Arnsberg (ˈaʁnsbɛʁk; Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochsauerlandkreis district.
Arnsberg is located in the north-east of the Sauerland in the Ruhr river valley. The river Ruhr meanders around the south of the old town of Arnsberg. The town is nearly completely encircled by forest, and the nature park Arnsberger Wald lies to the north".
Arnsberg is connected by Federal Motorway 46 (Autobahn 46) Brilon in the east and (using the Federal Motorway 445) Werl in the west. It is also connected by several railroad stations, which provide a connection to the major city Dortmund and the Ruhrgebiet. There is also a regional airport, located in the city district of Vosswinkel, which is exclusively used for small private aircraft.
The municipal territory spans a distance of up to from the southern to the northern limits.
Ense
Möhnesee
Warstein
Meschede
Sundern
Balve
Menden
After the local government reforms of 1975 Arnsberg consists of 15 boroughs (Ortsteile):
Neheim (23,448 inhabitants)
Arnsberg (19,355 inhabitants)
Hüsten (11,304 inhabitants)
Oeventrop (6,713 inhabitants)
Herdringen (4,118 inhabitants)
Bruchhausen (3,337 inhabitants)
Müschede (2,870 inhabitants)
Voßwinkel (2,523 inhabitants)
Niedereimer (2,082 inhabitants)
Holzen (2,022 inhabitants)
Rumbeck (1,305 inhabitants)
Wennigloh (1,004 inhabitants)
Bachum (959 inhabitants)
Breitenbruch (219 inhabitants)
Uentrop (346 inhabitants)
Arnsberg was first mentioned in 789 in the Carolingian records (Urbar) as belonging to the abbey of Werden.
Arnsberg was the seat of the Counts of Arnsberg from around 1070 and received city rights in 1238. In 1368 the last of the Counts of Arnsberg, Count Gottfried IV, handed over the city and county to Kurköln as he had no heir.
They built a castle there whose remains can still be visited and are occasionally used for public celebrations.