Beginnings Arnsberg was first mentioned in 789 in the
Carolingian records (
Urbar) as belonging to the abbey of
Werden. Arnsberg was the seat of the from around 1070 and received city rights in 1238. In 1368 Gottfried IV, the last Count of Arnsberg, handed over the city and county to the
Electorate of Cologne as he had no heir, wherafter it was incorporated into the
Duchy of Westphalia (a possession of Cologne). They built
Arnsberg Castle there, whose remains can still be visited and are occasionally used for public celebrations. In the 12th century, old Arnsberg became the seat of
Westphalian jurisdiction (whose coat of arms is still used today by the
Hochsauerlandkreis). Later, the city lost its independence and was subject to the
Electors (Archbishops) of Cologne.
18th/19th Century Arnsberg Castle was reconstructed by
Johann Conrad Schlaun as a residential palace and hunting lodge for Elector
Clemens August of Bavaria. It was destroyed in the
Seven Years' War in 1769. In 1794 the French attacked Cologne, so parts of the treasure of the
Cologne Cathedral were brought to safety in Arnsberg, along with the relics of the
Biblical Magi. In 1804, the treasure was returned to Cologne, as commemorated by a plaque in the Propsteikirche. In 1816, Arnsberg came under
Prussian rule and was made a local administrative centre.
World War Two Neheim and Hüsten were merged in 1941. During the
Second World War, Arnsberg first suffered widespread destruction and catastrophic loss of lives when
RAF Lancasters breached the dam of the
Möhne Reservoir in the night of the 16 to 17 May 1943 (
Operation Chastise). The nearby Abbey Himmelpforten was completely washed away. Later, dozens of Arnsberg's citizens were killed in several British
air raids aimed at destroying the railway
viaduct. The targets were finally destroyed on 19 March 1945 using a
'Grand Slam' bomb.
Contemporary history The current city of Arnsberg was created in 1975 by merging 12 surrounding municipalities (Bachum, Breitenbruch, Herdringen, Holzen, Müschede, Niedereimer, Oeventrop, Rumbeck, Uentrop, Voßwinkel and Wennigloh) into one city. Old Arnsberg itself and Neheim-Hüsten are the two main urban areas, while the other parts are mainly rural areas. ==Demographics==