Gütersloh
Gütersloh | |
---|---|
Location of Gütersloh within Gütersloh district | |
Coordinates: 51°54′N 8°23′E / 51.900°N 8.383°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
Admin. region | Detmold |
District | Gütersloh |
Subdivisions | 12 |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–25) | Norbert Morkes[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 111.99 km2 (43.24 sq mi) |
Elevation | 75 m (246 ft) |
Population (2022-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 102,393 |
• Density | 910/km2 (2,400/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 33241–33335 |
Dialling codes | 05241, 05209 (Friedrichsdorf) |
Vehicle registration | GT |
Website | www.guetersloh.de |
Gütersloh (German pronunciation: [ˈɡyːtɐsloː] ⓘ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a district of the same name and has a population of 100,194 people.
Geography
Gütersloh lies in the
The border to Rheda-Wiedenbrück extends as part of the Rhedaer Forest, a large wooded area with predominantly conifers. The river Dalke flows through the city from east to west, crossing close to the Stadt Park as well as the city centre and river Ems.
Gütersloh railway station is on the Hamm–Minden line.
History
The then-official district of Gütersloh included the city of the same name. It also included seven other municipalities: Avenwedde, Ebbesloh, Friedrichsdorf, Hollen, Isselhorst, Niehorst and Spexard; which existed until 1969 and were incorporated as part of the 1969 North Rhine-Westphalian municipal reform. Currently, all of them are now municipal sub-division units within Gütersloh's borders.
Politics
Mayor
The current mayor of Gütersloh is Norbert Morkes, elected in September 2020.[1] He ran on behalf of the voter group Bürger für Gütersloh (Citizens for Gütersloh, BfGT). The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows:
Candidate | Party | First round | Second round | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
Henning Schulz | Christian Democratic Union | 13,772 | 36.1 | 12,761 | 42.1 | |
Norbert Morkes | Citizens for Gütersloh | 9,580 | 25.1 | 17,521 | 57.9 | |
Gitte Trostmann | Alliance 90/The Greens | 8,124 | 21.3 | |||
Volker Richter | Social Democratic Party | 5,836 | 15.3 | |||
Manfred Reese | The Left | 811 | 2.1 | |||
Valid votes | 38,123 | 98.8 | 30,282 | 98.6 | ||
Invalid votes | 499 | 1.3 | 431 | 1.4 | ||
Total | 38,622 | 100.0 | 30,713 | 100.0 | ||
Electorate/voter turnout | 80,552 | 48.0 | 80,540 | 38.1 | ||
Source: City of Gütersloh (1st round, 2nd round) |
City council
The Gütersloh city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:
Party | Votes | % | +/- | Seats | +/- | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 11,521 | 30.3 | 8.1 | 17 | 3 | |
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) | 9,379 | 24.7 | 13.3 | 14 | 8 | |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 7,370 | 19.4 | 8.7 | 11 | 4 | |
Citizens for Gütersloh (BfGT) | 4,955 | 13.0 | 2.0 | 7 | 1 | |
Alternative for Germany (AfD) | 1,757 | 4.6 | New | 3 | New | |
Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 1,227 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 2 | 1 | |
The Left (Die Linke) | 986 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1 | 1 | |
Independent Voters' Association (UWG) | 849 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1 | 1 | |
Valid votes | 38,055 | 98.7 | ||||
Invalid votes | 510 | 1.3 | ||||
Total | 38,565 | 100.0 | 56 | 4 | ||
Electorate/voter turnout | 80,555 | 47.9 | 2.5 | |||
Source: City of Gütersloh |
Major industries
Gütersloh is an industrial city; inside the ring road is the city centre, which contains a variety of shops and department stores. Gütersloh is best known for Bertelsmann (a media company with 11,300 workers in the district) and Miele (an appliance manufacturer with 5,000 workers). There are 5,000 other small and medium enterprises in Gütersloh. Those companies have 46,000 workers. The most important areas are:
- media: Bertelsmann
- Software: Reply Deutschland
- metal working: Miele, Westaflex, Hermann-Sewerin.
- food: Campina GmbH (Dairy), Marten, Vogt & Wolf(meat, sausages), Gehring-Bunte (drinks)
Recreational amenities
Gütersloh has four parks: The
Swimmers are accommodated amply in Gütersloh with no fewer than four pools, both indoor and outdoor, the large outdoor pool has an
The Stadtmuseum Gütersloh (Gütersloh Town Museum) features exhibits on Gütersloh's local history as well as the history of medicine and industry.
Regular events
In the second half of March, the Gütersloher Frühling (Gütersloh's Spring) is a festive celebration of springtime horticulture. Local garden centers, nurseries and flower shops present their savvy. During the langenachtderkunst ("long night of the arts") in May or June, museums and art galleries have longer opening hours, and the Straßenzauber ("street magic"), where you can see antique cars and all types of new cars. On Pentecost, there is a wine festival while at the market place is the Pentecost funfair.
Over the whole summer there are many concerts shown on the open air stage in the Mohns Park. In the Radrennen über Wasser (Bikerace over the Water), bikers have to drive over a course of planks over a boating pond without falling in the water. At „Gütersloh für Genießer" ("Gütersloh for gourmets"), many restaurants present haute cuisine open air. At "Gütersloh International", many foreign musicians and folk dancers present a mixed program in front of the municipal hall. In August bands and stand-up comedians show their program for free on the Dreiecksplatz.
At the end of September begins the Michaelis-funfair. Every two years there is also a pageant where many clubs present themselves. In October, there is Schinkenmarkt ("ham market"), where you can buy ham not just from Westphalia. Traditionally the year ends with a Christmas market on the Berliner Platz.
There are many Schützenvereine, Gütersloher Schützengesellschaft exists since 1832.
There are always many Easter fires on Easter Saturday.
Sports
In 2006 there were 95 clubs with 25,000 members in Gütersloh. There are 24 sports fields and 39
Football
The oldest Westphalian football club, the Gymnasial-Spielverein Gütersloh, was founded in 1878 at the Evangelisch
A great event in the history of Gütersloh was the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Being an official training area, the Heidewaldstadion was used three times by the Portugal national football team. Up to 5,000 fans came to watch the games on the biggest video screen in Ostwestfalen-Lippe in front of the town hall. Gütersloh was one of the very few towns in Germany where the FIFA World Cup Trophy was shown. Many people also had a job-related connection to the World Cup, because many articles like books, magazines or posters were produced in Gütersloh by Bertelsmann.
Twin towns – sister cities
Gütersloh is twinned with: [3]
- Broxtowe, England, United Kingdom (1978)
- Châteauroux, France (1977)
- Falun, Sweden (1994)
- Grudziądz, Poland (1989)
- Rzhev, Russia (2009)
Military
During World War One there was a prisoner of war camp at Gütersloh which included British army prisoners from the capture of Ecoust in France.
RAF Gütersloh
A
The station was originally built for the
Princess Royal Barracks, Gütersloh
The
Mansergh Barracks, Gütersloh
There was a second barracks in Gütersloh is called Mansergh Barracks, which was on the opposite side of town to the main camp. Mansergh Barracks was on the Verler Strasse near Spexard, it held a British secondary school called King's School and a primary school called Haig School for the armed forces. Mansergh Barracks was home to 40 Field Regiment, then 47 Field Regiment and finally, 26th Regiment Royal Artillery. During the time of the RAF base on the opposite side of town, there was also 10 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers (Harrier Support Squadron) and one Royal Army Ordnance Corps company which changed its name from 1 OFP to 1CTOC and finally 61 Ordnance Company. The Royal Engineers left when the Harrier Squadrons left Gutersloh and 61 Ordnance Company was amalgamated into the Royal Logistics Corps in 1993. The last British soldiers left Gütersloh in September 2019.
Notable people
- Johann Bernhard Wilbrand (1779–1846), anatomist, naturalist, proponent of Naturphilosophie
- Carl Bertelsmann (1791–1850), businessman, publisher, founder of Bertelsmann
- Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen (1833–1910), pathologist
- Adolph Louis Luetgert(1845–1899), Chicago businessman, infamous in the United States
- Rumpel-Leede sign
- Carl Miele (1869–1938), businessman, co-founder of Miele
- Ludwig Müller (1883–1945), theologian, leader of the German Christians movement
- Hanns-Heinrich Lohmann(1911–1995), SS-officer
- Hubert Schiffer (born 1915), survivor of the atomic bomb "Little Boy" in Hiroshima
- Reinhard Mohn (1921–2009), owner of Bertelsmann
- Hans Werner Henze (1926–2012), composer [4]
- Kurt-Christian Stier (1926–2016), violinist and concertmaster
- Rudolf Miele (1929–2004), entrepreneur, acting partner in Miele, and grandson of the founder Carl Miele
- Holger Bertrand Flöttmann (born 1946), neurologist, psychiatrist and psychotherapist
- Monika Heinold (born 1958), politician
- Diana Amft (born 1975), film and television actress [5]
- Simon Gosejohann (born 1976), comedian, TV presenter and actor [6]
- Anna-Maria Zimmermann (born 1988), singer [7]
- Alice Weidel (born 1979), politician (AfD)
- Engin Baytar (born 1983), professional footballer
Miscellaneous
Arameans in Gütersloh
In Gütersloh there are approximately 10,000 Arameans. It has the largest number of Arameans of any other towns in Germany. In 2010, 100 companies in Gütersloh were run by Arameans.
Three football clubs play in local leagues: Tur Abdin Gütersloh, Aramäer Gütersloh and St. Gabriel Gütersloh.[8]
Gütersloh's nicknames
In local media, "Dalkestadt" is often used. An older nickname is "Nazareth" or "little Nazareth" because the Protestants in the 19th century were very religious. In Low German, the city is called Gütsel. The younger inhabitants often call it "G-Town" or (jocularly) Lülaloh.
Food and drink
The cuisine in Gütersloh is mostly influenced by the traditional and substantial Westphalian way of cooking. A typical dish would be pumpernickel (a heavy, sweet rye bread), served with Westphalian ham.
Also popular is the Pickert, a potato dish made of grated potatoes, flour, milk, eggs, currants and yeast. The recipe dates back to 1900 and it is still served in restaurants today.
Regional beverages include the Steinhäger gin, made in the nearby community of Steinhagen, the bitter Schroeders Boonekamp and the special brews created in the Gütersloher brewery.
References
- ^ a b Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020, Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 21 June 2021.
- Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "Freundschaft kann nicht früh genug beginnen". guetersloh.de (in German). Gütersloh. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
- ^ IMDb Database retrieved 21 January 2020
- ^ IMDb Database retrieved 21 January 2020
- ^ IMDb Database retrieved 21 January 2020
- ^ IMDb Database retrieved 21 January 2020
- ISBN 978-3-936359-43-5
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 741. .