Olfen

For the anti-inflammatory drug, see Diclofenac.

Olfen
Town
Coat of arms
Location of Olfen within Coesfeld district
Interactive map of Olfen
Location within Germany Location within North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°43′N 7°23′E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Coesfeld
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Wilhelm Sendermann (CDU)
Area
• Total	52.43 km2 (20.24 sq mi)
Elevation	45–80 m (148–262 ft)
Population  (2025-12-31)
• Total	13,110
• Density	250.0/km2 (647.6/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	59399
Dialling codes	02595, 02592 (part of Vinnums)
Vehicle registration	COE/LH
Website	www.olfen.de

Olfen (German pronunciation: [ˈɔlfn̩] ^ⓘ) is a town in the district of Coesfeld, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

History

Bishop Wolfhelm, who originated from the Ulfloa Oberhof, gave the small town its name in 889. Wolfhelm was the fourth bishop of "Mimingardeford", today called Münster.

The fire disaster of 1857, in which 142 houses were destroyed, has gone down as the "Great Fire of Olfen" in Olfen's history books.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1965	6,271	—
1970	6,731	+1.43%
1975	7,643	+2.57%
1980	8,300	+1.66%
1985	8,649	+0.83%
1990	8,732	+0.19%
1995	9,936	+2.62%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2000	11,721	+3.36%
2005	12,252	+0.89%
2010	12,215	−0.06%
2015	12,490	+0.45%
2020	13,014	+0.83%
2025	13,110	+0.15%

Source: Landesdatabank Nordrhein-Westfalen

Buildings

Interesting sights include St. Vitus church, a castle and a historic sawmill.

• 
  Olfen, St. Vitus church
• 
  Olfen, Füchteln mill
• 
  Füchteln mill on a foggy day (art project)

Politics

Wilhelm Sendermann (CDU) was elected for mayor in September 2015 with 87.4% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2020.

Notable people

• Thomas Hoof (born 1948), founder of Manufactum
• Günter Schlierkamp (born 1970), professional bodybuilder

Town partnerships

• La Grange, United States