Hattingen is a city in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia. It has a picturesque historic district with Fachwerk houses built between the 14th and 16th centuries, including the old city walls. There are also three castles within the municipal area: Isenburg Castle, built in the 12th century on the hills above the Ruhr river; Blankenstein Castle, which was founded in the 13th century; and Haus Kemnade, a moated castle from the 16th century.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, coal mining in Hattingen became one of the biggest industries in the region. At its peak, there were 52 active coal-mines in the community of Hattingen and Blankenstein. The industrial era ended when the Henrichshutte closed in 1987. The Industrial-Museum reminds visitors of the former steel works.
The first records of Hattingen date back to the 12th century. The town is mentioned in a document of the abbey of Deutz near Cologne, as well as in a feudal register for the areas Bredenscheid-Stuter, Niederwenigern and Winz. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Hattingen grows into a trade centre with a town wall, a market and a cloth hall. Three guilds are established, the drapers gaining a reputation far beyond the local region.
During the Napoleonic era, Hattingen falls into the French vassal state of Berg. The communities of Bredenscheid-Stuter, Niederelfringhausen, Oberelfringhausen, Sprockhovel and Winz merge with the community of Hattingen. In the 18th and 19th centuries, there are numerous reorganisations between the municipalities of Hattingen and Blankenstein. In the year 1850, a newer and bigger city is formed with most parts of Blankenstein and five communities from the old municipality of Hattingen-Land (Bredenscheid-Stuter, Blankenstadt, Oberstuter, Unterelfringhausen and Winz).
The first air raid sirens are heard in Hattingen in 1942. Until the end of the war, they signalled 1292 possible attacks and warned citizens of the nearby Ruhrbrucke bridge about enemy bombers. Of the 5674 homes in Hattingen, 609 were destroyed and 3681 severely damaged during WW2. Steuererklärung Hattingen