Meschede, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

🇩🇪 Meschede is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis.

Education One of the five branches of South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences (also: Fachhochschule Südwestfalen (FH SWF)) is located here.

Geography Meschede is situated in the Ruhr valley, near to the Hennesee, south of the nature-park Arnsberger Wald. Major towns in the vicinity of Meschede are Paderborn (51 km), Kassel (85 km), Siegen (57 km), Hagen, Dortmund (60 km) and Hamm (49 km).

Neighbouring municipalities • Arnsberg • Bestwig • Eslohe • Schmallenberg • Sundern • Warstein.

Division of the town After the local government reforms of 1975 Meschede consists of these districts and villages: • Baldeborn • Berge • Berghausen • Beringhausen • Blüggelscheidt • Bockum • Bonacker • Calle • Drasenbeck • Einhaus • Enkhausen • Enste • Ensthof • Erflinghausen • Eversberg • Frenkhausen • Freienohl • Frielinghausen • Galiläa • Giesmecke • Grevenstein • Heggen • Heinrichsthal • Höhringhausen • Horbach • Immenhausen • Klause • Köpperkopf • Köttinghausen • Kotthoff • Laer • Löllinghausen • Löttmaringhausen • Mielinghausen • Mosebolle • Mülsborn • Obermielinghausen • Olpe • Remblinghausen • Schederberge • Schedergrund • Schüren • Stesse • Stockhausen • Vellinghausen • Visbeck • Wallen • Wehrstapel • Wennemen • Windhäuser • Wulstern.

History Meschede was founded as a settlement around a convent, the Walpurgis-Stift, in the 10th century. In 1572, it became a member of the Hanseatic League.

In the 18th century, many inhabitants of Meschede died in at least two epidemics of dysentery.

Both in World War I and in World War II, Meschede was notorious as a location where the Germans exploited POWs in labour camps. In February, 1945, the town was destroyed by Allied air raid bombings, because of its strategically important railway station, but rebuilt after the war.

In 1921, the Sauerländer Heimatbund was founded.

In 1970, Meschede's St. Walburga Hospital was the site of a smallpox outbreak, as described in the book The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston.

Economy Meschede is the seat of three major companies: • a department of Deutsche Telekom • the Veltins Brewery • the Honsel factory, founded in 1908, that produces car parts and other products from aluminum, owned by the Canadese company Martinrea.

An industrial zone is located near the crossing of the A 46 with the B 55 (see below).

Tourism also is important to the town's economy.

Transport Meschede is connected with two national roads, the federal roads B 7 and B 55, and the motorway A 46.

Meschede has a railroad station, and is connected via the Sauerland Net, RB 57, to Arnsberg and other towns.

It has an airfield, the Meschede-Schüren Airfield, with a 900 m runway.

Culture Spanish fricco is a traditional stew dish of Meschede.

Tourist Industry • Abbey Königsmünster, built by the Order of Saint Benedict. • Lake Hennesee near Meschede is the main recreational area of the town.