Lüdenscheid

The main purpose of the following chapter on Lüdenscheid is to give our customers in Germany, Europe, America and as far away as China just a few impressions of our town, its traditions and landscape.





A modern industrial town – smiled upon by nature




Fountain by Lüdenscheid artist and black smith K. T. Neumann on the Graf-Engelbert Square in the old part of town.








View of the former Town Hall, which now houses part of the museum. In the background, the Catholic church of St. Joseph and Medardus





Lüdenscheid, rich in traditions and built - like Rome - on seven hills, is one of the oldest trade and industrial regions in Germany. From early times, the wealth in the forests, the abundant water power and the deposits of ores favoured economic progress in the region around Lüdenscheid. As early as the 14th century, wire drawing workshops and osemund smithies were set up along the banks of the rivers in the valleys around Lüdenscheid. Of course, the wire drawing workshops produced wire, while the workers in the osemund factories manufactured tools for agricultural use, such as hoes, shovels and spades. Many of these articles were destined for export. The economy in Lüdenscheid was – and continues to be – supported by entrepreneurs in medium-sized companies. Lüdenscheid had, and still has, a great number of factories. A wealth of ideas, the ability to adapt to market niches, agility, quick responses to changes in the market’s requirements, and innovations – these are what distinguish the small and medium-sized companies. Starting with the metalworking industry, a wide range of industries has developed which has resulted in a successful enrichment to the local structure. 100 years ago it was the manufacture of buttons, buckles and medals which was typical of Lüdenscheid. These parts were not only made in the factories, but also by people working at home. Today, plastics processing, the electro-technical industry, environmental protection and technology are just as much a part of Lüdenscheid as other branches of industry such as the manufacture of aluminium profiles for the building construction industry or the production of in-car electronics and steering column modules, screws and other accessories for the national and international automobile industries, and of course the lamp industry. For decades the people of Lüdenscheid have been benefiting from these sectors of industry, which now form an integral part of life in the town. Lüdenscheid has become a “global town”, because its products are exported to every corner of the world. As Lüdenscheid is not a low-wage town, and the cost of manufacturing products is often too high, the pressure of national and international competition forces many companies to transfer some of their manufacturing facilities to the countries which border or are close to Germany, or to obtain these products from the Far East. It is only by continuing the tradition of innovation, inventiveness and hard work of our forebears, and by retaining, acquiring and training specialist and management staff for companies, that the attractiveness of Lüdenscheid as a home for industry can be assured in the long term.


In addition to its industries, Lüdenscheid is a modern economic and service centre, and at the same time the social and cultural centre of the Märkischer Kreis. Its excellent infrastructure and the fact that it is situated in a beautiful landscape of low mountain ranges mean that it offers its 81,000 inhabitants, and also its visitors, a wide choice of things to do.

Lüdenscheid is an attractive shopping centre, and shopping in the generously designed pedestrian precinct is sure to be a pleasant experience. Department stores, the modern Stern-Center, specialist shops and boutiques are always ready to astound the visitors with exceptional and up-to-date offers.




Shopping precinct



Beautifully gabled houses, richly-decorated with stucco, contribute to the attractiveness of the town. All the new buildings of those times were characterised by the “Zeitgeist”, the spirit of the age, (Emperor Wilhelm II, 1888 – 1918), the neo-classical style of the years of industrial expansion in Germany. You may think that their stucco facades are sometimes overdone, yet they reveal an attention to and love of detail. Now, 120 years later, with the use of contrasting colours, they are surprisingly fresh and neat, even festive, in contrast to today’s all-too plain and functional buildings. They reveal the self-confidence of a bourgeoisie which achieved a great deal and which was, of course, also at risk of overestimating itself and losing sight of its ideals.






View of richly decorated gables








Former residence of the Wehberg family, built in the neo-classical style and still in their possession.








Lüdenscheid’s Zeppelin high school,
built in the neo-classical style

The building on the Staberg has been classified as being of historical value since 1989. This is also because it was in this building that the skeleton of the first airship was created. Peter Otto Wehberg attended this school until 1957. Thanks to the effective schooling given to the pupils, the Zeppelin high school enjoys a good reputation.




It is to be hoped that the hard-working staff will continue to provide coming generations with the skills and knowledge they need for the world of tomorrow.



The restored historic parts of the town, with their romantic facades and cosy inns, attract people from near and far




The old town around the Erlöser Church was saved from bulldozers and thoroughly restored with plenty of bull’s eye glasswork.









The former bakery in the old part of town was transformed into a popular restaurant, one of many here.








For more than a century large numbers of outdoor statues have been embellishing Lüdenscheid. Top right: Statue of a youth on the memorial to the dead in both world wars; underneath, partial view of the Selve fountain (1910)





Lüdenscheid has a number of museums and galleries which provide leisure-time entertainment for all the family. The best possible place to get to know Lüdenscheid quickly is the town museum (Stadtmuseum), which pays special attention to local industry. Two centuries of industry have made the town great and left their mark on life here. The exhibits pay special attention to the manufacture of metal buttons, because for more than a century, Lüdenscheid was the “button town”. Lüdenscheid made buttons for fashion and uniforms all over the world, and the visitor to the museum will be amazed at the vast range of articles and the degree of fantasy involved in the manufacture of buttons.


Lüdenscheid is also where medals, decorations and insignia of all kinds are manufactured. These include the Order of Merit of North-Rhine Westphalia, and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since it was introduced in 1951, this has only ever been made in Lüdenscheid.




For a long time, Lüdenscheid was known as the “button town”. From around 1785 until after World War II, the manufacture of metal buttons was one of the most important branches of industry. Buttons which were “made in Lüdenscheid” were exported to Russia, China and Australia. In part, the buttons were made by home-workers; other branches of industry, such as engravers and tool-makers, also made their living from manufacturing buttons. Today, however, the manufacture of buttons is no longer important.




For centuries, the town of Lüdenscheid has been famous for the osemund which it produced in the Middle Ages and which was considered to be the best iron in the world. By the 19th century, this had led to the development of hundreds of small and medium-sized factories and innumerable small smithies along the banks of the Lenne, Volme and Verse rivers and which used water power for their machines to turn the osemund into shovels, hoes and other tools made from steel. There were so many of these factories in Lüdenscheid that the legend started that on the day of his birth, the first citizen in the town asked God: “And where’s my little factory?”.




The Bremecker Hammer, a branch of the town museum, and situated in the upper Verse valley, is open during the summer months. It attracts thousands of visitors every year, especially on the “smithy days”, when the water-wheel powered “tail hammers” and the belt-driven “drop hammers” are demonstrated in the hand-operated smithy.





Of course, industrial progress has also come to Lüdenscheid. Although, as we have already seen, the extraction of iron and the smithy industry which developed as a result originally formed the main part of this progress and provided the people with their livelihood, for decades it has been the processing industries and trades which characterize the structure of the economy as far as medium-sized companies are concerned.

E lectro-technology is the main focus, and 1887 can be seen as the year the industry was born. The then firm of Jäger & Fischer started manufacturing electrical products such as switches, lampholders, fuses and sockets, which very quickly led to perfection of the products and additions to the range of products. During the following decades, other companies were set up which manufacture electro-technical products.

The plastics and metalworking industries are other important branches. Metalworking has made it possible for Wehberg Safety GmbH to manufacture so-called bursting discs for decades, and they are sold throughout the world, even in the Far East and China. For years, more than 70% of the production has been exported.

L üdenscheid’s lighting and lamp industry enjoys an excellent reputation throughout the world, and is one of the most important sectors in the town’s economy. One company specialises in lighting solutions for major projects, including the Prado in Madrid or the Louvre in Paris, where lighting from Lüdenscheid shows the glass pyramid as its best.

I n addition to lavish restoration which would be worthy of any monument, the Brandenburger Tor, Berlin’s most important symbol was equipped with a completely new and ultra-modern lighting system. Equipment supplied by the Lüdenscheid firm of ERCO plays a decisive part in a lighting concept whose quality more than does justice to the enormous importance of this edifice.




Anyone who has children is sure to know them - the very popular Siku toy cars, which are built to scale in Lüdenscheid. Thousands of them are sold all over the world every day, and at the same time their number plates draw people’s attention to the Märkischer Kreis, of which Lüdenscheid is the county town.




Lüdenscheid is also considered to be the cradle of the aluminium industry. It is most closely linked with Carl Berg (1851 – 1906), a “Kommerzienrat” (= councillor of commerce). He created the conditions necessary for industrial utilization, which made Lüdenscheid the birth-place of the world-wide aluminium industry. In addition, aluminium was used to manufacture fittings for tents, and at the same time, the production of cooking utensils, water bottles and beakers for German, European and overseas armies started.

With the help of his Lüdenscheid sponsor, Carl Berg, Graf Zeppelin had his airships built here. The individual parts of the first zeppelin were manufactured in the Werdohl-Eveking works. Eighteen individual cells were assembled in a three-storey wooden hangar on the premises of the Bergsche Fabrik in Wiedenhofstraße in Lüdenscheid and then transported by train to a floating hall near Friedrichshafen, where they were assembled to create the skeleton of the first zeppelin. The first airship was 128 m long, with a diameter of 12 m, and had 2 engines. The first zeppelins crashed after a few test flights and had to be scrapped. In 1909, 1929 and 1930 zeppelins flew over Lüdenscheid and dipped their noses by way of paying their respects to the town and the architect of their predecessors.




Airship L.Z.3 flew over Lüdenscheid on September 21, 1909 . An enlargement of the photo shows people standing on roofs and excitedly watching the zeppelin pass by.





Attractive leisure facilities also play a part in adding to Lüdenscheid’s attractiveness. The newly-built Saunadorf - over 12,000 m² - with many out-of-town guests every day, is particularly worth mentioning. It is next to the Nattenberg indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the multi-purpose stadium, as well as to tennis courts and an indoor riding arena with a show jumping arena. In the town centre, the swimming pool with a sauna and fitness room welcomes visitors.

The baroque Castle Neuenhoff , the seat of the Neuhoff family, Lüdenscheid’s most important nobility, is situated in a charming landscape. The castle illustrates the importance and the way of life of the family, and is still owned by the descendants.




There is also another castle, Schloss Oedental, north-west of Lüdenscheid, and




both castles are wonderful places to visit. 

Haus Rhade , in the Volme valley, is the oldest home of the aristocracy in the entire region which has been handed down from one generation to the next. In the Middle Ages it belonged to the Heribert monastery in Deutz, and is where Abel Wehberg, Peter-Otto Wehberg’s great-great-great-grandfather, worked as an administrator from 1710 to 1744.


The Verse reservoir lies to the south of the town. Here, on traffic-free paths, just as all around Lüdenscheid, it is possible to enjoy extended and healthy walks. In summer or winter, the Fuelbecker, Fürwigge and Jubach dams, the area around the Homert observation tower (539 metres above sea level) and the Ebbegebirge which is close by are delightful places for excursions.




A beautiful view of the bank reflected in the water of the Versetal reservoir.