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. Herford is a Kreis (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen, usually shortened to: NRW) is - in population and economic output - the largest Federal State of Germany. ... Map of Germany showing Herford Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Bad Oeynhausen is a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with a population of just over 50,000. ... Weser watershed The Porta Westfalica is a gorge, where the Weser river runs through the passage between the mountain chains of the Wiehengebirge in the west and the Wesergebirge in the east. ... Minden-Lübbecke is a Kreis (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Kalletal is a municipality (Gemeinde) in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Lemgo is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with a population of 42. ... Bad Salzuflen is a bad city in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... This article is about the district Lippe. ...

Vlotho as seen from the castle on the Amthausberg

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1195x778, 681 KB) Summary View from the castle on the Amthausberg in Vlotho to the river Weser and the Winterberg. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1195x778, 681 KB) Summary View from the castle on the Amthausberg in Vlotho to the river Weser and the Winterberg. ...

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

Districts

• Exter
• Uffeln
• Valdorf
• Vlotho

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. Weser watershed The Weser is a river of north-western Germany. ... Wiehengebirge The Wiehengebirge is a low mountain range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. ... The Weserbergland is a hilly region (thus the name, Weser hilly region) in Germany (Lower Saxony, Hessen und Nordrhein-Westfalen), between Hannoversch Münden and Porta Westfalica. ...

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.

Economy

A major part of the local economy is the emerging tourist industry. There is still some machine industry.

Sights

• Vlotho castle from the 13th century

(12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...

External links

• Official page
• Webcam overlooking the town centre
• German homepage about the yearly festival
• Weser-Gymnasium Vlotho