Herdecke () is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located south of Dortmund in the Ruhr Area. Its location between the two Ruhr reservoirs Hengsteysee and Harkortsee has earned it the nickname Die Stadt zwischen den Ruhrseen (lit. The city between the Ruhr lakes). The city is located in the area of the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR). The two Ruhr lakes as well as the forests on the Ardey heights make the town attractive to tourists. The historic center with its many half timbered houses and the 30-metre-high railway viaduct across the Ruhr valley are two more landmarks. Geography Herdecke is located at the foot of the Ardeygebirge, the northwestern part of the Sauerland, between Dortmund in the North and Northeast, Hagen in the South, Wetter (Ruhr) in the Southwest and Witten in the West and Northwest. Herdecke lies between 80 and 274 meters above sea levels. It lies on the north bank of the river Ruhr, between the Harkortsee to the west and the Hengsteysee to the east. Geology Though part of the Ruhrgebiet, the town was only indirectly influenced by the mining of coal, as it has few coal beds. Climate The average precipitation is between 850 and 900 mm. The average temperature is around 10.6 °C. Town structure Most of Herdecke lies North of the Ruhr except for a small part at the Ruhr bridge. The town is about 8 kilometers in length from North-East to South-West and 5 kilometers in width from North-West to South-East. Herdecke has two major settlements: Herdecke proper and Ende. The latter covers the former town of Ende with its farming communities Kirchende, Ostende, Westende and Gedern as well as the "mansion district" Ahlenberg. History The origin of Herdecke was the foundation of a women's monastery at the beginning of the 9th century. The former monastery church (Stiftskirche), which was rebuilt in the second half of the 13th century, still retains parts of the original Carolingian construction. In 1324 Herdecke went from ownership of the Bishopric of Cologne to the County of Mark. The count took all jurisdiction from the abbess and erected a pillory in front of the church which existed until 1700. 1355 market rights were given by Count Engelbert III. In the following centuries the regionally important corn market developed thanks to the good connection to trading roads from Cologne to the Weser