Nordhorn

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Nordhorn


Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Grafschaft Bentheim
Population	53,084 (2005)
Area	149.64 km²
Population density	355 /km²
Elevation	22 m
Coordinates	52°25′ N 7°4′ E
Postal code	48527-48531
Area code	05921
Licence plate code	NOH
Mayor	Meinhard Hüsemann (SPD)
Website	nordhorn.de

Nordhorn is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the County of Bentheim. It is situated at the river Vechte, at the southwest of Lower Saxony at the border to the Netherlands and to the German state North Rhine-Westphalia. The next city near Nordhorn is Enschede (Netherlands; about 25 km southwest), Münster (about 75 km southeast) and Osnabrück (about 85 km east).

1 History
2 Industry
3 Population
- 3.1 Growth of population

[edit] History

The first recorded mention of the settlement of Nordhorn, then know as “Northhornon”, was in Werden Abbey documents dating to approximately 900A.D.

By the late 12th century, Nordhorn had become a trade center on the “Flemish Trade Route”, dealing in the local sandstone. Over a thousand ships per year traveled to Nordhorn via the Vechte river, taking the stone to Amsterdam and other cities in the Netherlands. In 1379 the settlement was prosperous enough to be given full rights as a town by the count of Bentheim.

In 1839, the first weaving mill was established by Willem Stroink, with other entrepreneurs soon following. This textile boon resulted in a rapid increase in the population in the first decades of the 20th century.

[edit] Industry

Nordhorn was formerly the site of three textile manufacturers: NINO, Povel, and Rawe - all of which have ceased production in Nordhorn since the mid-90s. Currently, Nordhorn's industry is mostly limited to services.

[edit] Population

In Nordhorn there are living about 53,093 inhabitants (status 31 December 2005) on a surface of 149.64 square kilometers, the population density of the city amount to thus 355 inhabitants per square kilometer.