Vlotho

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vlotho is a city in the district of Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It 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 and Bad Salzuflen (both Lippe district) in the south.

Vlotho as seen from the castle on the Amthausberg

1 Basic data
2 Districts
3 Geography
4 History
5 Economy
6 Sights
7 External links

[edit] Basic data

76,92 km²
Population 21297 (as of March 31, 2004)
Population density : 277/km²
ZIP code : 32602
Area code : 05733
Location :
- 52 ° 10 ´ N
- 8 ° 52 ´ E

[edit] Districts

Exter
Uffeln
Valdorf
Vlotho

[edit] Geography

Vlotho is located along the Weser river, south of the Wiehengebirge, bordering on the Ravensberger Hügelland in the west, Lipperland in the south, and the Weserbergland in the east. The Weser 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.

[edit] History

The first historical records of Vlotho go back to the year 1185. In 1248, Vlotho gained the official status of a city, but lost it again due to both pestilence and war. In the 1600s, Vlotho recovered as a location for industry, most notably paper. In 1650, Vlotho regained the right to hold a market, and in 1719, became an independent city. A harbor was built and Vlotho became the location of cigar, machine, and textile industry. In 1875, a train 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 Minden) joined Vlotho.