City, market rights and minting of coins
In 1244, the already existing settlement on the "Smalen Berg" received a fortification and was thus elevated to the status of a town. With the fortification it received the market right, its own jurisdiction as well as a right to mint coins. The minting of coins in Schmallenberg probably began as early as around 1244 under Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden and ended about 50 years later under Archbishop Siegfried von Westerburg (died 1297). In total, there are 13 different types of coins (known as Schmallenberg Pfennig) from the Schmallenberg mint. The Schmallenberg Pfennig could be used to pay in the area and also in Arnsberg, Meschede and Brilon.
Municipal self-administration
The administration of the town in the early modern period (1500-1800) was in the hands of a council elected by the citizens, which was headed by the mayor and his deputy (proconsul). The council consisted of four aldermen (Senatores) and two Reckleuten (Rechenleute or Cammerarii, Kämmerer or Pfennigleute called); in addition there were two Gemeindevorsteher. The mayor had judicial and police powers, represented the interests of Schmallenberg at the Westphalian Diet in Arnsberg and was feudal lord over the Schmallenberg vassals. Every year on St. Kunibert's Day (November 12) the head of the town was newly elected by the council and two guild masters. In 1437, the Archbishop of Cologne granted the town the right to administer justice within the town boundaries, which meant greater judicial independence for the town. Court hearings were also held at the town hall.
Sovereigns
Since its foundation, the town of Schmallenberg was under the rule of the Electorate of Cologne and the Bishop of Cologne as part of the Duchy of Westfalen until 1803. In 1803, the town became part of the Landgraviate of Hessen-Darmstadt as a result of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss (which, among other things, stipulated the dissolution of the ecclesiastical principalities). In 1811/12 the Landgrave of Hessen-Darmstadt abolished the old town constitution, the exercise of jurisdiction and the feudal law. At this time the town wall and the town gates were also demolished. In 1815 Schmallenberg became part of Prussia together with the Duchy of Westfalen. With the introduction of the first Landgemeindeordnung for the province of Westfalen in 1841, the Amt Schmallenberg was created; the town of Schmallenberg became the seat of the Amtsbezirk. The revolutionary year of 1848 passed quietly in Schmallenberg, since - according to previous historiography - a "capable Landwehr" had formed. Karl Dham from Schmallenberg (later court councilor in Brilon) was sent to the National Assembly in Frankfurt as the eighth deputy from Westfalen. In 1894, master builder Sander from Hagen was commissioned to build the present office building. Completed and occupied in 1897, it was enlarged during the 1st World War, in 1922 and in 1993/94. Today called the town hall, it is the working place of the mayor and the town administration. Behind the town hall, in the narrow house, there is the seat of the town archive since 1985/86.
Carl Johann Ludwig Dham
Carl Johann Ludwig Dham was born in Schmallenberg as the son of the physician Clemens Ludwig Dham on August 27, 1809. He studied law in Bonn, Greifswald and Heidelberg from 1830-1833. During his studies he was a member of several politically liberal fraternities. After his studies he worked at the court in Arnsberg. Because of his membership in the then oppositional Burschenschaft movement, his participation in the Hambach Festival (which took place in 1832 and was considered the high point of bourgeois opposition to the restorative policies of the German states), and because of democratic statements, he was tried for high treason in 1833. Dham served a fortress imprisonment in Magdeburg from 1833 to 1840. After his release from prison in 1940, Dham worked again at courts in Marsberg, Brilon and Arnsberg. From 1848 he was a district judge and lawyer in Brilon, and from 1866 until his death in 1871 he was a lawyer in Paderborn.During the revolution of 1848/49 Dham was elected to the National Assembly for the constituency of Meschede. There he advocated the creation of a parliamentary monarchy with strong popular representation and was among those who turned to a small-German solution and elected Frederick William IV as Emperor of the Germans (who, as is well known, did not accept the election and thus brought the revolution to a halt).