Dülmen () is a town in the district of Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Dülmen is situated in the south part of the Münsterland area, between the Lippe river to the south, the Baumberge hills to the north and the Ems river to the east. South of Dülmen the Ruhr area is located. Neighbouring municipalities Haltern Reken Coesfeld Billerbeck Nottuln Senden Lüdinghausen Divisions After the local government reforms of 1975 Dülmen consists of the 7 subdivisions Dülmen, Kirchspiel, Buldern, Hausdülmen, Hiddingsel, Merfeld and Rorup. Merfeld was first mentioned in 890. It became a part of Dülmen in 1975. It is known for its herd of Dülmen Ponies. Rorup was first mentioned in 1050 and became a district of Dülmen in 1975. History The place was first mentioned as Dulmenni in 889, as a property of Werden Abbey. Dülmen received town privileges in 1311. It joined the Hanseatic League in 1470. It was part of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster until it was mediatised in 1803. After a short period in the hands of the House of Croÿ, it was taken by the French in 1811. After the defeat of Napoleon, it became part of the Prussian Province of Westphalia. The Dülmen oil plant was a target of the Oil Campaign of World War II: 90% of the city was destroyed and the city was rebuilt after the war. In 1973, the population reached 20,000. In 1975, Rorup, Merfeld, Hiddingsel, Buldern, Hausdülmen and Kirchspiel Dülmen became part of Dülmen. Twin towns – sister cities Dülmen is twinned with: Charleville-Mézières, France Transportation Dülmen can accessed by the A43. Dülmen station is on the Essen–Wanne Eickel–Münster line, which was built by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company, and the Dortmund–Enschede railway, which was built by the Dortmund-Gronau-Enschede Railway Company and links Dortmund and Gronau. The nearest airports are the Münster-Osnabrück Airport in Greven and the Düsseldorf Airport. Notable people Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824), canoness and mystic, lived and died here Clemens Brentano (1778–1842), writer, lived here from 1819 to 1824 Franz von Papen (1879–1969), politician, lived in Dülmen from 1918 to 1930 Fritz Pütter (1895–1918), fighter pilot Marianne Werner (born 1924), athlete Jürgen Drews (born 1945), entertainer, lives here Hartmut Surmann (born 1963), robotics researcher Franka Potente (born 1974), actress, lived here in childhood References External links Sommer in Dülmen Winter in Dülmen Heimatverein Dülmen e.V. Local radiostation Local merchant community Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Coesfeld