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Home > Travel Germany > Germany Destinations > Balve (North Rhine Westphalia)
Balve (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Germany is located in Central Europe and it shares borders with Denmark in the North, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France in the West, Austria and Switzerland in the South and Poland and the Czech Republic in the East. The North Sea and the Baltic Sea represent additional National Borders in the North. The official language of Germany is German and Berlin is the capital.
Balve is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the north end of the Sauerland on the Honne river. Its population till date is 12,533. It covers an area of 74.75 square kilometers. It belongs to the district Markischer Kreis and is near to Dortmund Airport. The first mention of Balve was probably made around 780, when Widukind owned a farm called Ballowa, although the first undisputed reference was in 864, when a blind girl from Balve was healed at the grave of the Saint Ludger in the crypt of Werden Abbey. Ballowa can also be found in the Thidrekssaga, a northern myth. Ballowa is the home of two dwarfs, learning Weyland a lot of making iron weapons. Balve belonged to the county of Arnsberg at that time.
In 1358 it became the property of the Duchy of Westphalia, which belonged to the Archbishops of Cologne. In 1430 Balve was given the right to be called a city. During the Napoleonic period it belonged for a short time to Hesse, from 1802 to 1815 it was added to the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1975 during the local government reorgnization the city was enlarged by the addition of the former independent municipalities Asbeck, Beckum, Eisborn, Garbeck, Kesberg, Langenholthausen, Mellen and Volkringhausen from the abolished Amt Balve. The Balver Hohle is a huge cave which is used for many cultural events such as concerts and stage acting and the annual Schutzenfest.
The coat of arms shows the historic connections of Balve. The eagle is taken from the arms of Arnsberg, and the black-and-white cross from those of Cologne. Both symbols were present in old seals of the city, the oldest known example of which dates from 1462. The coat of arms was officially granted on June 24, 1911 and confirmed on February 6, 1976 after the local government reorganization of 1975.
Balve can also be considered as the preeminent, historical and potential tourism destination that enjoys a very positive reputation with worldwide travelers to become one of the most visited places.
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