Schalksmühle

Schalksmühle is a municipality in district Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the town with the highest rate of millionaires relating to the population in North Rhine-Westphalia(2004).GeographySchalksmühle is located in the hills of the Sauerland, and the altitude of the 38.2 km² area varies between 183 m (Pulvermühle) and 502 m (east of Sonnenscheid) above sea level. 45% of the area is covered by forest, another 35% is used for agricultural purposes. The main river is the Volme, a tributary of the Ruhr.HistoryThe oldest written documents on the municipality date back to 1350, when the farmers of Hülscheid formed a free duchy. The largest extent of the Freigrafschaft Hülscheid was in 1478, when it contained not only the Kirchspiel Hülscheid, but also the northwestern part of the Kirchspiel Lüdenscheid.Schalksmühle itself was first mentioned on May 1, 1407 in a document by archbishop Friedrich of Cologne, when Gerwin of Altenbreckerfeld, a merchant, donated an altar to the church of Breckerfeld. One of the villages leased by Gerwin was Schalksmollen in parrochia Halvere (Schalksmühle in the parish Halver).The municipality in its modern boundaries was created during the communal reforms of 1969/70. Becoming effective on January 1, 1969 the municipality Schalksmühle was merged with the municipality Hülscheid (previously in the Amt Lüdenscheid). On January 1, 1970 the municipality Dahlerbrück (previously in the Amt Breckerfeld, district Ennepe-Ruhr) was also added to it.