in 890. It became a part of Dülmen in 1975. It is known for its herd of Dülmen Ponies. Rorup was first mentioned in 1050 and became a district of Dülmen in 1975.

History

The place was first mentioned as Dulmenni in 889, as a property of Werden Abbey. Dülmen received town privileges in 1311. It joined the Hanseatic League in 1470. It was part of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster until it was mediatised in 1803. After a short period in the hands of the House of Croÿ, and later part of the Duchy of Arenberg, it was taken by the French in 1811. After the defeat of Napoleon, it became part of the Prussian Province of Westphalia. The Dülmen oil plant was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II: 90% of the city was destroyed^{[citation needed]} and the city was rebuilt after the war. In 1973, the population reached 20,000. In 1975, Rorup, Merfeld, Hiddingsel, Buldern, Hausdülmen and Kirchspiel Dülmen became part of Dülmen.