Finnentrop

Finnentrop
Town
Bamenohl castle
Bamenohl castle
Coat of arms of Finnentrop
Coat of arms
Olpe (district)North Rhine-WestphaliaMärkischer KreisHochsauerlandkreisOberbergischer KreisRhineland-PalatinateSiegen-WittgensteinOlpeFinnentropAttendornLennestadtDrolshagenKirchhundemWenden
Location of Finnentrop within Olpe district
Interactive map of Finnentrop
Finnentrop is located in Germany
Finnentrop
Finnentrop
Location within Germany
Finnentrop is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Finnentrop
Finnentrop
Location within North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°10′N 07°58′E / 51.167°N 7.967°E / 51.167; 7.967
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionArnsberg
DistrictOlpe
Subdivisions40
Government
 • Mayor (2020–25)Achim Henkel (CDU)
Area
 • Total
104.42 km2 (40.32 sq mi)
Elevation
220–651 m (722–2,136 ft)
Population
 (2025-12-31)
 • Total
16,729
 • Density160.21/km2 (414.94/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
57413
Dialling codes02721, 02395, 02724
Vehicle registrationOE
Websitewww.finnentrop.de

Finnentrop (German pronunciation: [ˈfɪnəntʁɔp]) is a municipality in Olpe district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Geography

Finnentrop is situated in the Sauerland, near the forks of the rivers Bigge and Lenne. Finnentrop shares borders with Sundern and Eslohe (both part of Hochsauerland district), Lennestadt and Attendorn (both in Olpe district), as well as with Plettenberg (Märkischer Kreis district). Finnentrop is divided into the following constituent municipalities:

Ahausen with Ahauser Mühle, Dahm
Altfinnentrop
Bamenohl
Bausenrode
Deutmecke
Elsmecke
Faulebutter
Fehrenbracht with Fretterspring
Finnentrop
Fretter with Delf, Giebelscheid
Frettermühle with Mißmecke
Frielentrop
Gierschlade with Schwartmecke
Glinge
Heggen
Hollenbock
Hülschotten with Tiefenau
Illeschlade
Lenhausen
Müllen
Ostentrop
Permecke
Ramscheid
Rönkhausen
Sange
Schliprüthen with Schliprüthener Mühle, Becksiepen, Kuckuck, Steinsiepen
Schöndelt
Schönholthausen with Besten
Serkenrode
Weringhausen
Weuspert with Klingelborn
Wiebelhausen
Wörden

History

While the municipality of Finnentrop didn't come into being before 1 July 1969, the history of the constituting villages dates back from the Middle Ages. In 1162 Lenhausen and Rönkhausen were mentioned for the first time. Until 13 July 1908, the place now known as Finnentrop had three names: Habbecke, Neubrücke (“Newbridge”) and, once the Ruhr-Sieg railway was built, Bahnhof Finnentrop (“Finnentrop Railway Station”). Neubrücke consisted of only one building at the forks of Bigge and Lenne (Reuters Haus, first mentioned in 1847). The “new bridge” seems to have already been built by 1847, as the “Reuter” had to charge tolls.

The new municipality was cobbled together in 1969 from parts of the old Amt of Serkenrode (Meschede district), the municipalities of Schliprüthen and Oedingen and parts of Attendorn-Land and Helden. This restructuring also saw the municipality pass from Meschede district (which was abolished in 1974) to Olpe district. The municipality's name is drawn from the original centre of Finnentrop situated a few hundred metres up the Bigge river, now known as Altfinnentrop (“alt” is German for “old”). The ending —trop comes from trop or torp, meaning “village”. The High German word Dorf is a cognate, as is the English word thorpe.

The municipal arms shows a rose under a wavy chevron. The rose stands for the Lords of Finnentrop (von Vinnentrop) and dates back to the year 1358. The chevron stands for the two rivers, the Bigge and the Lenne, which merge in the municipality. The colour green refers to the great swathes of greenery in the municipal area.

Finnentrop maintains partnership arrangements with:

Population

Mayors

The mayor between 1997 and 2020 was the jurist Dietmar Heß (* 1955) (CDU). In September 2020 Achim Henkel (CDU) has been elected. The 53 year old first chief police officer used to be in charge of the policestation in Olpe for many years.

Culture and sightseeing

Theatres & Museums

Buildings

Regular events

Economy and infrastructure

Among the nationally known companies in Finnentrop are Eibach (automotive springs), Metten Fleischwaren (meat processing) and a plant of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG.

Transport

Finnentrop station is situated at the Ruhr–Sieg railway, from where the Bigge Valley Railway (RB92) of Hessische Landesbahn, section DreiLänderBahn connects to Olpe. The Attendorn-Finnentrop aerodrome (ICAO: EDKU) is situated close to the village of Heggen. Finnentrop is located in the area of the fare association Westfalen-Tarif.

Public institutions

Education

There are six primary schools, one Hauptschule, one Realschule and one Gesamtschule.

Notable people

Honorary citizens

Sons and daughters of the municipality

Notable people who have worked in the municipality

Artists

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 29 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2025 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus 2022" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW.
  3. ↑ "Landesdatabank Nordrhein-Westfalen Tabelle 12411-01i: Bevölkerungsstand - Gemeinden - Stichtag". Retrieved 26 August 2026.