Кастроп-Рауксель: История и современность города в Рурской области

Castrop Rauxel , often simply referred to as Castrop by locals, is a former coal mining city in the eastern part of the Ruhr Area within the state of North Rhine Westphalia in Germany.

Castrop Rauxel is located in Germany between Dortmund to the southeast, Bochum to the southwest, Herne to the west, Recklinghausen to the northwest, Datteln to the north and Waltrop to the northeast.

Castrop Rauxel was first mentioned in 834 as "Villa Castorpe",. The name could be derived from the Germanic words trop meaning "village" and kast meaning "barn" or "depot". Rauxel is the name of the northern part of the city. Rauxel was a village which was integrated into the city in 1926. It was first mentioned as "Rouksele" in 1266. This name might be derived from the Germanic words rouk meaning "crow" and sel meaning "meadow". In 1847 the railway line from Cologne to Minden was opened and a railway station was built in the north of the village Castrop. The railway proved to be very useful for the economical development of the village. The first coal mine (Zeche Erin) was inaugurated by William Thomas Mulvany, an Irish industrialist living in Germany, close to the village in 1869. Another six coal mines were founded around Castrop soon afterwards. Between 1874 and 1878 another railway line was built between Duisburg and Dortmund with two train stations in the south of Castrop which developed into a mining town at the end of the 19th century. Castrop merged with two other municipalities (Obercastrop and Behringhausen) and attained municipal status in 1902 with 13, 917 inhabitants. On April 1, 1926 Castrop Rauxel was formed when Castrop merged with 10 other municipalities the biggest of which was Rauxel with 19,800 inhabitants. The number of inhabitants of Castrop Rauxel amounted to 53,399 in 1926. During World War II, a plant at Castrop Rauxel used the Bergius process to produce synthetic (Ersatz) oil products. During World War II Castrop Rauxel suffered 35 air raids and 24% of the city was destroyed by bombs. In 1961 Castrop Rauxel had 87,910 inhabitants, its maximum in history. In 1975, the village of Henrichenburg was annexed and Castrop Rauxel became part of the Recklinghausen (district). In 1984 the last of 7 coal mines at Castrop Rauxel ("Erin") closed. As a consequence, the number of inhabitants declined.

Bladenhorst Castle (Wasserschloss Bladenhorst) was built in the 16th century. Saint Lambert Church, the oldest church in Castrop Rauxel, stems from the 12th century. Another Saint Lambert Church built around 1450 in a late gothic style can be visited in Henrichenburg which became a part of Castrop Rauxel in 1975. Goldschmieding Castle (Haus Goldschmieding) which was built in the 16th century was transformed into a hotel with a restaurant. The Town Hall was built from 1971 to 1975. The area of the former coal mine Zeche Erin was transformed into a park. Around the Market Place Altstadtmarkt several houses built in the typical style of Gründerzeit can be seen. During this period Castrop Rauxel was a flourishing mining town. Mulvany, the industrialist who founded the first coal mine, had a race course laid out in Castrop in 1874. In 1912, a memorial was erected with a memorial fountain (Reiterbrunnen) referring to the horse races which were held until 1970.

Castrop Rauxel has been attempting to change from a former mining city to a city with a modern lifestyle, high recreational value, new economy companies, a 27 hole golf course, and various cultural events. Despite those efforts, the town has one of the lowest median incomes per capita in North Rhine Westphalia. Metalworking and electronics are the key manufacturing sectors.

The WLT (Westphalian State Theater) is the oldest and most relevant source of theatrical entertainment in Castrop Rauxel. There is one cinema with two screens in Castrop. Castrop’s history is closely connected to horse racing, the Reiterbrunnen in the very center of Castrop’s market square is a reminder of the race days on the Naturhindernisbahn, now part of the Goldschmieding Park.