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Coordinates: 51°02′N 7°46′E

Drolshagen
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Administrative region	Arnsberg
District	Olpe
Population	12,485 (Dec. 31st, 2006)
Area	67,12 km²
Elevation	353 m
Coordinates	51°02′ N 7°46′ E
Postal code	57489
Area code	02761; 02763
Licence plate code	OE
Mayor	Theo Hilchenbach (CDU)
Website	www.drolshagen.de

Drolshagen is a town in the district of Olpe, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approx. 5 km west of Olpe.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Geographical location 1.2 Streams and Hills 1.3 Geology 1.4 Neighbouring towns and municipalities 2 History 2.1 Coat of arms 3 Demographics 3.1 Religion 3.2 Historical populations 4 Gallery 5 References

Drolshagen is located within the boundaries of natural preserve Ebbegebirge which is part of Sauerland. The area of the municipality of Drolshagen is characterized by heavily wooded low mountain ranges with altitudes close to 500 metres, flat tops and broad valleys in between. About 40% of the town's area is covered by forests. To the west where the territory of Drolshagen ends there is a steep drop of altitude and the view is open towards the plains of the river Rhine in the distance.

The highest hills are:

• Mark (512 m)
• Löh (482 m)
• Steupingen (481 m)

Several named and a number of unnamed streams and brooks flow through the valleys of the municipality of Drolshagen:

• Brachtpe
  • Rose
  • Steupinger Bach
• Herpel

Brachtpe empties into Biggesee and Herpel into Listertalsperre.

Like other areas of Sauerland Drolshagen is part of Rheinisches Schiefergebirge.

• Olpe
• Wenden
• Meinerzhagen
• Gummersbach
• Reichshof

The municipality of Drolshagen includes Drolshagen proper and 57 villages of different sizes.

• More than 1,000 inhabitants:
  • town of Drolshagen (4,807 inhabitants) - Hützemert (1,092)
• from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants:
  • Iseringhausen, Schreibershof
• from 250 to 500 inhabitants:
  • Benolpe, Berlinghausen, Bleche, Dumicke, Frenkhausen, Germinghausen, Herpel, Wegeringhausen
• less than 250 inhabitants:
  • Alperscheid, Beul, Brachtpe, Buchhagen, Bühren, Dirkingen, Eichen, Eltge, Essinghausen, Fahrenschotten, Gelslingen, Grünenthal, Halbhusten, Heiderhof, Heimicke, Hespecke, Husten, Kalberschnacke, Kram, Lüdespert, Neuenhaus, Scheda, Schlade, Schürholz, Sendschotten, Siebringhausen, Wenkhausen, Wintersohl

Sauerland then known as Süderland had been part of the Duchy of Saxony when it was given to the Archbishop of Cologne, Philipp, in 1180. For the year 1470 the Knights of Drolshagen are documented. In 1477, March 2nd, Drolshagen was given its town chater by Ruprecht, Archbishop of Cologne, and thus entitled to market and walls. Archbishop Hermann IV confirmed these privileges and added the right to hold a fair. From that time on Drolshagen was called a town.

A long time before Droshagen received its town charter it had already been a Freiheit which was with regard to the privileges granted already close to a town charter. As such Freiheit Drolshagen had a mayor, a council and a seal of its own.

The Chronika Drolshagensis documents that Drolshagen was a member of the Hanse as of 1604 and traded with other Hanseatic cities especially in the east of Europe.

In 1801 Drolshagen as part of the Duchy of Westphalia was given to the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt who declared it to be in his possession "for all times" and formed it into a Province of Westphalia.

Most of Drolshagen burned to the ground in a big fire in May 1838 and was rebuild by "American example" with a grid of streets and avenues. During World War 2 the town was spared from bombing and thus still has lots of its old buildings.

Witnesses to Drolshagen's past are St. Clement Church the middle section of which dates back to a Cistercian monastery established by the Counts of Sayn. Today only parts of buildings of the former monastery remain.^[1]

The four squares of the coat of arms bear witness to the history of Drolshagen and show the former coats of arms of the municipality of Drolshagen Amt and Drolshagen 'Stadt. The individual squares are separated by the "Cross of Cologne" which represents the long centuries when Drolshagen was subject to Archbishopric of Cologne and ended in 1803. The blue rhombs on golden ground origin in the coat of arms of the Counts of Drolshagen and the upside down black anchor on silver ground is the symbol of St. Clement who died a martyr's death in 97 AD. The arrow in the middle of the anchor refers to the death as a martyr. St. Clement is also patron saint of Drolshagen.

• Roman Catholic - 74,26%
• Protestant - 13,16%
• Others - 12,57%

HISTORICAL POPULATIONS

Year	Population
1895	2,900
1900	2,966
1939	6,295
1961	8,250
1975	9,973
1980	10,184
1985	10,542
1990	11,220
1995	12,101
2000	12,358
2005	12,559
2006	12,485

^[2]

View of Drolshagen towards south from Papenberg (417 m). St. Clement Church dominates the skyline.

The town hall of Drolshagen is rather small and some of the offices are located in nearby buildings.

The belfry of St. Clement Church is the oldest part of the church and dates back to the 11th century.

This stone was erected in memory of Peter Butz who was sent as an emissary to Swedish troops in 1635 to beg them to spare Drolshagen and was shot by them. The inscripton says: "In 1635, June 8, the honerable and devout, noble Peter Butz from Drollhagen came here to the Swedes and was shot. His soul to God, mercy and amen."

Coordinates: 51°01′N 7°46′E