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{{Infobox German location
|name                       = Hagen
|type                       = City
|image_photo                = Friedrich-Ebert-Platz Hagen 1.jpg
|imagesize                  = 
|image_caption              = Old town hall tower between the two shopping centres, January 2020
|image_coa                  = Stadtwappen der Stadt Hagen.svg
|image_flag                 = Flagge der Stadt Hagen.svg
|coordinates                = {{coord|51|22|N|7|29|E|type:city(189,000)_region:DE-NW|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|Karte                      = 
|image_plan                 = 
|plantext                   = 
|state                      = North Rhine-Westphalia
|region                     = Arnsberg
|district                   = urban
|Amt                        = 
|Gemeindeverwaltungsverband = 
|Samtgemeinde               = 
|Verbandsgemeinde           =  
|Verwaltungsgemeinschaft    = 
|Verwaltungsverband         = 
|elevation                  = 106
|area                       = 160.45
|area_metro                 = 
|pop_metro                  = 
|pop_ref                    = 
|postal_code                = 58089–58099, 58119, 58135
|area_code                  = 02331, 02334, 02337, 02304
|licence                    = HA
|Gemeindeschlüssel          = 05914000
|divisions                  = 
|website                    = [https://www.hagen.de/ www.hagen.de]
|mayor                      = [[Dennis Rehbein]]
|leader_term                = 2025&ndash;30
|Bürgermeistertitel         = Oberbürgermeister
|party                      = CDU
|ruling_party1              = 
|ruling_party2              =  
|year                       = 
|_noautocat                 = 
}}

'''Hagen''' ({{IPA|de|ˈhaːɡn̩|-|De-Hagen2.ogg}}) is a city in the [[States of Germany|state]] of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], in western [[Germany]], on the southeastern edge of the [[Ruhr area]], 15&nbsp;km south of [[Dortmund]], where the rivers [[Lenne]] and [[Volme]] meet the [[Ruhr (river)|Ruhr]]. In 2023, the population was 197,677.

The city is home to the [[FernUniversität Hagen]] (University of Hagen), the only state-funded [[distance education]] university in Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fernuni-hagen.de/universitaet/zahlen.shtml|title=Zahlen und Daten|access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Studierende an Hochschulen – Fachserie 11 Reihe 4.1 – Wintersemester 2021/2022 (Letzte Ausgabe – berichtsweise eingestellt)|url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bildung-Forschung-Kultur/Hochschulen/Publikationen/Downloads-Hochschulen/studierende-hochschulen-endg-2110410227004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |page=34|accessdate=12 December 2022}}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Hengsteysee Panorama.jpg|thumb|left|{{Lang|de|[[Hengsteysee]]}}]]The largest extension of Hagen's municipal area is 17.1 km in a north-south direction and 15.5 km in a west-east direction. The city boundary of 89.7 km is made up of 3.3 km to Dortmund, 9 km to the [[Unna (district)|district of Unna]], 56.6 km to the [[Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis|Ennepe-Ruhr district]] and 20.8 km to the [[Märkischer Kreis|Märkisch district]]. The area of the city (160.36 km²) is roughly the size of the [[Liechtenstein|Principality of Liechtenstein]].

42 per cent of Hagen's municipal area consists of forest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistische Berichte Bodenflächen in Nordrhein-Westfalen nach Art der tatsächlichen Nutzung, Ausgabe 2015 Ergebnisse der Flächenerhebung am 31. Dezember 2014 |url=https://webshop.it.nrw.de/gratis/C179%20201500.pdf}}</ref> The four rivers in Hagen stretch over a length of 52.2 km: [[Ruhr (river)|Ruhr]] 11.5 km, [[Lenne]] 13.1 km, [[Volme]] 21.3 km and [[Ennepe]] 6.3 km. The difference in altitude from the lowest point on the Ruhr near Vorhalle (86 metres above sea level) to the highest point east of Bölling ♁51° 18′ N, 7° 34′ E (438 metres above sea level) is 352 metres.

=== Geology and palaeontology ===
Since the early 19th century, the Hagen area has been regarded as a classic discovery region for [[Paleontology|palaeontology]] and [[archaeology]]

There are various rocks and deposits from the [[Devonian]] to the [[Carboniferous]] in the municipal area. Marine and terrestrial deposits from the [[Cretaceous]], [[Tertiary (period)|Tertiary]] and [[Holocene]] periods have been preserved in [[Solutional cave|karst caves]] in the [[Limestone|mass limestone]].

Other fossil sites with animal and plant remains from the [[Paleozoic|Palaeozoic]] to the [[Mesozoic]] have also made important contributions to geoscientific research. In the area around Hagen, for example, the bones of land dinosaurs and early mammals as well as plant remains from the Lower Cretaceous period were found.

The former Hagen-Vorhalle brickworks quarry is considered an important site for the discovery of fossilised insects and other fossils, including early large dragonflies with wingspans of 40 cm, extinct primordial web-footed butterflies and giant centipedes and millipedes from the Upper Carboniferous period. The Hagen-Vorhalle quarry is considered a geotope of global importance for palaeontological research. Finds from the quarry and from the entire region can be seen in the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Werdringen moated castle.

In a side valley of the Lenne near Holthausen, the remains of Stone Age people were discovered in the ‘Blätterhöhle’ cave. With a C14 age of up to 11,300 years, they date from the beginning of the Mesolithic period. This makes them the oldest evidence to date of anatomically modern humans in the post-glacial period on the European continent.

==History==

=== Medieval times ===
[[File:Ruine Hohensyburg mit Vinketurm.JPG|left|thumb|The ruins of [[Sigiburg|Syburg]]]]
The Hagen region first appears in historical records in the [[Annales laureshamenses|Lorsch Annals]] ({{langx|la|Annales Laureshamenses}}): In 775, [[Charlemagne]]'s troops conquered the Saxon Hohensyburg (then called {{Lang|goh|Sigiburg}}) castle located near the city limits of Dortmund above the Ruhr-Lenne estuary.

Hagen itself was first mentioned around the year 1200, and is presumed to have been the name of a farm at the confluence of the Volme and the Ennepe rivers. After the conquest of {{ill|Burg Volmarstein|de}} in 1324, Hagen passed to the [[County of Mark]]. 

=== Early modern period ===
After the [[Treaty of Xanten]] in 1614, it was granted to the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]], which became part of the newly founded [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in 1701.

A major fire destroyed a significant part of Hagen's buildings in 1724. With the help of the Prussian state administration, Hagen was rebuilt within a short time.

Hagen was granted [[town privileges]] on 3 September 1746.

=== 19th and early 20th Century ===
After the defeat of Prussia in the [[Fourth Coalition]], Hagen was incorporated into the [[Grand Duchy of Berg]] founded by [[First French Empire|France]] from 1807 to 1813. It became part of the new [[Province of Westphalia|Prussian province of Westphalia]] after the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815.

From 1817, Hagen was the seat of an office and a district within the administrative district of Arnsberg. In 1837, the revised town regulations and a magistrate were introduced. 

In the course of industrialisation, Hagen was connected to the network of the [[Bergisch-Markisch Railway Company|Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahngesellschaft]] in 1848 and developed into an important railway junction.

By 1865, Hagen had overtaken Iserlohn, which had previously been the leading town in South Westphalia in terms of population and economic power.
[[File:1912 Hagen Mittelstraße.jpg|thumb|Mittelstraße, 1912]]
During the [[German Empire]] from 1871 to 1914, Hagen experienced a period of prosperity. Through urbanisation and industrialisation of the 19th century, the city developed into the main centre for the entire region south of the river [[Ruhr (river)|Ruhr]]. In 1887, Hagen was administratively separated from the district of Hagen and became an independent city ([[urban districts of Germany|urban district]]).

In the years following the turn of the century, the banker and patron Karl Ernst Osthaus brought many later important architects to the city, including [[Henry van de Velde]], [[Peter Behrens]] and [[Walter Gropius]]. They established Hagen's reputation as a link between [[Art Nouveau]] and [[Modern architecture|Modernism]] ({{Lang|de|Hagener Impul}}). The centrepiece of this initiative was the [[Museum Folkwang|Folkwang Museum]] and the (only partially built) garden city of Hohenhagen ({{Lang|de|Gartenstadt Hohenhagen}}).

[[File:Hagen Rembergfriedhof Märzgefallene.JPG|thumb|Memorial to the Ruhr Uprising, Hagen]]
In reaction to the [[Kapp Putsch]] in March 1920, when rightists tried to overthrow the elected government and set up an authoritarian regime,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rainer Hering |year=2005 |title=Review: Der Kapp-Lüttwitz-Ludendorff-Putsch. Dokumente by Erwin Könnemann, Gerhard Schulz |journal=German Studies Review |language=de |volume=28 |pages=431–432 |number=2}}</ref> tens of thousands of leftist workers in the Ruhr Valley, Germany's most important industrial area, used the opportunity for a revolutionary uprising from the Left. In the [[Ruhr uprising]] of 13 March&nbsp;&ndash; 2 April 1920, the 50,000-man [[Ruhr Red Army]] took control of the industrial district. Government and paramilitary forces were ordered against the workers, suppressing the uprising, and killing an estimated 1,000 workers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anja |first=Wulfert |date=22 January 2002 |title=Der Märzaufstand 1920 |trans-title=The March Uprising 1920 |url=https://www.dhm.de/lemo/kapitel/weimarer-republik/innenpolitik/maerzaufstand-1920.html |access-date=3 April 2024 |website=Deutsches Historisches Museum |language=de}}</ref> A memorial to the uprising was installed in Hagen.

By 1928, Hagen had developed into a city of more than 100,000 inhabitants.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

=== During the Nazi regime ===
During [[World War II]], [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced laborers]] of the 3rd [[SS construction brigade]] were dispatched in the town by the Nazis in 1943.<ref>{{cite book|last=Megargee|first=Geoffrey P.|year=2009|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume I|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|page=1385|isbn=978-0-253-35328-3}}</ref>

Hagen was bombed repeatedly, by both the [[Royal Air Force]] and the United States [[Eighth Air Force#World War II .281944.E2.80.931945.29|Eighth Air Force]]. On the night of 1 October 1943, 243 [[Avro Lancaster|Lancasters]] and 8 [[de Havilland Mosquito|Mosquitoes]] from the [[Royal Air Force]]'s [[Bomber Command]] attacked the city. According to the Bomber Command Campaign Diary, "This raid was a complete success achieved on a completely cloud-covered target of small size, with only a moderate bomber effort and at trifling cost."{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}  Hagen sustained severe damage from that raid, and hundreds of [[German casualties in World War II#Air raid deaths|civilians were killed]]. After the war, the city centre was almost completely destroyed, so that only the surrounding districts still partially reflect the city's [[Gründerzeit|Wilhelminian architectural character]]. 

The victims of the Second World War and National Socialism in Hagen: more than 2,200 people died in Allied bombing raids between 1940 and 1945. Over 10,000 Hagen citizens died on the various fronts of the Second World War. Dozens of Hagen citizens were murdered in concentration camps and prisons for racial, religious, ideological and political reasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-18 |title=Historische Museen und Archive der Stadt Hagen: Ruhrkessel |url=http://www.historisches-centrum.de/index.php?id=295 |access-date=2024-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118011621/http://www.historisches-centrum.de/index.php?id=295 |archive-date=2020-11-18 }}</ref>

In August 2021, discovery of a cache of [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] artifacts from a house was announced. A history teacher revealed a painted portrait of [[Adolf Hitler]] and medals decorated with eagles and [[swastika]]s, a newspaper from 1945, a pistol, [[gas mask]]s, [[brass knuckles]], and stacks of documents. It is also found out that the house once served as the [[headquarters]] of the [[National Socialist People's Welfare|Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Solomon |first=Tessa |date=2021-08-13 |title=German History Teacher Uncovers Secret Cache of Nazi Artifacts Behind Wall |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/german-history-teacher-uncovers-secret-cache-of-nazi-artifacts-behind-wall-1234601575/ |access-date=2021-09-08 |website=ARTnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=Claire |date=2021-08-12 |title=German History Teacher Finds Secret Cache of Nazi Artifacts in Family Home |url=https://www.historynet.com/german-history-teacher-finds-secret-cache-of-nazi-artifacts-in-family-home.htm |access-date=2021-09-08 |website=HistoryNet |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-02 |title=Nazi-Fund in Hagen: Neue Details kommen ans Licht |url=https://www.wp.de/staedte/hagen/nazi-fund-in-hagen-neue-details-kommen-ans-licht-id232948455.html |access-date=2021-09-08 |website=www.wp.de |language=de-DE}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-16 |title=A Schoolteacher in Germany Hit Upon a Trove of Lost Nazi Artifacts Hidden in a Wall More Than 75 Years Ago |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/history-teacher-discovers-hidden-nazi-artifacts-1999220 |access-date=2021-09-08 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Post-war period ===
In April 1945, the US Army liberated the city, which was later part of the [[British occupation zone in Germany|British occupation zone]]. In August 1948, Hagen was included in the new state of [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] and soon became part of the [[Federal Republic of Germany]] (FRG, also known as [[West Germany]]), founded in 1949.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hagen experienced another period of rapid growth, spreading mainly into the flatter, northern plain. Today's city centre therefore lies somewhat to the south of the main residential areas.

=== Late 20th century to the present ===
At the beginning of the 1970s, the decline of heavy industry in Hagen began in the wake of the [[steel crisis]]. Hasper Hütte was completely shut down between 1972 and 1982, Gussstahlwerke Wittmann went bankrupt and two of the three plants of Stahlwerke Südwestfalen were closed. Further job losses affected the food industry with the breweries Bettermann and Andreas, the confectionery manufacturers Villosa and Grothe and the production plant of [[Brandt (company)|Zwieback Brandt]].

The pedestrian zone in the city centre was opened in the 1970s.

In the early 1980s, Hagen made a name for itself as the ‘Liverpool of [[Neue Deutsche Welle|New German Wave (Neue Deutsche Welle)]]’. Many well-known musicians and bands of this musical genre (including [[Nena]], [[Extrabreit]] and the sisters [[Annette Humpe|Annette]] and [[Inga Humpe]]) have their roots in Hagen.

Economically, Hagen came under renewed pressure in the 1990s due to increasing globalisation. A further wave of deindustrialisation began in the steel sector, while Hagen's population declined at the same time. Hagen's debt level was €1.383 billion on 31 December 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kredite, Kassenkredite und Wertpapierschulden der Gemeinden und Gemeindeverbände Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31.12.2012 |url=https://www.it.nrw.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/2013/pdf/117_13.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113705/https://www.it.nrw.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/2013/pdf/117_13.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref>

Since the 2000s, major new construction and renovation projects have been realised that have significantly shaped Hagen's cityscape today. Examples include the Volme- and Rathaus-Galerie, the redesign of Friedrich-Ebert-Platz and the station forecourt (Berliner Platz) as well as the construction of the new town hall on the riverside.

In mid-July 2021, Hagen was affected by a flood disaster caused by heavy rainfall. In particular, damage was caused in the Volme valley and Hohenlimburg.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stubbe |first=Jens |date=2021-08-19 |title=Hochwasser in Hagen: Nach der Flut türmen sich Trümmerberge |url=https://www.wp.de/staedte/hagen/article233091175/Hochwasser-in-Hagen-Nach-der-Flut-tuermen-sich-Truemmerberge.html |access-date=2024-08-18 |website=www.wp.de |language=de}}</ref>

==Economy==
Owing to the extensive use of water power along the rivers Ruhr, Lenne, Volme and Ennepe, metal processing played an important role in the region of Hagen in and even before the 15th century.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}
In the 17th and 18th centuries, [[textile]] and steel industries, as well as [[paper]] production were developed here.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

In the early 21st century, Hagen is the home of the Suedwestfaelische Industrie- und Handelskammer, as well as [[Sparkasse Hagen]], the local [[Sparkasse (Germany)|public savings bank]]. The bank's former headquarters, the [[Sparkasse Hagen Tower]], was a regional landmark until its demolition in 2004.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

The city is heavily indebted and in the process of cutting city services in order to balance its budget.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

The city has capitalized on the export of a wide variety of breads, most notably ''Hagenschmagenbrot'', a traditional dark bread.

==Education==

One of the five branches of [[South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences]] is located in the city (also: Fachhochschule Südwestfalen (FH SWF)), which offers various engineering programmes. This institution was founded in the city in 1824.

==Attractions==
[[File:Lange Riege.jpg|thumb|Half-timbered houses "Lange Riege" (17th century)]]Hagen is home to the ''LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen'', or [[Hagen Westphalian Open-Air Museum]], a collection of historic industrial facilities. Trades such as printing, brewing, smithing, milling, and many others are represented, not only with static displays, but as living, working operations that visitors may in some cases participate in. It is located near the Hagen community of [[Eilpe]].

The [[Historisches Centrum Hagen]] includes the [[city museum]] and [[Werdringen]] castle. In the [[Blätterhöhle]] cave in Hagen, the oldest fossils of modern people in [[Westphalia]] and the [[Ruhr]] were found. Some date to the early [[Mesolithic]], 10,700 years B.C.E. It seems that the descendants of Mesolithic people in this area maintained a foraging lifestyle for more than 2000 years after the arrival of farming societies.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1126/science.1245049 | title=2000 Years of Parallel Societies in Stone Age Central Europe | date=2013 | last1=Bollongino | first1=Ruth | last2=Nehlich | first2=Olaf | last3=Richards | first3=Michael P. | last4=Orschiedt | first4=Jörg | last5=Thomas | first5=Mark G. | last6=Sell | first6=Christian | last7=Fajkošová | first7=Zuzana | last8=Powell | first8=Adam | last9=Burger | first9=Joachim | journal=Science | volume=342 | issue=6157 | pages=479–481 | pmid=24114781 | bibcode=2013Sci...342..479B }}</ref>
[[File:Stadt.Hagen.Panorama.Sommer.jpg|thumb|700px|center|Panoramic view of Hagen (taken from urban forest of Hagen)]]

==Boroughs==
[[File:Hagen Stadtteile.svg|thumb|Hagen´s five boroughs and numerous quarters]]
{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align:right; font-size:90%"
|- style="text-align:center;" 
!Borough || Area <br />in km<sup>2</sup>|| Population <br /><small>Dec 2017</small> 
!Inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>
|-
|align="left" | HA-Mitte || 20.5|| 79.782 
|3.892
|-
|align="left" | HA-Nord || 29.6|| 38.092 
|1.287
|-
|align="left" | HA-[[Hagen-Hohenlimburg|Hohenlimburg]]|| 37.0|| 29.477 
|796
|-
|align="left" | HA-Eilpe/[[Hagen-Dahl|Dahl]]|| 51.1|| 16.853 
|330
|-
|align="left" | HA-[[Hagen-Haspe|Haspe]]|| 22.2|| 31.008 
|1.397
|}
Quarters/localities of Hagen:

* Hagen-Mitte: 
** Mittelstadt | Wehringhausen | Kuhlerkamp | Altenhagen | Hochschulviertel | Eppenhausen | [[Hagen-Emst|Emst]] | Haßley
* Hagen-Nord:
** [[Hagen-Boele|Boele]] | Boelerheide | Eckesey | Vorhalle | Brockhausen | Hengstey | Bathey | Kabel | Helfe | Fley | Garenfeld
* Hagen-Hohenlimburg:
** [[Hagen-Hohenlimburg|Hohenlimburg]] | Elsey | Reh | Henkhausen | Oege | Nahmer | Wesselbach | [[Hagen-Holthausen|Holthausen]] | [[Hagen-Herbeck|Herbeck]] | [[Hagen-Halden|Halden]] | Berchum
* Hagen-Eilpe/Dahl:
** [[Hagen-Eilpe|Eilpe]] | Selbecke | Delstern | Ambrock | [[Hagen-Dahl|Dahl]] | [[Hagen-Priorei|Priorei]] | [[Hagen-Rummenohl|Rummenohl]]
* Hagen-Haspe:
** [[Hagen-Haspe|Haspe]] | Westerbauer | Baukloh | Quambusch | Spielbrink | Geweke | Kückelhausen | Hestert

==Demographics==
Hagen became a so-called [[Großstadt]] in 1928, when the population exceeded the 100,000 mark. In 1964, the population passed the 200,000 mark. The city had its highest population after the municipal reorganisation in 1975 with 231,840 inhabitants.

Since December 2005, the city has been permanently below the 200,000 population mark (according to the city administration), while the North Rhine-Westphalia State Office for Data Processing and Statistics was already assuming a population of just 196,934 at that time. The population reached a low point in 2012 with 187,810 people, since then it has been increasing again. In 2021, the balance of inflows and outflows was +592 (-1,112 for Germans and +1,704 for foreigners).

On 31 December 2023, the population was 197,677, including 150,505 Germans and 47,172 foreigners.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bevölkerungsentwicklung Deutsche und ausländische Bevölkerung 1985 - 2023 |url=https://www.hagen.de/FIRSTspiritWeb/hagen/media/files/fb/fb_32/statistik_und_wahlen/statistik/einwohnerzahlen/2.__Entwicklung_Deutsche_und_Auslaender_1985-2023_-_neu.pdf}}</ref>

In the ranking of cities in Germany by population, Hagen is in 41st place behind [[Kassel]] and ahead of [[Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia|Hamm]].

The proportion of under 20-year-olds in Hagen in 2023 was 20.3%, while the proportion of people aged 60 and over was 28.8%. The proportion of the foreign population in Hagen in 2023 was 23.9%. In 2021, 34.1% of the Hagen population had a [[migration background]].

In March 2021, 41.7% of children in daycare centres had a migrant background and 43.2% of children in daycare centres had a mother tongue other than German.

At 12.1% (8.4% for Germans and 28.1% for foreigners), the unemployment rate in October 2022 was above the north rhine-westphalian average of 7.7%.

The following table shows the largest foreign resident groups in the city of Hagen.<ref>{{cite web|title=NRW: Zahl der Menschen mit ausländischer Staatsangehörigkeit|url=https://www.it.nrw/nrw-zahl-der-menschen-mit-auslaendischer-staatsangeh%C3%B6rigkeit-steigt-im-jahr-2023|publisher=IT.NRW|access-date=2025-09-08}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background:#efefef;"|Rank
! style="background:#efefef;"|Nationality
! style="background:#efefef;"|Population (2023)
|-
|1||{{flag|Turkey}}|| 7,340
|-
|2||{{flag|Syria}}|| 5,125
|-
|3||{{flag|Romania}}|| 4,805
|-
|4||{{flag|Italy}}|| 3,580
|-
|5||{{flag|Greece}}|| 3,475
|-
|6||{{flag|Poland}}|| 2,755
|-
|7||{{flag|Bulgaria}}|| 2,360
|-
|8||{{flag|Ukraine}}|| 2,020
|-
|9||{{flag|Spain}}|| 1,465
|-
|10||{{flag|Morocco}}|| 1,235
|-
|}

== Politics ==

=== Bundestag ===
Part of the [[Hagen – Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis I]] [[List of Bundestag constituencies|constituency]] for elections to the [[Bundestag]]

===Mayor===
The current mayor of Hagen is Dennis Rehbein ([[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]), elected in 2025. 

{{update section|date=September 2025}}
Previous mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Candidate
! Party
! Votes
! %
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Erik O. Schulz
| align=left| [[Independent politician|Independent]] ([[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]/[[Alliance 90/The Greens|Green]]/[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]])
| 31,086
| 51.1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| Wolfgang Jörg
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]
| 15,547
| 25.5
|-
| 
| align=left| Josef Bücker
| align=left| Hagen Active
| 5,214
| 8.6
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| Michael Eiche
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]]
| 5,197
| 8.5
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}| 
| align=left| Laura Knüppel
| align=left| [[Die PARTEI]]
| 1,704
| 2.8
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| Ingo Hentschel
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]]
| 1,534
| 2.5
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Pirate Party Germany}}| 
| align=left| Thorsten Kiszkenow
| align=left| [[Pirate Party Germany]]
| 420
| 0.7
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Republicans (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| Franco Flebus
| align=left| [[The Republicans (Germany)|The Republicans]]
| 182
| 0.3
|-
! colspan=3| Valid votes
! 60,884
! 98.1
|-
! colspan=3| Invalid votes
! 1,156
! 1.9
|-
! colspan=3| Total
! 62,040
! 100.0
|-
! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout
! 147,361
! 42.1
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://www.wahlergebnisse.nrw/kommunalwahlen/2020/aktuell/b914000kw2000.shtml State Returning Officer]
|}

The following is a list of mayors since 1746:

* 1746–1749: Heinrich Wilhelm Emminghaus
* 1749–1750: Heinrich Caspar Hiltrop
* 1750–1771: Johann Caspar Hücking
* 1771–1795: Heinrich Arnold Wülfingh
* 1795–1808: Peter Matthias Jule
* 1808–1809: Carl Johann Elbers I.
* 1809–1821: Carl Ludwig Christian Dahlenkamp
* 1821–1823: Wilhelm Möllenhoff
* 1823–1827: Johann Conrad Pütter
* 1827–1831: August Wille
* 1831–1832: Wilhelm Kämper
* 1832–1835: Johann Peter Aubel
* 1835–1837: Friedrich Kämper
* 1837–1849: Ferdinand Elbers
* 1849–1864: Johann Diedrich Friedrich Schmidt
* 1864–1876: Friedrich Dödter
* 1876–1900: August Prentzel
* 1901–1927: Willi Cuno, ([[Free-minded People's Party (Germany)|FVP]], ab 1918: [[German Democratic Party|DDP]])
* 1927–1929: Alfred Finke (DDP)
* 1929–1933: Cuno Raabe ([[Centre Party (Germany)|Zentrum]])
* 1933–1945: Heinrich Vetter ([[Nazi Party|NSDAP]])
* 1945:           Werner Dönneweg (NSDAP, acting from 18 April–18 May 1945)
* 1945–1946: Ewald Sasse ([[CDU/CSU|CDU]], from 18 May 1945, initially on an acting basis, later permanent)

* 1946–1956: [[Fritz Steinhoff]] ([[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]]) later became minister president of north rhine-westphalia
* 1956–1963: Helmut Turck (SPD)
* 1963–1964: Fritz Steinhoff (SPD)
* 1964–1971: Lothar Wrede (SPD)
* 1971–1989: Rudolf Loskand (SPD)
* 1989:           Renate Löchter (SPD)
* 1989–1999: Dietmar Thieser (SPD)
* 1999–2004: Wilfried Horn (CDU)
* 2004–2009: Peter Demnitz (SPD)
* 2009–2014: Jörg Dehm (CDU)
* 2014–2025: Erik O. Schulz (independent)
* since 2025: Dennis Rehbein (CDU)

===City council===
[[File:2020 Hagen City Council election.svg|thumb|350px|Results of the 2020 city council election.]]
The Hagen city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}
! colspan=2| Party
! Votes
! %
! +/-
! Seats
! +/-
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] (CDU)
| 16,813
| 27.5
| {{decrease}} 4.5
| 14
| {{decrease}} 6
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD)
| 15,573
| 25.5
| {{decrease}} 7.3
| 13
| {{decrease}} 8
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}| 
| align=left| [[Alliance 90/The Greens]] (Grüne)
| 8,114
| 13.3
| {{increase}} 4.3
| 7
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD)
| 5,692
| 9.3
| {{increase}} 5.6
| 5
| {{increase}} 3
|-
| 
| align=left| Hagen Active (HA)
| 4,186
| 6.8
| {{decrease}} 1.3
| 4
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP)
| 2,829
| 4.6
| {{increase}} 1.0
| 2
| ±0
|-
| 
| align=left| Citizens for Hohenlimburg (BfHo)
| 2,066
| 3.4
| {{increase}} 1.1
| 2
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] (Die Linke)
| 1,762
| 2.9
| {{decrease}} 1.4
| 2
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| 
| align=left| Hagen Activist Circle (HAK)
| 1,740
| 2.8
| New
| 2
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}| 
| align=left| [[Die PARTEI]] (PARTEI)
| 1,692
| 2.8
| New
| 1
| New
|-
| colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey| 
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Pirate Party Germany}}| 
| align=left| [[Pirate Party Germany]] (Piraten)
| 436
| 0.7
| {{decrease}} 0.9
| 0
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Republicans (Germany)}}| 
| align=left| [[The Republicans (Germany)|The Republicans]] (REP)
| 194
| 0.3
| New
| 0
| New
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent politician}}| 
| align=left| Independents
| 19
| 0.0
| –
| 0
| –
|-
! colspan=2| Valid votes
! 61,116
! 98.7
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Invalid votes
! 825
! 1.3
! 
! 
! 
|-
! colspan=2| Total
! 61,941
! 100.0
! 
! 52
! {{decrease}} 10
|-
! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout
! 147,361
! 42.0
! {{decrease}} 3.1
! 
! 
|-
| colspan=7| Source: [https://www.wahlergebnisse.nrw/kommunalwahlen/2020/aktuell/a914000kw2000.shtml State Returning Officer]
|}

==Transport==
[[File:Hagen-Vorhalle 20080830.jpg|thumb|Marshalling yard Hagen-Vorhalle]]
The [[Autobahn]]en [[Bundesautobahn 1|A1]], [[Bundesautobahn 45|A45]] and [[Bundesautobahn 46|A46]] pass by Hagen.

Hagen has been an important rail junction for the southeastern Ruhr valley since the first rail line opened in 1848. The [[marshalling yard]] of Hagen-Vorhalle is among Germany's largest, and the [[Hagen Hauptbahnhof|central station]] offers connections to the [[InterCityExpress|ICE]] network of [[Deutsche Bahn]] as well as to local and [[S-Bahn]] services. Since December 2005, Hagen has also been the starting point for a service into [[Essen]], the [[Ruhr-Lenne-Express]], operated by [[Abellio Deutschland]]. Since 2022, it has been operated by [[DB Regio]].

Local traffic is handled by [[Hagener Straßenbahn]] (Hagen Tramways), which, despite its name, offers only bus services, as the last [[tram]]way route in Hagen was abandoned in May 1976. All in all there is a large-scale network of 36 bus lines in Hagen. All local rail and bus services operate under the transport association [[Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr|VRR]].

The nearest airports are [[Dortmund Airport]], located {{convert|31|km|abbr=on}} north east and [[Düsseldorf Airport]], located {{convert|70|km|abbr=on}} west of the city.

==Sport==
The [[German Basketball Federation]] (DBB) is based in Hagen.

Sport clubs in Hagen:
* [[TSV Hagen 1860]] - largest club (multiple [[fistball]] champions)
* [[BBV Hagen|SSV Hagen]] (1974 basketball champions), later known as [[Brandt Hagen]]
* SSV Hagen, a sport club for [[association football|football]], cycling, jiu-jitsu, weightlifting and jazzdance. The football team plays its home matches in the [[Ischelandstadion]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=SSV Hagen e. V. |url=http://www.ssvhagen.de/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=www.ssvhagen.de}}</ref>
* [[Phoenix Hagen]], ''[[Basketball Bundesliga]] - ENERVIE Arena im Sportpark Ischeland''
* Hasper SV
* [[Hohenlimburger SV]] (multiple women [[water polo]] champions)

Hagen is also famous of its annual equestrian show '[[Horses & Dreams]]' in April at Hof Kasselmann. It is one of the greatest equestrian shows in Germany and abroad.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hof Kasselmann in Hagen steht mit drei Turnieren vor aufregendem Jahr|url=https://www.noz.de/sport/os-sport/artikel/2206021/hof-kasselmann-in-hagen-steht-mit-drei-turnieren-vor-aufregendem-jahr|website=noz.de|date=13 January 2021 |language=de}}</ref>  In 2005 they were the host of the European Dressage Championships after Moscow withdrew. In 2021 Hagen is again host of the [[2021 European Dressage Championships]] for seniors and U25.<ref>{{Cite web|title=European Dressage Championships|url=https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/tag/european-dressage-championships|website=horseandhound.co.uk|language=en}}</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Hagen is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.hagen.de/web/de/hagen_de/02/0205/020505/020505.html|website=hagen.de|publisher=Hagen|language=de|access-date=2021-02-12}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Liévin]], France (1960)
*{{FIN|#}} [[Kouvola]] ([[Finland]]), 1963–2009
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Montluçon]], France (1965)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Steglitz-Zehlendorf|Steglitz-Zehlendorf (Berlin)]], Germany (1967)
*{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Bruck an der Mur]], Austria (1974)
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Smolensk]], Russia (1985)
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut]], Israel (1997)

==Notable people==
[[File:Osthaus by Gerhardi.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Karl Ernst Osthaus]] {{circa|1903}}]]
[[File:Friedrich Harkort 1793-1880.png|thumb|150px|[[Friedrich Harkort]] {{circa|1820}}]]
*[[Artur Axmann]] (1913–1996), politician (NSDAP) and ''Reichsjugendführer''
*[[Freddy Breck]] (1942–2008), percussionist
*[[Heinrich Brocksieper]] (1898–1968), painter and photographer, experimental filmmaker and former Bauhaus student
*[[Franz Bronstert]] (1895–1967), painter
*Wilhelm Böing (1846–1890), father of [[William E. Boeing]], founder of the Boeing aviation company
*[[Georg von Detten]] (1887–1934), Nazi Party politician and SA-''Gruppenführer''
*[[Hansheinrich Dransmann]] (1894–1964), conductor, composer
*[[René Eidams]] (born 1989), darts player
*[[Liselotte Funcke]] (1918–2012), liberal politician, vice president of federal parliament, state Minister of Economy in North Rhine-Westphalia, Federal Commissioner for Foreigners
*[[Jan-Ole Gerster]] (born 1978), film director and screenwriter
*[[Mousse T.]] (Mustafa Gündogdu) (born 1966), DJ, musician, remixer and producer
*[[Charles Hallé|Karl Halle]] (1819–1895), also known as Sir Charles Hallé, pianist, composer and orchestra conductor
*[[Friedrich Harkort]] (1793–1880), railway and industrial pioneer and politician (German Progressive Party)
*[[Bettina Hauert]] (born 1982), professional golfer
*[[Annette Humpe]] (born 1950), music producer, singer of the bands Ideal and Ich + Ich
*{{Ill|Claus Jacobi (politician)|lt=Claus Jacobi|de|Claus Jacobi (Politiker)}} (born 1971), politician (SPD), mayor of Gevelsberg
*[[Nena]] (Gabriele Susanne Kerner) (born 1960), pop singer
*[[Mambo Kurt]] (born 1967), musician and solo entertainer
*[[Will Lammert]] (1892–1957), sculptor
*[[Ernst Meister]] (1911–1979), lyricist, radio playwright, narrator and theater author
*[[Erwin Milzkott]] (1913–1986), violinist
*[[Barbara Morgenstern]] (born 1971), musician
*[[Hans Nieland]] (1900–1976), politician (NSDAP)
*[[Karl Ernst Osthaus]] (1874–1921), banker and patron of avant-garde art and architecture
*[[Hugo Paul (politician)|Hugo Paul]] (1905–1962), politician (KPD)
*[[Hans Reichel]] (1949–2011), guitarist, violinist, instrument maker and typographer
*[[Herbert Reinecker]] (1914–2007), writer and screenwriter
*[[Nicholas Rescher]] (born 1928), philosopher
*[[Eugen Richter]] (1838–1906), politician (German Progressive Party)
*[[Jürgen Schläder]] (born 1948), musicologist
*[[Emil Schumacher]] (1912–1999), painter (abstract art)
*[[Hugo Siepmann]] (1868-1950), industrialist
*[[Fritz Steinhoff]] (1897–1969), politician (SPD)
*[[Georg von Vincke]] (1811–1875), politician
*[[Antje Vowinckel]] (born 1964), sound artist, radio artist and musician.
*[[Burkhart Waldecker]] (1902–1964), explorer
*[[Henning Wehn]] (born 1974), comedian
*[[Rotraut Wisskirchen]] (1936–2018), Biblical archaeologist

==See also==
* [[Accumulatoren-Fabrik AFA]]
* [[Wippermann|Wippermann jr GmbH]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*{{wikivoyage-inline|Hagen}}
*{{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Hagen|short=x}}

{{Cities in Germany}}
{{Germany districts north rhine-westphalia}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hagen| ]]
[[Category:Cities in North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Urban districts of North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Arnsberg (region)]]
[[Category:Members of the Hanseatic League]]