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{{Infobox German location
|name              = Schwerte
|type               = Stadt
|image_caption     = Church of St. Victor
|image_photo       = Schwerte - Sankt-Victor-Kirche.jpg
|image_coa            = DEU Schwerte COA.svg
|coordinates       = {{coord|51|26|45|N|7|33|55|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan          = Schwerte in UN.svg
|state        = Nordrhein-Westfalen
|region  = Arnsberg
|district             = Unna
|elevation              = 120
|area            = 56.23
|postal_code               = 58239
|area_code           = 02304
|licence               = UN
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 9 78 028
|website           = [https://www.schwerte.de/ www.schwerte.de]
|mayor             = Dimitrios Axourgos<ref>[http://wahlen.citkomm.de/BMW610/05978028/html5/Buergermeisterwahl_NRW_111_Gemeinde_Stadt_Schwerte.html Wahl des/der Bürgermeisters/in Stadt Schwerte 04.03.2018], accessed 30 June 2021.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2018&ndash;23
|party             = SPD
}}
'''Schwerte''' ({{IPA|de|ʃveːɐ̯tə|-|LL-Q188 (deu)-Sebastian Wallroth-Schwerte.wav}}; [[Westphalian language|Westphalian]]: ''Schweierte'') is a town in the [[Unna (district)|district of Unna]], in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], [[Germany]].

==Geography==
Schwerte is situated in the [[Ruhr (river)|Ruhr]] valley, at the south-east border of the [[Ruhr Area]]. South of Schwerte begins the mountainous [[Sauerland]] region.

===Division of the town===
After the local government reforms of 1975 Schwerte consists of the following districts:
{{div col|colwidth=10em}}
* Schwerte
* Holzen
* Westhofen
* [[Ergste]]
* [[Geisecke]]
* [[Villigst]]
* Wandhofen
{{div col end}}

==History==
Schwerte received civic rights in the 12th century.

The [[Ausbesserungswerk|railway facility]] in the eastern district of Schwerte became a branch of the [[Buchenwald concentration camp]] in April 1944. The camp had 445 prisoners in August and 670 in November 1944. The number of escapees was comparatively high; in November 1944 48 prisoners escaped. The camp in Schwerte was disbanded in December 1944 and the remaining prisoners were brought back to Buchenwald.<ref>{{cite book |title=Der Ort des Terrors: Geschichte der nationalsozialistischen Konzentrationslager |last=Benz |first=Wolfgang |author2=Barabara Distel |author3=Angelika Königseder  |year=2006 |publisher=C.H.Beck |language=german |isbn=978-3-406-52963-4 |pages=572–574  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qt9U0G0Z3mUC |accessdate=2009-03-29 }}</ref>

==Main sights==
*The [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] church of St. Victor has a carved altar of 1523, and stained glass of the 14th and 15th centuries.
*The Wuckenhof is a [[Timber framing|timber-framed house]] built in the 16th century.<ref>[http://www.as.citynetz.com/ausgaben/html/as47/text/035-99r.html Teil VI: Die Freiherren von Syberg zu Schwerte, Hees und Sümmern] (German)</ref>
*The ''Ruhrtal[[museum]]'' is situated in a former town hall, that was built in 1547.<ref>[http://www.ruhrtalmuseum.de/Das-Ruhrtalmuseum.239.0.html Das Ruhrtalmuseum] (German)</ref>
*The ''Rohrmeisterei'' was built in 1889 by a [[Water purification|water purification company]]. It was a [[pumping station]] until 1924. Today it is part of the German route of [[industrial heritage]] (''[[Route der Industriekultur]]'').<ref>[http://www.route-industriekultur.de/themenrouten/tr12/rohrmeisterei-schwerte.html Rohrmeisterei Schwerte] (German)</ref>
[[File:Schwerte-00030.JPG|thumb|Ruhr Valley Museum]]

==Economy==
Today, there are some industries left, which are confined to the manufacture of iron and steel goods.

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Schwerte is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Die Schwerter Arbeitskreise|url=https://staedtepartnerschaft.schwerte.de/kreise/akreise.php|website=staedtepartnerschaft.schwerte.de|publisher=Schwerte|language=de|access-date=2021-03-24}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Béthune]], France (1960)
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Bruay-la-Buissière]], France (1965)
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Violaines]], France (1969)
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Allouagne]], France (1975)
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Hastings]], England, UK (1982)
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Cava de' Tirreni]], Italy (1984)
*{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Leppävirta]], Finland (1992)
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Pyatigorsk]], Russia (1992)
*{{flagicon|GRE}} [[Ioannina]], Greece (2022)
<!--Nowy Sącz - twinning suspended-->
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
*[[Johannes Goddaeus]] (1555–1632), jurist
*[[Heinrich Rehkemper]] (1894–1949), baritone singer
*[[Erwin Rösener]] (1902–1946), SS-[[Obergruppenführer]] Nazi officer executed for war crimes
*[[Werner van der Zyl]] (1902–1984), rabbi
*[[Detlef Lewe]] (1939–2008), [[Canoe racing|sprint canoer]], lived in Schwerte
*[[Paul Kevenhörster]] (born 1941), political scientist
*[[Wolfgang Kleff]] (born 1946), footballer
*[[Rosemarie Trockel]] (born 1952), artist
*[[Carmen Rischer]] (born 1956), rhythmic gymnast
*[[Thomas Kroth]] (born 1959), footballer, lives in Schwerte
*[[Violetta Oblinger-Peters]] (born 1977), Austrian slalom canoeist
*[[Jens Ewald]] (born 1983), slalom canoeist
*[[Lasse Sobiech]] (born 1991), footballer

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[https://www.schwerte.de/ Official website] {{in lang|de}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141022083206/http://heimatverein-ergste.de/main.php Heimatverein Ergste] Internet site of the local history society of Ergste

{{commons category|Schwerte}}
{{Cities and towns in Unna (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Members of the Hanseatic League]]
[[Category:Unna (district)]]