Vlotho () is a town in the district of
Herford, in
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
Geography
Vlotho is located along the
Weser
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...
river, south of the
Wiehengebirge, bordering on the
Ravensberger Hügelland in the west,
Lippe
Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. ...
rland in the south, and the
Weserbergland in the east. The
Weser
The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...
river runs through the city east to north and thus separates the northeast part of the town, Uffeln, from the rest of the city. The highest point is the ''Bonstapel'' at 342 m in the south-east.
Neighbouring municipalities
Vlotho borders on
Herford and
Löhne in the west,
Bad Oeynhausen and
Porta Westfalica (both
Minden-Lübbecke district) in the north,
Kalletal in the east, and
Lemgo
Lemgo (; ) is a university and old Hanseatic League, Hanseatic town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
It is situated between the Teutoburg Forest and the Weser Uplands, 25 km east of Bielefeld and 70 km west of H ...
and
Bad Salzuflen
Bad Salzuflen () is a town and thermal spa resort in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. At the end of 2013, it had 52,121 inhabitants.
Geography
Bad Salzuflen lies on the eastern edge of the Ravensberg Basin, at the confluenc ...
(both
Lippe
Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. ...
district) in the south.
Division of the town
*
Exter
* Uffeln
* Valdorf
* Vlotho
History
The earliest historical records of Vlotho date back to the year 1185. In 1248, Vlotho gained the official status of a city, but this was subsequently lost due to depopulation resulting from pestilence and war. In the 17th century, Vlotho recovered as a location for industry, most notably paper. During the
Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine, or disease, whil ...
, on 17 October 1638
Vlotho was the site of a battle, which resulted in a victory for an
Imperial army under the command of Field Marshal
Melchior, Count of Hatzfeldt over a Palatinate-Swedish army under the command of
Charles Louis of Palatine. In 1650, Vlotho regained the right to hold a market, and in 1719, became an independent city. A harbour was built and Vlotho became the location of cigar, machine, and textile industry. In 1875,
Vlotho station was constructed, and in 1928, a bridge replaced the ferry across the Weser river. In 1969, the old city of Vlotho was unified with the communities of
Exter and Valdorf. In 1973, Uffeln (formerly part of the district of
Minden
Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...
) joined Vlotho.
Economy
A major part of the local economy is the emerging tourist industry. There is still some machine industry.
Sightseeing
* ''
Vlotho castle'' from the 13th century
Notable people
*
Ursula Haverbeck (1928–2024), Holocaust denier
*
Helmut Rethemeier (born 1939), versatility rider, Olympian participant in 1976 (silver medal winner)
*
Heinrich Adolf Rinne (1809–1868), doctor
*
Axel Downard-Wilke (born 1966), transport planner and Wikipedian
Notes
References
*
External links
Webcam overlooking the town centre
Homepage of the yearly festival
History of Vlotho and its surroundings
Mendel-Grundmann-Gesellschaft e.V. Vlotho
{{Authority control
Herford (district)