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{{Expand German|topic=geo}}
{{Infobox German location
|type              = Stadt
|name              = Wesel
|image_photo       = wesel_willibrordi_dom_chor.jpg
|image_caption     = Willibrordi-Dom in Wesel. The cathedral, dedicated to [[St Willibrord]], has been restored after wartime bombing.
|image_coa         = DEU Wesel COA.svg
|image_flag        = Flagge Wesel.svg
|coordinates       = {{coord|51|39|31|N|6|37|4|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan        = Wesel in WES.svg
|state        = Nordrhein-Westfalen
|region  = Düsseldorf
|district         = Wesel
|elevation         = 23
|area            = 122.56
|postal_code       = 46483, 46485, 46487
|area_code         = {{Ubl
 | 02 81
 | 0 28 03 (Büderich)
 | 0 28 59 (Bislich)
 }}
|licence           = WES, DIN, MO
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 1 70 048
|divisions         = 5 
|website           = {{Url|https://www.wesel.de}}
|mayor             = Rainer Benien<ref>[https://wahl.krzn.de/kw2025sw/wep490/erg/490-304-BUW-wgkz.html] Stadt Wesel Bürgermeisterwahl 28.09.2025, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 18 June 2025.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2020&ndash;25
|party             = SPD
}}
'''Wesel''' ({{IPA|de|ˈveːzl̩|-|De-Wesel.ogg}}) is a city in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], in western [[Germany]]. It is the capital of the [[Wesel (district)|Wesel district]].

==Geography==
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the [[Lippe River]] and the [[Rhine]].

===Division of the city===
Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark, Fusternberg, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.

==History==

===Origin===
The city originated from a [[Franconia]]n manor that was first recorded in the 8th century.
In the 12th century, the Duke of Clèves took possession of Wesel. The city became a member of the [[Hanseatic League]] during the 15th century. Wesel was second only to [[Cologne]] in the lower Rhine region as an [[entrepôt]]. It was an important commercial centre: a clearing station for the [[transshipment]] and trading of goods.

===Early modern===
[[File:Braun Wesel UBHD.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Wesel in the 16th century]]
In 1545, a [[Walloons|Walloon]] community in Wesel was noted, with French-language church services.<ref name=em>{{cite book|last=Muret|first=Eduard|title=Geschichte der Französischen Kolonie in Brandenburg-Preußen, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Berliner Gemeinde. Aus Veranlassung der Zweihundertjährigen Jubelfeier am 29. Oktober 1885|year=1885|location=Berlin|language=de|pages=276}}</ref>

In 1590 the Spanish captured Wesel after a four-year siege. The city changed hands between the Dutch and Spanish several times during the [[Eighty Years War]]. In 1672 a French force under [[Louis, Grand Condé|Louis II de Bourbon]], [[Prince de Condé]] captured the city.

Wesel was inherited by the [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollerns]] of the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]] in 1609 but they were unable to take control of Wesel until the [[Treaty of Nijmegen]] in 1678. In 1688, a French [[Huguenot]] commune was founded in the town.<ref name=em/> Although the city had been heavily fortified the Prussians evacuated the city during the [[Seven Years' War]] and it was occupied by the French. It was returned to Prussia at the end of the war. [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Dossow]] was the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] Governor of Wesel during the 18th century.

Wesel was ceded to the French in 1805 under the [[Treaty of Schönbrunn]]. The French heavily fortified the city constructing a rectangular fort called the Citadelle Napoleon at [[Büderich (Wesel)|Büderich]] and the Citadelle Bonaparte on an island in the [[Rhine]] off Wesel. Though blockaded by the Allies in 1813 the city remained in French hands until after the Battle of Waterloo. After the [[Napoleonic Wars]] of the early 19th century, the city became part of the Prussian [[Rhine Province]] and the Citadelle Napoleon was renamed Fort Blücher.

===World War II===
[[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|Forced laborers]] of the 3rd [[SS construction brigade]] were dispatched in the town in 1943.<ref>{{cite book|last=Megargee|first=Geoffrey P.|year=2009|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|page=1385|isbn=978-0-253-35328-3}}</ref>
[[File:Wesel 1945.jpg|thumb|left|97% of Wesel was destroyed before it was finally taken by [[Allies of World War II|Allied troops]] in 1945.]]

During [[World War II]], as a strategic [[Distribution center|depot]], [[bombing of Wesel in World War II|Wesel became a target]] of [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bombing. Air raids, using impact and air-burst bombs, on 16, 17, 18 and 19 February 1945, destroyed 97% of the town. The [[Wehrmacht]] blew up bridges along the Rhine and Lippe to prevent Allied forces from advancing. The Wehrmacht also destroyed the 1,950m-long [[railway]] bridge, the last Rhine bridge remaining in German hands, on 10 March. On 23 March, Wesel came under the fire of over 3,000 guns when it was bombarded anew, in preparation for [[Operation Plunder]]. The shelling was assisted by a raid of [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] bombers and a larger raid that night, during which ten individual bombers each dropped a 10,000&nbsp;kg bomb on Wesel at 2100 hours. Before the town was finally taken by Allied troops, 97% of its structures were destroyed. In the ensuing attacks by Allied forces, the town was taken with minimal casualties. [[Operation Varsity]]{{Snd}} the largest airborne landings of the war in one day and one location {{Snd}} dropped 18,000 troops into the area to take the hills behind Wesel. The British [[1st Special Service Brigade|1st Commando Brigade]] was already attacking Wesel, carried into action by [[Landing Vehicle Tracked|LVT]] Buffalos. The remainder of the Allied force crossed the Rhine in more amphibious vehicles.

From almost 25,000 in 1939, the population was reduced to 1,900 by May 1945.<ref>[http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/mar45.html Entry for 23–24 March 1945], "RAF campaign diary March 1945"</ref>  In 1946 Wesel became part of the new state [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] of [[West Germany]].

==Transport==
[[File:Clp 20150420 4461 Bf Wesel EG.jpg|thumb|[[Wesel railway station|Main railway station]]]]
There is a [[Wesel railway station|railway station]] in the city centre as well as [[Wesel-Feldmark railway station|Wesel-Feldmark]], about 2&nbsp;km north. The stations are served by trains to [[Oberhausen]], [[Duisburg]], [[Düsseldorf]], [[Cologne]], [[Arnhem Centraal railway station|Arnhem]] (Netherlands), and [[Mönchengladbach]].<ref name="AD-Net">{{cite web |title=Linien & Netze {{!}} Abellio Deutschland |url=https://www.abellio.de/de/nordrhein-westfalen/linien-netze|website=abellio.de|access-date=19 June 2019|language=de}}</ref> A small diesel-only connecting railway line goes to [[Bocholt, Germany|Bocholt]] also, there are plans to electrify it.

There is no airport in the city with the nearest airports are:
*[[Weeze Airport]], located {{convert|41|km|abbr=on}} to the west.
*[[Düsseldorf Airport]], located {{convert|64|km|abbr=on}} south.
*[[Dortmund Airport]], located {{convert|90|km|abbr=on}} to the south east. 
*[[Münster Osnabrück Airport]], located {{convert|104|km|abbr=on}} to the north east.

==Buildings and places of interest==
[[File:Wesel, Zitadelle, Haupttor -- 2016 -- 4340-6.jpg|thumb|[[Wesel Citadel]]]]
* Berliner Tor, city gate
* Willibrordi-Dom (Cathedral). Commemorative plaque for [[Peter Minuit]], Gründer von [[New York City|New York]] (founder of [[New York City|New York]])
* [[Wesel Citadel]]
* Restored 15th century city hall
* [[FM and TV-mast Wesel|Broadcasting Mast Wesel]], one of Germany's tallest constructions
* Niederrheinbrücke Wesel, modern Rhine bridge opened in 2009
* [[Auesee]], an natural bathing lake, an old arm of the Rhine river

==Politics==
Wesel's mayors:
* 1808–1814: Johann Hermann Westermann
* 1814–1840: Christian Adolphi
* 1841–1862: Franz Luck
* 1863–1870: Wilhelm Otto van Calker
* 1870–1873: Heinrich Bang
* 1873–1881: Carl Friedrich August von Albert
* 1881–1891: Caspar Baur
* 1891–1902: Josef Fluthgraf (1896 Oberbürgermeister)
* 1903–1931: Ludwig Poppelbaum
* 1931–1933: Emil Nohl
* 1933–1945: Otto Borgers
* 1945: Jean Groos
* 1945: Wilhelm Groos
* 1946–1947: Anton Ebert (CDU)
* 1947–1948: Paul Körner (CDU)
* 1948–1952: Ewald Fournell (CDU)
* 1952–1956: Helmut Berckel (CDU)
* 1956–1966: Kurt Kräcker (SPD)
* 1967–1969: Willi Nakaten (SPD)
* 1969–1979: Günther Detert (CDU)
* 1979–1984: Wilhelm Schneider (SPD)
* 1984–1989: Volker Haubitz (CDU)
* 1989–1994: Wilhelm Schneider (SPD)
* 1994–1999: Bernhard Gründken (SPD)
* 1999–2004: Jörn Schroh (CDU)
* 2004–2025: Ulrike Westkamp (SPD)
* since 2025: Rainer Benien (SPD)

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Wesel is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.wesel.de/politik-verwaltung/staedtepartnerschaften|website=wesel.de|publisher=Wesel|language=de|access-date=2021-02-17}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Hagerstown, Maryland|Hagerstown]], United States (1952)
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Felixstowe]], England (1972)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Salzwedel]], Germany (1990)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Kętrzyn]], Poland (2002)

==Notable people==
[[File:Konrad_Duden_1829-1911.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Konrad Duden, author of the first [[Duden]]]]
*[[Derick Baegert]] (1440–after 1509), painter
* Andreas Wytinck van Wesel, or [[Andreas Vesalius]], anatomist, imperial physician to the court of Emperor Charles V
*[[Jan Joest]] (1455–1519), painter
*[[Hermann Wesel]] († 1563), last [[Bishop of Dorpat]]
*[[Hans Lippershey]] (1550–1619), eyeglass maker associated with the invention of the [[telescope]]
*[[Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby]] (1555–1601), English diplomat and soldier
*[[Carl Philipp, Reichsgraf von Wylich und Lottum]] (1650–1719), Prussian field marshal
*[[Peter Minuit]] (1594–1638), founder of [[New Amsterdam]], which later became [[New York City]]
*Johann Friedrich Welsch (1796–1871), painter
*[[Konrad Duden]] (1829–1911), author of the first [[Duden]]
*[[Ludwig Hugo Becker]] (1833–1868), painter
*[[Friedrich Geselschap]] (1835–1898), painter
*[[Richard Veenfliet]] (1843–1922), painter and soldier
*[[Ida Tacke]] (1896–1978), co-discoverer of the chemical elements [[rhenium]] and [[technetium]]
*[[Joachim von Ribbentrop]] (1893–1946), foreign minister of [[Nazi Germany]] (1938–1945)
*[[Jan Hofer]] (born 1950), journalist and television presenter
*[[Dieter Nuhr]] (born 1960), comedian
*[[Martin Bambauer]] (born 1970), church musician

==Miscellaneous==
One of Germany's highest [[FM and TV-mast Wesel|radio masts]] is situated in the district of Büderich on the left bank of the Rhine. The [[Wesel transmitter]] measures 320.8 metres in height.

==See also==
*[[Wesel Railway Bridge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Books==
{{NIE Poster}}
* Jutta Prieur (Hrsg.): ''Geschichte der Stadt Wesel: Beiträge zur Stadtgeschichte der frühen Neuzeit'' (= Studien und Quellen zur Geschichte von Wesel 20). Stadtarchiv, Wesel 1998, {{ISBN|3-924380-15-5}}
* Daniel Vasta (Hrsg.): ''Wesel{{Snd}} Hansestadt am Niederrhein: Beiträge zum zeitgenössischen Geschehen'' (= Bilder von Menschen, Land und Leuten, Wesel 2009). Sutton Verlag, Wesel 2009, {{ISBN|3-86680-568-3}}<ref>[http://www.immobilien-vasta.de/bildband.php Wesel]</ref><ref>[http://www.vasta.de Daniel Vasta in Wesel]. Vasta.de. Retrieved on 2013-07-23.</ref>
* Martin W. Roelen (Hrsg.): ''Ecclesia Wesele: Beiträge zur Ortsnamenforschung und Kirchengeschichte'' (= Studien und Quellen zur Geschichte von Wesel 28). Stadtarchiv, Wesel 2005, {{ISBN|3-924380-23-6}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*{{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}

{{Cities and towns in Wesel (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wesel| ]]
[[Category:Members of the Hanseatic League]]
[[Category:Districts of the Rhine Province]]
[[Category:Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Rhine]]
[[Category:Wesel (district)]]