Kreuztal is a town in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
Location
Kreuztal is a town in the low mountains of the northern Siegerland and lies at the western edge of the Rothaargebirge about 10 km north of Siegen.
Across the municipal area from the east flows the Ferndorfbach, swinging to the south in the inner town and leaving the municipal area through the constituent community of Buschhütten.
In the northern municipal area rises the Littfe, which then runs through the constituent communities of Burgholdinghausen, Littfeld, Krombach, Eichen and Fellinghausen before emptying into the Ferndorfbach in the inner town. Further tributary brooks to the Littfe are the Langebach, the Heimkäuser Bach, the Breitenbach, the Krombach, the Stendenbach and the Bockenbach.
In the town's west end rises the Heesbach, which then runs through the constituent communities of Oberhees, Mittelhees, Junkernhees and Fellinghausen, emptying into the Littfe at the footbridge. One tributary to the Hees is the Ostheldener Bach, which feeds the Robertsweier (pond). The Berghäuser Bach, which flows through the Berghäuser Weier (another pond), empties into the Ostheldener Bach downstream from the Robertsweier.
Geology
The municipal area is part of the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge, or Rhenish Slate Mountains. The southernmost constituent community of Buschhütten gives way to the Sieg gorge to the south. While the bedrock contains many layers of iron-bearing rock, the surface is formed of weathered clayey-sandy earth.
Municipal area's extent
The municipal area covers 70.96 km². This breaks down as: 60.02% wooded 16.41% agricultural 14.49% buildings and yards 7.09% transport 2.26% other
The town's highest point is the Hoher Wald at 655 m above mean sea level, and its lowest point is to be found in Buschhütten where the Ferndorfbach leaves the municipal area at a height of 260 m above sea level. The municipal area's north-south extent is 12 km, and its east-west extent is 11 km.
Neighbouring communities
The town, lying in the northwestern part of the district, borders in the south on Siegen, in the west on Freudenberg and Wenden, in the north on Kirchhundem and Olpe and in the east on Hilchenbach and Netphen. The town is shaped by the valleys of the Ferndorfbach, Littfe and Hees, which together form a cross-shaped valley.
The town's highest elevation is the mountain Hoher Wald at 655 m above sea level. The peak is however not open to the public, as it belongs to the Bundeswehr. Other mountains are the Hölzenberg 626 m above sea level, Kindelsberg 617.9 m above sea level (the town's landmark), the Martinshardt 616.1 m above sea level, the Ziegenberg 521 m above sea level, the Wilder Stein 478.9 m above sea level, die Rodenull 436 m above sea level, the Köpfchen 407.4 m above sea level, the Pfaffenberg 398.7 m above sea level, the Buberg, the Pühlsberg, the Krähenberg, the Altenhahn, the Löherhauberg, the Höhberg, the Rohberg, the Wolfshagen, the Mühlberg, the Mühlenkopf, the Kilgeshahn, the Siegerberg, the Kohlenberg, the Hohler Stein, the Dudeltätsch and the Heidlofsberg.
Constituent communities
The town is made up of the centres of Burgholdinghausen, Krombach and Eichen in the north, Kreuztal in the middle, Osthelden, Oberhees, Mittelhees, Junkernhees and Fellinghausen in the west, and Ferndorf, Kredenbach, Langenau and Buschhütten in the south.
History
The town of Kreuztal as it stands now is the child of the municipal reform of 1 January 1969. It came into being through the voluntary merger of the communities of Burgholdinghausen, Buschhütten, Eichen, Fellinghausen, Ferndorf, Kredenbach, Kreuztal, Krombach, Littfeld, Mittelhees, Oberhees and Osthelden.
The first documentary mentions go back to 1067, among which are found a place called "Berentraph", the later constituent community of Ferndorf, one of the earliest named places in the Siegerland. Until the town was founded, Ferndorf was the old Amt's namesake.
The constituent community of Ernsdorf was first mentioned in a document as "Erinstorff" in 1417-1419. During the time of the Confederation of the Rhine, Ernsdorf was the local mayor's seat.
The name that the town now bears first cropped up in 1826 in the baptismal register of the community of Ferndorf.
Development in the town was sparked by the railway. In 1861, the Ruhr-Sieg line opened, leading Kreuztal to become a railway hub by 1880. Up to 1888, a spur to Erndtebrück, Bad Laasphe and Marburg was built. Also in the plans was a line to Olpe and Meinerzhagen, but this was only partly finished, as far as Krummenerl.