Gütersloh () is a town in
North Rhine-Westphalia, in the area of
Westphalia and the administrative region of
Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a district of the same name. Gütersloh has a population of 96,200 people.
Geography
Gütersloh lies in the
Emssandebene, south-west of the
Teutoburg Forest and on the north-eastern edge of the Westphalian basin and has no significant points of elevation. The town's lowest point is 64 metres above sea level on the river Ems near the
Princess Royal Barracks, Gütersloh and the highest point is 105 metres above sea level in the eastern township of Friedrichsdorf.
The border to
Rheda-Wiedenbrück extends as part of the
Rhedaer Forest, a large wooded area with predominantly coniferous trees. The river Dalke flows through the town from east to west, crossing close to the Stadt Park as well as the town centre and river Ems.
Politics
City council
The
city council consists of 58 seats, according to the
Local election in 2009:
Major industries
Gütersloh is an industrial town with major employers including
Miele and
Bertelsmann, inside the ring road is the town centre which contains a variety of shops and department stores.
Recreational amenities
Gütersloh has two parks: the
Mohns Park which contains an
amphitheater, paddling pool and several adventure playground areas, and a larger park, the
Stadtpark und Botanischer Garten Gütersloh, which contains a boating lake,
botanical garden, and many paths bordered by mature trees.
Swimmers are accommodated amply in Gütersloh with no less than four pools, both indoor and outdoor, the large outdoor pool has an
Olympic Size Pool, Diving Boards and sunbathing space, while the original indoor pool has the usual
sauna and
steam rooms.
Twinning
Gütersloh is
twinned with
Châteauroux in France (since 1977), with
Broxtowe in the United Kingdom (1978), with
Grudziądz in Poland (1989), with
Falun in Sweden (1994) and with
Rzhev in Russia (2008).
RAF Gutersloh
A
Royal Air Force station was located in Gütersloh until after the fall of the
Berlin Wall home of RAF Squadrons
3 and
4 which flew the distinctive
VTOL Harrier, they were supported by
Chinook Helicopters manned by
18 Squadron and
230 Squadron which flew
Puma Helicopters. There were also personnel at the station from the RAF Regiment who provided Rapier Ground to Air Missile Support. It was the most easterly of the
NATO airbases during the
Cold War.
The Station was originally built for the
Luftwaffe who flew
Junkers bombers from the station and the runway was extended during this period with Soviet Prisoners of War, a memorial to whom now stands near Junkers Farm, a farm building which was later used as a Scout Hut within the station's perimeter fence.
RAF Gütersloh closed in 1993.
Gütersloh British Army Base
The
British Army took over
RAF Gütersloh in 1993 and re-named it
Princess Royal Barracks, Gütersloh. It now houses Regiments of the
Royal Logistic Corps,
Army Air Corps and
114 Provost Company, Royal Military Police. The second barracks in Gütersloh is called
Mansergh Barracks, which holds a British high school called
King's School and a primary school called Haig School for the armed forces. Mansergh Barracks is home to
26 Regiment of the
Royal Artillery. It has a postal address of BFPO 113. BFPO 47 refers to Princess Royal Barracks.
Famous people born in Gütersloh
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