Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia

Borken (German pronunciation: [ˈbɔʁkn̩] ⓘ, Westphalian: Buorken) is a town and the capital of the district of the same name, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Borken
Town
Coat of arms of Borken
Coat of arms
Location of Borken within Borken district
Borken is located in Germany
Borken
Borken
Borken is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Borken
Borken
Coordinates: 51°50′N 6°52′E
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionMünster
DistrictBorken
Subdivisions12
Government
 • Mayor (2020–25) Mechtild Schulze-Hessing[1] (CDU)
Area
 • Total152.6 km2 (58.9 sq mi)
Population
 (2021-12-31)[2]
 • Total42,974
 • Density280/km2 (730/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
46325
Dialling codes02861
Vehicle registrationBOR

Geography

Borken is situated 10 km east of the Dutch border. Borken station is the northern terminus on the remaining section of the Gelsenkirchen-Bismarck–Winterswijk railway.

Neighbouring places

Division of the town

Borken consists of 12 districts:

  • Borken
  • Borkenwirthe/Burlo
  • Gemen
  • Grütlohn
  • Gemenwirthe
  • Gemenkrückling
  • Hoxfeld
  • Hovesath
  • Marbeck
  • Rhedebrügge
  • Weseke
  • Westenborken

The 10 largest groups of foreign residents by 31 December 2018:

 Poland627
 Syria408
 Netherlands262
 Romania154
 Turkey145
 Portugal121
 Serbia118
 Iraq110
 Croatia85
 Kosovo79

History
British troops from the 7th Armored Division in Weseke, Borken March, 1945

The name comes from the German word "Burg" or "Burk" and gradually changed to "Burke", then "Burken" and finally to "Borken". Around the year 800 the village was being used by Charles The Great (Charlemagne) as a stopover place on his travels. In 1226 City rights were granted by Bishop Dietrich II of Isenberg-Limburg. Fortification of the city with walls and towers was first noted in 1391.

In the last years of the Holy Roman Empire (1803–06) it was the capital of the short-lived principality of Salm. From 1810 to 1814 it was part of the French Empire. In 1815 Borken came under the jurisdiction of the Prussian Province of Westphalia. At the same time it became the seat of government for the newly formed district or county of Borken (Kreis Borken). Between 1880 and 1905 the area experienced the building of railroad connections: (1880 Wanne-Borken-Winterswijk line, 1901 Empel-Bocholt-Borken and Borken-Burgsteinfurt, 1905 Borken-Coesfeld-Münster).

Near the end of World War II the historic center of the city was heavily destroyed. After the war, community rearrangements followed in 1969, including annexation of Gemen and other towns in the vicinity. Between 1975 and 1978 came the cleaning up and rebuilding of the southern part of the old city. There, buildings which had outlasted the destruction of the Second World War were finally demolished. In 2001 Borken celebrated its 775th anniversary.

Twin towns – sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Borken is twinned with:[3]

Notable people

Born in Borken
Leonide Massine in 1914

Connected with Borken
  • Church of Saint Remigius in Borken
    Church of Saint Remigius in Borken
  • Tower in Borken
    Tower in Borken
  • Sculpture at the Markt in Borken
    Sculpture at the Markt in Borken
  • Church of Saint Ludgerus in Weseke
    Church of Saint Ludgerus in Weseke
  • Windmill in Weseke
    Windmill in Weseke
  • Johanneskirche Church in Gemen
    Johanneskirche Church in Gemen
  • Mariengarden Monastery in Burlo
    Mariengarden Monastery in Burlo

References
  1. Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 19 June 2021.
  2. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2021" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  3. "Partnerstädte". borken.de (in German). Borken. Archived from the original on 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
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