The town was founded by the Counts of Mark in opposition to their principal enemy, the town of Dortmund. The first settlers were Wellinghofer, who had been resettled by the count. The count wanted to surround Dortmund by separate towns (including the towns of Herdecke, Witten, Bochum, Castrop, Lünen, Unna und Schwerte). In 1388, the "Großen Dortmunder Fehde" (great feud of Dortmund) took place, where the city of Dortmund battled against the alliance of surrounding towns. The struggle ended in 1390, with defeat for Hörde and its allies.