Olfen

Olfen is a town in the district of Coesfeld, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Olfen
Coat of arms
Location of Olfen within Coesfeld district
Olfen Olfen
Coordinates: 51°43′N 7°23′E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Coesfeld
Area
• Total	52.43 km^2 (20.24 sq mi)
Highest elevation	80 m (260 ft)
Lowest elevation	45 m (148 ft)
Population  (2019-12-31)[1]
• Total	12,923
• Density	250/km^2 (640/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	59399
Dialling codes	02595 02592 (part of Vinnums)
Vehicle registration	COE/LH
Website	www.olfen.de

History

Bishop Wolfhelm, who originated from the Ulfloa Oberhof, gave the small town its name in 889. Wolfhelm was the fourth bishop of "Mimingardeford", today called Münster.

The fire disaster of 1857, in which 142 houses were destroyed, has gone down as the "Great Fire of Olfen" in Olfen's history books.

Buildings

Interesting sights include St. Vitus church, a castle and a historic sawmill.

• 
  Olfen, St. Vitus church
• 
  Olfen, Füchteln mill
• 
  Füchteln mill on a foggy day (art project)

Politics

Wilhelm Sendermann (CDU) was elected for mayor in September 2015 with 87,4 % of the vote.[2]

Notable people

• Thomas Hoof (born 1948), founder of Manufactum
• Günter Schlierkamp (born 1970), professional bodybuilder

Town partnerships

• La Grange, United States[3]

References

1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2019" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
2. Wilhelm Sendermann ist neuer Bürgermeister, Ruhrnachrichten vom 13. September 2015
3. "Interactive City Directory". Sister Cities International.