Bestwig is a municipality in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Bestwig is situated on the river Ruhr, approx. 10 km east of Meschede. It lies on the German Autobahn A 46. Bestwig has a railway station, connecting the town through local trains to Dortmund Hauptbahnhof, Winterberg and Hagen Hauptbahnhof.
Neighbouring municipalities
Subdivisions
Since 2009, the municipality is officially divided into six Ortschaften, each containing one to five villages (Ortsteile).
| Ortschaft | Ortsteile | Population[2] |
|---|---|---|
| Velmede | Velmede, Bestwig, Föckinghausen, Nierbachtal, Halbeswig | 4.595 (3.140, 1.391, 29, 28, 7) |
| Nuttlar | Nuttlar, Grimlinghausen | 1.586 (1.556, 30) |
| Ostwig | Ostwig, Alfert, Borghausen | 1.691 (973, 58, 660) |
| Heringhausen | Heringhausen | 793 |
| Ramsbeck | Ramsbeck, Berlar, Valme | 1.827 (1.608, 146, 73) |
| Andreasberg | Andreasberg, Dörnberg, Wasserfall | 609 (482, 76, 51) |
Politics
The current mayor of Bestwig is Christoph Rosenau of the CDU, who has been serving as mayor since 2025. In the 2025 local elections he was elected with 68,25 % of the vote.[3]
City council
After the 2025 local elections, the Bestwig city council is composed as follows:
| Party | Votes | % | +/- | Seats | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 2,916 | 61.3 |  4.2
|
17 | 1
| |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 1,642 | 34.5 |  3.0
|
10 | ±0 | |
| Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) | 200 | 4.2 | 1.2
|
1 | 1
| |
| Valid votes | 4,758 | 97.2 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 136 | 2.8 | ||||
| Total | 4,894 | 100.0 | 28 | ±0 | ||
| Electorate/voter turnout | 8,134 | 60.2 | ||||
| Source: City of Bestwig | ||||||
Economy
Bestwig, surrounded by many acres of pine tree forests, is a centre of Christmas tree production.
Tourism, however, is the most important source of income. The Sauerland forests are popular among hikers and, in winter, skiing is possible.
Twin towns
Bestwig has no official partnership with another town, but has close to ties to Niederorschel (Thuringia, Germany) and Niederwiesa (Saxony, Germany).
Coat of arms
The coat of arms shows a silver Saint Andrew’s Cross on blue ground. The Saint Andrew’s Cross is a reference to the patron of the parish church in Velmede, Saint Andrew. The colors silver and blue show the allegiance to the former county of Arnsberg.
Notable natives
- Franz Hoffmeister (1898-1943), Roman Catholic priest
- Theo Bücker (born 1948), coach of Lebanon’s national football team
- Wilhelmine Lübke (1885–1981), First Lady
- Ferdinand von Lüninck (born 1888), German nobleman (a Freiherr i.e. a Baron) Roman Catholic, who participated in plans to overthrow Hitler on 20 July 1944. Arrested after plot failed and sentenced to death. Hanged on 14 November 1944.
- Hedwig von Beverfoerde (born 1963), German noblewoman, right-wing political activist and Traditional Catholic
Notable places in Bestwig
-
Waterfall Plästerlegge near Wasserfall
- Wasserfall is named after its famous waterfall, a popular sight during walking tours. It is one of the largest cascades in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Bergkloster Monastery, the motherhouse of the European Province of the Sisters of St Maria Magdalena Postel
References
- ^ “Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2024 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus 2022” (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW.
- ^ Source: municipal website, [1] Archived 2022-05-21 at the Wayback Machine click left under to: Informationen zu den Gemeindeteilen. First figure: population entire Ortschaft, followed by the population of its Ortsteile.
- ^ “Ergebnis”. wahlen.kdvz.nrw (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-10.
External links
- Official site (in German)
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