Witten,city, North Rhine-Westphalia Rhine–Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany, . It lies on the Ruhr River, bordering Dortmund (north) and Bochum (northwest). Chartered in 1825, it was severely damaged in World War II but has been was rebuilt along modern lines with numerous commercial enterprises. Industries include machine building, steel manufacturing, metalworking, and electrical engineering. Witten’s heavily wooded surroundings to the south are a favourite Ruhr recreation area. The city is the seat of the University of Witten/Herdecke (founded 1980). Witten has a museum of graphic arts and an archive. Industries include steel manufacturing, the extraction of coal-tar products, glassworks, and machine building. Pop. (1989 2003 est.) 103101,637823.