Bestwig is a municipality in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Bestwig
General view of Bestwig
General view of Bestwig
Coat of arms of Bestwig
Location of Bestwig within Hochsauerlandkreis district
HesseSiegen-WittgensteinHöxter (district)Olpe (district)Paderborn (district)Soest (district)Märkischer KreisOlsbergMeschedeWinterbergMarsbergBestwigEsloheSundernHallenbergMedebachBrilonSchmallenbergArnsbergNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Bestwig is located in Germany
Bestwig
Bestwig
Bestwig is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Bestwig
Bestwig
Coordinates: 51°22′N 08°24′E / 51.367°N 8.400°E / 51.367; 8.400
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionArnsberg
DistrictHochsauerlandkreis
Subdivisions6, containing of 17 Ortsteile (villages)
Government
 • Mayor (2020–25) Ralf Péus[1] (CDU)
Area
 • Total69.36 km2 (26.78 sq mi)
Highest elevation
750 m (2,460 ft)
Lowest elevation
280 m (920 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[2]
 • Total10,677
 • Density150/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
59909
Dialling codes02904, 02905
Vehicle registrationHSK
Websitewww.bestwig.de

Geography

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Bestwig is situated on the river Ruhr, approx. 10 km east of Meschede. It lies on the German Autobahn A 46. Bestwig has a railway station, connecting the town through local trains to Dortmund Hauptbahnhof, Winterberg and Hagen Hauptbahnhof.

Neighbouring municipalities

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Subdivisions

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Since 2009, the municipality is officially divided into 6 so-called Ortschaften, each containing of one to five villages (Ortsteile).

Ortschaft Ortsteile Population[3]
Velmede Velmede, Bestwig, Föckinghausen, Nierbachtal, Halbeswig 4.595 (3.140, 1.391, 29, 28, 7)
Nuttlar Nuttlar, Grimlinghausen 1.586 (1.556, 30)
Ostwig Ostwig, Alfert, Borghausen 1.691 (973, 58, 660)
Heringhausen Heringhausen 793
Ramsbeck Ramsbeck, Berlar, Valme 1.827 (1.608, 146, 73)
Andreasberg Andreasberg, Dörnberg, Wasserfall 609 (482, 76, 51)

Economy

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Bestwig, surrounded by many acres of pine tree forests, is a centre of Christmas tree production.

Tourism, however, is the most important source of income. The Sauerland forests are popular among hikers and, in winter, skiing is possible.

Twin towns

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Bestwig has no official partnership with another town, but has close to ties to Niederorschel (Thuringia, Germany) and Niederwiesa (Saxony, Germany).

Coat of arms

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The coat of arms shows a silver Saint Andrew's Cross on blue ground. The Saint Andrew's Cross is a reference to the patron of the parish church in Velmede, Saint Andrew. The colors silver and blue show the allegiance to the former county of Arnsberg.

Notable natives

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Notable places in Bestwig

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References

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  1. ^ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 21 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. ^ Source: municipal website, [1] Archived 2022-05-21 at the Wayback Machine click left under to: Informationen zu den Gemeindeteilen. First figure: population entire Ortschaft, followed by the population of its Ortsteile.
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