Lünen

Lünen
Town
View with the bridge on the River Lippe
View with the bridge on the River Lippe
Coat of arms of Lünen
Coat of arms
Location of Lünen within Unna district
Unna (district)North Rhine-WestphaliaEnnepe-Ruhr-KreisHagenDortmundRecklinghausen (district)Coesfeld (district)Warendorf (district)HammSoest (district)HochsauerlandkreisMärkischer KreisSchwerteHolzwickedeFröndenbergUnnaLünenBergkamenKamenBönenWerneSelm
Lünen is located in Germany
Lünen
Lünen
Lünen is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Lünen
Lünen
Coordinates: 51°37′N 7°31′E / 51.617°N 7.517°E / 51.617; 7.517
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionArnsberg
DistrictUnna
Subdivisions14 Stadtteile
Government
 • Mayor (2020–25) Jürgen Kleine-Frauns[1]
Area
 • Total
59.18 km2 (22.85 sq mi)
Elevation
58 m (190 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[2]
 • Total
87,266
 • Density1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
44532, 44534, 44536
Dialling codes02306, 0231
Vehicle registrationUN, LÜN
Websitewww.luenen.de

Lünen is a town with around 86,000 inhabitants in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located north of Dortmund, on both banks of the River Lippe. It is the largest town of the Unna district and part of the Ruhr Area.

In 2009 a biogas plant was built to provide electric power to the city. Lünen is the first city in the world to receive electricity via public utility companies that is generated on the base of animal waste.[3] The plant produces up to 6.6 MW, supplying 26,000 homes with heat and electricity.[4]

Culture and main sights

Saint George's Church

Structure

  • Saint George's Church
  • Saint Mary's Church
  • Chateau of Schwansbell
  • Colani-UFO
  • Freiherr-vom-Stein School
  • Town hall of Lünen
  • Geschwister-Scholl School
  • Industrial Monument "Moor Crane"

Museum

  • Museum of the town Lünen
  • Mining Museum in Lünen South
  • Mining residential Museum in Lünen Brambauer

Theatre

  • Heinz-Hilpert theater

Politics

The current mayor of Lünen is independent politician Jürgen Kleine-Frauns since 2015; he was originally elected as a member of Together for Lünen (German: Gemeinsam für Lünen = GFL), but later left the party. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows:

Candidate Party First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Rainer Schmeltzer Social Democratic Party 10,864 40.9 9,824 48.9
Jürgen Kleine-Frauns Independent 9,767 36.7 10,282 51.1
Christoph Tölle Christian Democratic Union 4,341 16.3
Sascha Gottwald Free Voters Lünen 1,624 6.1
Valid votes 26,596 97.7 20,106 98.9
Invalid votes 641 2.3 215 1.1
Total 27,237 100.0 20,321 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 66,291 41.1 66,247 30.7
Source: City of Lünen (1st round, 2nd round)

City council

Results of the 2020 city council election.

The Lünen city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/-
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 9,066 33.9 Decrease 7.0 19 Decrease 3
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 5,895 22.1 Decrease 2.5 12 Decrease 1
Together for Lünen (GFL) 3,835 14.4 Decrease 1.1 8 Decrease 1
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 3,690 13.8 Increase 6.4 8 Increase 4
Alternative for Germany (AfD) 1,816 6.8 New 4 New
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 922 3.5 Increase 0.7 2 ±0
The Left (Die Linke) 846 3.2 Decrease 0.9 2 ±0
Free Voters Lünen (FW Lünen) 501 1.9 New 1 New
Independent Fohrmeister 85 0.3 New 0 New
Independent Rosenkranz 85 0.2 New 0 New
Independent God 19 0.1 New 0 New
Valid votes 26,730 98.2
Invalid votes 480 1.8
Total 27,210 100.0 56 Increase 2
Electorate/voter turnout 66,291 41.1 Decrease 3.4
Source: City of Lünen

Twin towns - sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Lünen is twinned with:[5]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 30 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  3. ^ Pidd, Helen (28 May 2009). "Poo power to the people". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  4. ^ "German city uses waste to generate green energy". Building. Building Sustainable Design. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Städtepartnerschaften". luenen.de (in German). Lünen. Retrieved 2021-02-19.