Schwelm, District capital in Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, Germany.
Schwelm is a district capital in Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, sitting at 213 meters elevation between Bergisches Land and Westphalian terrain. The municipal area covers roughly 20 square kilometers and is crossed by several small rivers.
The settlement appears first in written records in 875 as Suelmiu and received town rights in 1496. It became the administrative seat of the newly formed Ennepe-Ruhr district in 1929.
The name Schwelm comes from Westphalian origins, referring to land between waterways. You can see today how the location between rivers shapes the structure and character of the place.
The town sits about 36 kilometers from Düsseldorf and 28 kilometers from Dortmund, making it easily accessible. It offers various lodging options and good connections to the larger urban areas in the region.
The piano manufacturer Rud. Ibach Sohn was founded in 1794 and remains based in Schwelm today. It is the world's oldest continuously operating piano maker and still produces instruments at this location.
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