Hamm celebrates 50 years: New city logo and memories in cheers!

Hamm celebrates 50 years: New city logo and memories in cheers!

On November 18, 2025, an impressive 50th anniversary was celebrated in the Kurhaus in the city of Hamm. This special occasion was duly honored with around 270 guests from politics and society. The focus was on the presentation of a new city logo, which consists of stylish dark blue and light green lettering with the name “HAMM”. An elephant has been retained as an apostrophe, giving the design a charming character. The old logo, which was designed for NRW Day in 2009, is now history.

But the anniversary was not just a visual affair. Mayor Marc Herter and his predecessors Jürgen Wieland, Sabine Zech and Thomas Hunsteger-Petermann cut a celebratory cake with the new logo while they shared memories from five decades of the city's history. Among the invited guests were a hundred citizens who are connected to the 50th anniversary in a special way - be it through birthdays, golden weddings or 50 years of volunteer work.

Festive performances and an outlook on the future

The evening was accompanied by music from the music school's youth choir, which thrilled the audience with an impressive performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody”. This song is also celebrating its own 50th anniversary this year. The ceremony marks the end of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the city of Hamm, which was created on January 1, 1975 from six formerly independent cities and communities. This celebration also marks the start of Hamm's 800th anniversary, which commemorates the city's founding on March 4, 1226 and is already firmly anchored in the minds of planners and citizens.

Hamm has a multifaceted future ahead of it. The surrounding area also has reason to celebrate. The city of Olbernhau's music corps, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2025, was brought into discussion. Founded in 1950, the orchestra has developed into a cultural institution that is known far beyond the borders of the Ore Mountains. Various events are planned for the anniversary celebrations from May 1st to 4th, 2025, including an opening concert, an Eastern rock day, a brass music day and a morning pint with entertainment for the whole family. Those interested can look forward to the official program and advance ticket sales at the TouristInfo Olbernhau, which are already underway.

Scientific initiative for urban history

The topics of city history and citizen participation are not just limited to celebrating anniversaries. A workshop by the LWL Institute for Westphalian Regional History and the Society for Urban and Urbanization Research (GSU) will also take place and will address the exciting challenges of communicating urban history between science and the general public. On July 4th and 5th, 2025, everything will revolve around the question: “City history in a nutshell?” Another exciting event will be the GSU Junior Conference 2024, which will deal with “crossing borders” and explore the different types of borders in cities.

The GSU is committed to actively involving citizens in research processes. Last but not least, this is also reflected in the success and popularity of her magazine “Modern City History,” which recently published the issue “The City and Death.” The memory of valued members like Thomas Großbölting is an important part of this community.

Overall, it shows that both Hamm and the slowly blossoming celebrations in the neighborhood have a good knack for cultural and social gatherings. The anticipation for the upcoming festivals is palpable, and it is to be hoped that they will further strengthen regional ties.

Further information on the topics can be found in the articles from Calf, Grosshartmannsdorf.de and GSU city history.