Iserlohn

• Type — Stadt • Name — Iserlohn • State — Nordrhein-Westfalen • Region — Arnsberg • District — Märkischer Kreis • Elevation — 494 • Area — 125.49 • Postal Code — 58636–58644 • Area Code — * 02371 (Iserlohn) • 02374 (Iserlohn-Letmathe) • 02304 (Schwerte, Iserlohn-Hennen) • 02352 (Altena, parts of Iserlohn-Kesbern) • 02378 (Fröndenberg- Langschede, Iserlohn-Drüpplingsen) • Licence — * MK • IS until 1974 • LS until 1979 • Gemeindeschlussel — 05 9 62 024 • Divisions — 5 • Website — www.iserlohn.de • Mayor — Michael Joithe • Leader Term — 2020–30 • Party — Die Iserlohner

Iserlohn is located at the north end of the Sauerland near the Ruhr.

• Illustration — Old town hall in c. 1901 The Pancratius church (also called Bauernkirche) is believed to have been founded in around 985, but the first written document mentioning lon dates only from 1150. In 1237 the Count of the Mark gave Iserlohn municipal rights. In 1975 the city, which had been an urban district before, incorporated the surrounding ex-municipalities of Letmathe, Hennen, Sümmern and Kesbern, and became part of the district "Märkischer Kreis". As a larger mid-sized city, Iserlohn, however, still has a special status compared to most other municipalities in the district. This means that the city takes on tasks more usually performed by the district, such as social and youth affairs, hence it is comparable to an urban district.

• Illustration — Town hall

• Illustration — Danzturm • Illustration — Villa Wessel The Dechenhöhle caves were discovered in 1868 during the construction of the railway line Hagen-Iserlohn. 360 metres are accessible for visitors, and there are many stalactites and stalagmites in the cave. The Danzturm, located on the southern hill overlooking the old city, is a landmark and featured on the logo of the local brewery (Iserlohner). The tower has views of the valley and surrounding hills and is open to the public with a small inn at the base. In the 18th century, the town became known for its Iserlohn boxes, a form of tobacco or snuff box with an engraved or embossed lid that often featured an image of former Prussian King Frederick the Great.

The city is home of the Iserlohn Roosters, a DEL (first division) ice hockey team. The Roosters joined the DEL in 2000 and developed from a low-budget team to a solid one that regularly competes for a Playoff-spot. The club plays its home games at the Eissporthalle Iserlohn, which holds 4,967 spectators. The original club, EC Deilinghofen, was founded in 1959 and went bankrupt in 1987. The second club, ECD Sauerland, existed from 1988 to 1994. In 1994, Iserlohner EC was founded. There is also a basketball team, the Iserlohn Kangaroos, which plays in the third german division (Pro B).

Iserlohn has 15 elementary schools and 12 secondary schools (3 Gymnasien, 2Gesamtschule, 3 Realschulen, 5 Hauptschulen). Two universities of applied sciences are also located in the city. The headquarters, together with a major branch, of the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (also: Fachhochschule Südwestfalen (FH SWF)) offering engineering and informatics programmes is located in the city centre on Alexanderhöhe.

Iserlohn's coat of arms features, in the middle, Saint Pancras (St. Pancratius), who is patron of the oldest church in Iserlohn. He is depicted between two towers of the historic city wall. The checked fess below the saint is derived from the arms of the Counts of the Mark.

Iserlohn is twinned with: • Almelo, Netherlands (1954) • Biel/Bienne, Switzerland (1959) • Hall in Tirol, Austria (1967) • Auchel, France (1975) • Laventie, France (1975) • Nyíregyháza, Hungary (1989) • Novocherkassk, Russia (1990) • Glauchau, Germany (1991) • Chorzów, Poland (2004)

• Johann Stephan Pütter (1725–1807), Reichspublizist and teacher of state law • Friedrich Soennecken (1848–1919), businessman, entrepreneur, inventor and graphic artist • Alexander Pfänder (1870–1941), philosopher • Karl Rasche (1892–1951), SS honor and rank leader for special use with the rank of Obersturmbannführer and board member and spokesman of the Dresdner Bank • Wilhelm Wessel (1904–1971), painter • Curt Rechel (1902–1973), Navy officer • Walter Bosse (1904–1979), artist, designer, and potter • Richard Friederich Arens (1919–2000), mathematician • Gerd Roellecke (1927–2011), jurist and legal philosopher • Aloys Kontarsky (1931–2017), pianist • Alfons Kontarsky (1932–2010), pianist • Bernhard Kontarsky (born 1937), conductor and pianist • Jochen Busse (born 1941), actor and cabaret artist • Helmut Neuhaus (born 1944), historian on Early modern period • Albert Ernst (1912–1986) World War 2 tank ace, who saved the city by peacefully surrendering to US troops • Harm Klueting (born 1949), Roman Catholic clergyman, historian, theologian and university lecturer • Volker Fischer (born 1950), fencer • Ulrich Walter (born 1954), astronaut • Gordon Brown (1958–2020), sculptor • Timothy Paul Evans (born 1962), British lieutenant-general and commander of the ARRC • Matthias Mellinghaus (born 1965), rowing sportsman, film director and assistant director, Olympiasieger 1988 • Brian Glynn (born 1967), ice hockey player • Marsha Wattanapanich (born 1970), Thai singer and actress • Thorsten Schick (born 1971), politician (CDU) • Markus Giesler (born 1976), consumer researcher • Caput(Rapper)Caput (born Soner Duman) (born 1983), rapper • Thore Schölermann (born 1984), actor • Dieter Orendorz (born 1992), ice hockey player • David Beckmann (born 2000), car racing driver • Monty Don (born 1955), gardener • Kevin Orendorz (born 1995), professional ice hockey player