Lennestadt, Germany

Welcome to Lennestadt, a beautiful community located in the Olpe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Although not an actual town, Lennestadt is the district’s most populous municipality, comprising several towns and villages. The community is situated at the common point of the Ebbegebirge, Homert, and Rothaargebirge Nature Parks, and is crossed by the river Lenne, a tributary to the Ruhr. Lennestadt’s position is 51° 03 to 51° 12 N, 7° 58 to 8° 15 E. The town’s highest point is the Härdler (756 m), and its lowest is on the Lenne near Borghausen (239 m).

Lennestadt is bordered in the north by the communities of Eslohe and Finnentrop, in the east by Schmallenberg and Bad Berleburg, in the south by Kirchhundem, and in the west by the towns of Attendorn and Olpe. Within Lennestadt’s municipal area lie the following centres: Altenhundem, Altenvalbert, Bilstein, Bonzel, Bonzelerhammer, Brenschede, Bruchhausen, Burbecke, Elspe, Elsperhusen, Einsiedelei, Germaniahütte, Gleierbrück, Grevenbrück, Habbecke, Hachen, Haus Hilmecke, Haus Valbert, Halberbracht, Hengstebeck, Hespecke, Kickenbach, Kirchveischede, Kracht, Langenei, Maumke, Meggen, Melbecke, Milchenbach, Oberelspe, Obermelbecke, Obervalbert, Oedingen, Oedingermühle, Oedingerberg (formerly Berge), Saalhausen, Sporke, Stöppel, Theten, and Trockenbrück.

The town of Lennestadt was founded on 1 July 1969 as legal successor to the Amt of Bilstein out of seven former communities and outlying centres. The earliest traces of settlers in the current municipal area date to the Early Middle Ages. The centres of Elspe and Oedingen were first mentioned in a document in 1000 that Emperor Otto III had issued. This makes them the oldest places in Olpe district. In the 19th century, parts of the current town area were characterized by mining, ironworking, and metalworking.

Lennestadt is home to a variety of small and middle-sized businesses, mainly in the manufacturing field. Most prevalent are companies in the metal-working, machine building, automotive parts supply, and electrical industry. The town’s hall is located in the central constituent community of Altenhundem. The local court, the Amtsgericht Lennestadt, is located in the outlying centre of Grevenbrück.

Lennestadt offers a cultural programme in the Pädagogisches Zentrum (PZ,