Gütersloh is a well situated, expanding town of over 88,000. It lies approximately halfway between Hannover and Dortmund
on the main South West/North East Autobahn (E73). The land or province in which Gütersloh lies is that of North Rhine Westphalia. The setting of the town is pleasantly rural and the major industries are light industries, notably the factory of
the Miele washing machine organisation, and Bertelsmann the printers and music publishers. It is known throughout
Germany for its meat industry and distilleries, earning it the local nickname of ‘The Greasy Spot’ or ‘The Spiritual Capital of Germany!’.
Each year the city celebrates the Michaelis Fair, which runs from late September to early October. The other highlight of the year is the Schinken Market also in October.
Visit the following websites for more information:
http://www.guetersloh.de/ (in German and English)
http://www.english.gtl.de/ (in English)
| Bielefeld |
The 12th Century castle - the Sparrenberg - overlooks the large shopping centre. In the town there are many interesting
old buildings to be seen. There is entertainment of all kinds. 1st Division (Bundesliga) football, a Tierpark (wildlife park), Burgerpark and Botanical Gardens.
Culturally Bielefeld offers the Art Gallery (Kunsthalle) and several museums to cater for all tastes including the Bauerhaus (farmhouse) museum. There are also Concert Halls to cover many tastes in entertainment.
Visit the following website for more information:
www.bielefeld.de/en (in English)
| Herford |
Herford stands 56.0 – 240.2m above sea level and is an old Hanseatic town situated in the Ravensberger hills, between
the Teutoburger Forest, the Weser and Wiehen mountains. It is a major centre of development and a favourite city for shopping. The population is approximately 150,000.
Visit the following websites for more information:
http://www.herford.com/ (in English)
http://www.herford.de/ (in German)
| Dülmen |
For the first time the farming community Dülmen was mentioned as "Dulmenni" in the register of the monastery
“Werden” in the year 889. On 22 April 1311 bishop Ludwig II. assigned municipal rights to Dülmen. Soon thereafter a
stone fortification was built. One part of this fortification is the “Lüdinghauser Tor” which still exists and is one of the
town’s most popular landmarks until today. For more than 300 years Dülmen had a nearly unrestricted autonomy. It
was also economically successful especially in the 16th Century. Thus traders from Dülmen took part in the large enterprises of the “Hanse” in Lübeck, Danzig, Nowgorod, Stockholm, Bergen and London.
World War II left heavy marks on Dülmen. In the last days of war bombs destroyed 90 percent of the city. Soon after
the war had ended the citizens of Dülmen started to rebuild their city. Rebuilding the town centre was the first step.
A mixture of modern planning and traditional architectural style. The old city towers are the only remaining signs of the medieval attachment plant, the last witnesses of Dülmens urban history.
At the same time when people’s homes were rebuilt, the domestic industry was rebuilt and modernised. In the years of economic growth (Wirtschaftswunder) the population of Dülmen grew rapidly. Constantly rising migration as well as a
high birth surplus helped Dülmen develop into a high-speed increase municipality. The number of 5000 inhabitants
after the war quadrupled in only 25 years. In the year 1963 a town partnership with the French city Mézières was established (today Charleville-Mézières). Shortly afterwards the economically rising Dülmen became a garrison town.
Due to the communal restructuring in 1975 the surrounding rural municipalities Buldern, Hausdülmen, Hiddingsel,
Kirchspiel Duelmen, Merfeld and Rorup were united with the city Dülmen. In 1986 Dülmen celebrated the 675th
anniversary of the municipal rights. In the course of the German reunification the Brandenburg town Fehrbellin became the twin town of Dülmen in 1990.
The high quality of life in Dülmen is not only proven by the still rising number of population. Approximately 45.000
inhabitants feel at home in the Tiberstadt - so mentioned after the Tiberbach and not to be confounded with the
Italian river.
Dülmen took over an important function as central centre between the city of Münster and the northern Ruhrgebiet. The technical, social and cultural infrastructure, the delightful-attractive surroundings, the convenient traffic situation and a pleasant atmosphere made it easy for enterprises and many new citizens to decide in favour of Dülmen.
Are you interested in the town history? Come and visit our town archive:
Stadtarchiv
Charleville-Mézières-Platz 2
Telefon 02594/890815
E-Mail
http://www.stadtarchiv-duelmen.de
At the tourist information you will find a brochure with a historic round tour through Dülmen: "historischer Stadtrundgang"
More history http://www.duelmen.de/kultur_bildung/geschichte/chronol.htm
| Münster |
Münster is one of Germany's most appealing smaller cities, with a 1,200-year history, a town centre that blends
the medieval with modern, and the lively atmosphere that comes from having a university with 39,000 students.
Münster is popular with Dutch and German tourists, but most English-speaking travellers have barely heard of the
city. More curious yet, Münster is ignored by guidebook publishers such as Frommer's and Fodor's--despite the
fact that Münster is only one of 13 cities that have been admitted to Historic Highlights of Germany, a consortium of cities chosen for their "special charm, architectural brilliance and historic character."
Still, mass-market tourism's loss is your gain: You won't trip over fellow Americans or British tourists when you enjoy
the pleasures of this attractive city near the borders of the Netherlands and the German Rhineland. And enjoy it you
will--ideally, for at least a few days, or even a week if you can spare the time to browse through museums and explore the surrounding countryside of Münsterland.
Münster is a city of 280,000 in North Rhine-Westphalia, not far from Germany's border with the Netherlands. The city
traces its history back to 793 A.D., when a monastery was founded in the area during the time of Emperor Charlemagne. Münster was granted the status of a civitas (city) in 805, and by 1494 it was associated with the Hanseatic League.
In the 16th Century, it was ruled by Anabaptists but became a Catholic city again during the Counter-Reformation.
Münster's unofficial motto,”the city of the Westphalian peace," pays homage to its role in ending the Thirty Years War
in the 17th Century. Together with nearby Osnabrück, Münster hosted the negotiations that brought that religious and political conflict to an end. You can visit the Friedensaal, or "Hall of Peace," in the city's old Rathaus (see photo above)
to see where the negotiations took place.
In World War II, 90% of the buildings in the Altstadt were destroyed by Allied bombing. After the war, the city government decided to rebuild the city on the medieval town plan. Today's Altstadt, or old town, is an attractive blend of repaired or restored old buildings and modern structures that fit into the winding, twisting medieval streetscape. Perhaps most
impressive of all, there's nothing museum-like or Disneyesque about Münster's town centre: It's a lively place where
you can visit historic churches, dine in ancient restaurants, or shop for anything from English books to German baked
goods to Laura Ashley dresses and Armani shirts.
This information was from www.europeforvisitors.com
Further sightseeing information can be obtained by following the link http://europeforvisitors.com/germany/muenster/muenster-sightseeing.htm |
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