ancient Throtmannia
City (pop., 2002 est.: 589,200), North Rhine–Westphalia, western Germany.
First mentioned in AD 885, it became a free imperial city in 1220 and later joined the Hanseatic League . A prosperous trading centre in the 14th century, it declined after the Thirty Years' War and lost its imperial rights in 1803. The development of coal and iron ore mining and the completion of the Dortmund-Ems Canal in 1899 stimulated its regrowth. The city was largely destroyed in World War II but was extensively rebuilt. It is a major transportation and industrial hub of the Ruhr area.