Германиядағы Хамм қаласы

the city north of Dortmund

Hamm (, Latin: Hammona) is a city in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railway station is an important hub for rail transport and renowned for its distinctive station building.

The coat of arms has been in use in its present form for about 750 years. It shows the markish chessboard ("märkischen Schachbalken") in red and silver on a golden field. Originally it was the founders' coat of arms, i. e. the Counts of Mark. The chessboard and the colours are often displayed in the coats of arms of further towns founded by that family line. Similarly, the colours of the city are red and white.

In 2006 Hamm was the first city to accomplish a "Ratsbürgerentscheid" (literally: "council's citizens decision"). Subject of the plebiscite was a plan to build a 43 ha city lake (2007–2010) near the city centre. 136,521 citizens were entitled to vote, 57,563 used that possibility and 56.9% refused their approbation for the project. As minimal vote 20% (of the total 136,521 voters) had to decide between one of the possibilities (20% for Yes or 20% for NO). The city council accepted the voting and stopped the plans. This procedure is planned for future projects in NRW. Also in Hamm established was the "Baugerichtstag e. V." a society organizing a congress about the German building law. The congress is held in a two years term.

Major industrial branches are the coal mining industry, steel industry, chemical industry and the car component supplier industry. In the last century there were four coal mines within the urban district. Today the Bergwerk Ost in Herringen is the last operating coal mine with about 3,000 employees. Mannesmann Hoesch Präzisrohr, Westfälische Draht Industrie (WDI) and Böhler Thyssen Welding are the major representatives of the steel industry, the chemical industry is represented by DuPont in Uentrop and the car supplier industry by Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. factory 4 in Bockum Hövel with about 1000 employees. The energy industry is represented by a RWE coal power plant and a further power plant (Trianel) in Uentrop. A new coal power plant is currently under construction. The THTR 300, also in Uentrop Schmehhausen, was decommissioned in 1989. Alongside the A2, in the southern part of the urban district, a new business park inhabits the growing logistics business. Hamm is also known as "City of Law" (Stadt des Rechts) because of the greatest German regional appeal court (Oberlandesgericht), the local court (Amtsgericht), the industrial court (Arbeitgericht) and the industrial appeal court (Landesarbeitsgericht). The Chamber of Notaries and bar association of the regional appeal court Hamm and the courts are of greater influence on the appearance of the city. Several hospitals in the urban district are also important employers, for example the EVK Hamm has about 1000 employees.

The only daily newspaper of Hamm printed there, is the Westfälischer Anzeiger. At first, a weekly newspaper in Hamm was the Kreis Hammsches Wochenblatt founded by Heinich Jakob Grote in 1822. Its name was changed in 1848 to Westfälischer Anzeiger. A second newspaper appeared, founded by the Thiemann family, the Westfälische Kurier. Both co existed until the end of the Second World War. After the War both newspapers were combined and named Westfälischer Anzeiger und Kurier. In the 1960s another name change made the Westfälischer Anzeiger. This newspaper is the mantle of several smaller regional newspapers; together, they had a total 153,428 copies in 2004. In the 1970s the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung unsuccessfully tried to establish its own daily newspaper. Two weekly newspapers appear in Hamm: the Stadtanzeiger from the Westfälischer Anzeiger with a total of 384.000 copies, and the Sonntags Rundblick by a medium sized local company. Since 1990 the local radio station "Radio Lippewelle Hamm" is on air and number one radio station of the local radios in NRW. On 3 October 1993 the "Offener Kanal Hamm" started broadcasting; it is a small TV project by people for the people, started through the federal state.

The Waldbühne Hamm Heessen is one of the most active open air theatres in Germany. The Alfred Fischer Hall is a multi purpose event location in Heessen in a former machinery hall built by Alfred Fischer in 1912. The Städtische Musikschule Hamm is one of the oldest music schools in Germany. Hamm also has several active choirs and a jazz club and has been the home of many bands.

Hamm is linked to three motorways. The Bundesautobahn 1 (BAB 1 or A1, Puttgarden Saarbrücken) named Hansaline with two connections No.81 and 82., the (BAB 2 or A2, Oberhausen Berlin) with three connections No.17,18 and 19 and the A445 (Hamm Arnsberg) which is connected by the B63 until the planned construction between Hamm and Werl is completed. The Kamener Kreuz is situated in the southwest of Hamm. Two "federal roads" (Bundesstrassen) the B61 and B63 intersect in the city centre. Several state roads (Landesstrassen) are connecting Hamm with its neighbouring towns and municipalities.

Hamm has three stations, the main railway station Hamm (Westfalen) and two minor stations, one in Bockum Hövel and the other one in Heessen. The main station is one of the biggest railway hubs in Germany, and connected with one of the largest marshalling yards in Europe, the latter now only partly operating. Notable is the railway station for its Art deco Gründerzeit inspired building styles. Hamm has been connected to the rail since 2 May 1847. Its huge railroad yard—Europe's biggest at the time—was bombed repeatedly during World War II, as was the city itself (in December 1944 it was hit by eleven raids on one day).

The city bus net Hamm is served by the "Stadtwerke Hamm", with 65 buses, and the "Verkehrsgesellschaft Breitenbach". A regional bus service is served by different companies and both nets serve the central bus station, which is situated in front of the main railway station in the centre of Hamm. Hamm is part of the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Ruhr Lippe. About 12 million people are using the bus net every year, transported by 50 bus lines with 500 bus stops within the city.

Hamm is the end of the "Datteln Hamm Kanal", three ports are situated in the urban district. The city port, the canal end port Uentrop, and the port of "Gersteinwerk". The ports of Hamm are the second biggest canal port by freight transact, 1.4 million tons a year by ships and 0.5 million tons by train. The city port allows for ships up to 110 metres length 11.45 meters width and 2.7 metres draft. It is linked with the railway by a track to the near main railway station and the marshaling yard.

Near city centre, in the meadows of the River Lippe, the sport airfield Hamm is situated. Its runway is 900 m long and 30 m wide. The airfield is operated by the Luftsportclub Hamm e. V
Hamm is situated in the middle of a triangle of three smaller International Airports, in the north the Münster Osnabrück Airport (FMO) in the south west Dortmund Airport and in the east Paderborn Lippstadt Airport. The nearest large International Airport is Düsseldorf Airport.