Hamm

Hamm is an industrial city in North Rhine-Westphalia that stretches along the Lippe and Ahse rivers and marks the eastern edge of the Ruhr metropolitan area. The city serves as a major railway junction with sprawling marshalling yards and numerous track connections in all directions.

Founded in 1226 as the capital of Mark county by Count Adolf I of Mark, who established a castle and settlement here. Joining the Hanseatic League in 1469 brought economic growth through trade in salt and grain along the Lippe.

The name comes from an old word for a river bend, as the settlement originally grew at a loop of the Lippe. Markets in the center draw visitors from the eastern Ruhr area and show its role as a shopping hub between larger urban centers.

The main train station sits in the center and connects the city with the Ruhr region and more distant destinations through regular regional trains. Buses run from the station square to different neighborhoods and surrounding communities.

Maximilianpark hosts a glass elephant from 1984, built from the former coal washing plant of Maximilian colliery and now housing exhibition spaces. You can ride up through the trunk and reach a tropical garden inside the animal.

Location: Arnsberg Government Region

Elevation above the sea: 63 m

Part of: Regionalverband Ruhr

Shares border with: Coesfeld, Warendorf District, Soest, Unna, Ahlen, Welver, Drensteinfurt

Email: vps@stadt.hamm.de

Website: https://hamm.de

GPS coordinates: 51.66667,7.81667

Latest update: December 4, 2025 19:01