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130-539: The town limit is 49 km, with a north–south reach of 14 km and an east–west reach of 12 km. The area under Bad Bentheim's jurisdiction, along with all its constituent communities, has a total area of 100.16 km. Bad Bentheim, a town shaped by the Evangelical Church, belongs to Lower Saxony's district of Bentheim. It borders on two other towns in Lower Saxony, Schüttorf and Nordhorn as well as on

260-615: A glacier . This same glacier also pushed up the terminal moraine that is now the Uelsen Hills and the Lingen Heights in today's Grafschaft Bentheim and Emsland. In the south, the glacier found its abutment at the Mesozoic Bentheim Cretaceous Sandstone Mountain Chain. During the last ice age , the terminal basin was filled with fluvial sand, and locally, sand dunes were blown up by the wind. Within

390-421: A maritime museum , a university museum , a comics museum and a graphics museum. Groningen is also the home of Noorderlicht , an international photographic platform that runs a photo gallery and organizes an international photo festival. The Forum Groningen that opened in 2019 is a cultural center consisting of a museum, art cinema, library, bars, rooftop terrace and tourist information office. Groningen has

520-618: A red-light district , called Nieuwstad . FC Groningen , founded in 1971, is the local football club, and as of 2000 they play in the Eredivisie , the highest football league of the Netherlands. Winners of the KNVB Cup in the 2014–15 season , their best Eredivisie result was in the 1990–91 season when they finished third. Their current stadium which opened in January 2006 has 22,525 seats. It

650-690: A water quality monitoring station in Samern where the Vechte's water levels and water quality are measured and documented. Schüttorf has 11,711 inhabitants (as of 18 April 2005) in an area of 11.23 km , 51.3% of whom are female. The town's population density is 1027/km . Evangelical-Reformed Christians account for 40.7% of the town's population, whereas 22.1% are Catholic , 14.9% are Lutheran and 22% either hold no religious beliefs or belong to other faiths. There are 942 foreigners (8%) living in Schüttorf, among whom

780-497: A bicycle for regular commute within the city. In 2000, Groningen was chosen as the Fietsstad 2002 , the top cycle-city in the Netherlands for 2002. Similar to most Dutch cities , Groningen has developed to accommodate a large number of cyclists. An extensive network of bike paths were planned to make it more convenient to cycle to various destinations instead of taking a car. The city has segregated cycle-paths, public transport, and

910-626: A centre for the German-Dutch ambulance trade. The town's biggest employers are: Bad Bentheim or the surrounding “county” is known for two breeds of domestic livestock , namely the Bentheim sheep and the Bentheim Black Pied pig. A popular meeting and walking place in town is the Schloßpark beneath the castle. This is a geometrical 12-ha parkland laid out going by old records in the style of

1040-909: A city theatre called the Stadsschouwburg, located on the Turfsingel, a theatre and concert venue called Martini Plaza, and a cultural venue on the Trompsingel, called the Oosterpoort. Vera is located on the Oosterstraat, the Grand Theatre on the Grote Markt, and Simplon on the Boterdiep . Several cafés feature live music, a few of which specialize in jazz music, including the Jazzcafe De Spieghel on

1170-496: A few years later the first factory building was built. In 1865, the Schümer family's dyeworks followed. In 1867, the first Schlikker und Söhne mechanically powered cotton loom went into operation. In 1881 came the cotton spinning works. What followed was an economic upswing and a skyrocketing population. At the turn of the 20th century, Schüttorf was said to be the town with the most millionaires in proportion to population. Nonetheless,

1300-539: A former Dutch colony. It was named after the hometown of Dutch governor-general of Suriname Jan Wichers , who established the town as a fort in 1790. Numerous canals ( grachten ) surround the city, locally called diep . The major canals that travel from the city are the Van Starkenborghkanaal, Eemskanaal, and Winschoterdiep. Groningen’s canals, no longer used for commercial goods transport, were once vital hubs in trade and transport. The rivers crossing close to

1430-468: A great many special conditions for the so-called Wicbeldeslude (this would be Weichbildleute in Modern High German) ;– or people from the outlying countryside – which indeed make up the bulk of the document. These people were inhabitants of the town who were subject to a special right, but they were not townsmen. In 1297, Schüttorf was also given its own jurisdiction by Count Bernd in

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1560-515: A height of roughly 35 m above sea level. Owing to the slight difference in elevation even within the river valley, the middle Vechte meandered in the past, leading to the formation of many backwaters . Since then, however, the river has been straightened and is kept at Schüttorf level. The Vechte Lowland is part of the Nordhorn glacial terminal basin, which was filled during the Saalian Stage by

1690-504: A hogshead (actually described as 1½ barrels) of wine . The situation thereafter steadily escalated. In 1645, Count Ernst Wilhelm refused to renew the town rights. Instead, he had the town's mayor imprisoned for 38 weeks and then banished him. After this, the townsmen appealed to the Imperial Court in Vienna . This grievance is still preserved there. Ernst Wilhelm on the other hand petitioned

1820-449: A large pedestrianised zone in the city centre. Groningen's city centre was remodeled into a "pedestrian priority zone" to promote walking and biking. This was achieved by applying the principle of filtered permeability —the network configuration favours active transportation and selectively "filters out" traveling in a car by reducing the number of streets that run through the centre. The streets that are discontinuous for cars connect to

1950-602: A million inhabitants. Groningen is nationally known as the "Metropolis of the North". The city is regarded as the main urban centre of the Northern part of the country, particularly in the fields of education, business, music and other arts. It is also known as " Martinistad ", referring to the tower of the Martinitoren , which is named after Groningen's patron saint Martin of Tours . The large student population also contributes to

2080-470: A network of pedestrian and bike paths which permeate the entire centre. In addition, these paths go through public squares and open spaces, increasing aesthetic appeal and encouraging participation. The logic of filtering a mode of transport is fully expressed in a comprehensive model for laying out neighbourhoods and districts—the fused grid . Groningen railway station (in Dutch: Hoofdstation )

2210-567: A restraining order imposed on him forbidding him to stay in the region. In Schüttorf, before the National Socialist régime came to power, there were three Jewish families, two of whom fled, and the other of whom was deported. Today, there are no Jews living in Schüttorf. During the Allied air war on Germany , Schüttorf was repeatedly bombed, not as a primary target, however. When Allied fliers had not used all their bombs on their mission, it

2340-664: A sandstone from the Early Cretaceous. These heights are the northwesternmost outposts of the Central European Uplands. Towards the surface are, as a general rule, clayey soils and till loam. The clay is also used by industry, such as at the brickyard in Suddendorf. Schüttorf lies in the Mid-European Temperate Zone. The average yearly temperature is 8.5 °C, the mean air pressure is 1015.2 hPa and

2470-585: A sandstone statue in his likeness was raised on the square that also bears his name, Bismarckplatz, in Bentheim's inner town. It still stands today, right beneath the castle. Since 1865, Bentheim has held town rights. In the course of municipal reform in Lower Saxony, the town of Bentheim, the Samtgemeinde (a municipality made up of several centres) of Gildehaus (whose member communities were Gildehaus, Achterberg, Hagelshoek, Holt und Haar, Waldseite and Westenberg) and

2600-458: A total population of 232,874 people. The majority of people in Groningen, slightly more than 70%, are non-religious. With 25.1%, the largest religion in Groningen is Christianity . Religions in Groningen (2013) The municipality of Groningen has grown rapidly. In 1968 it expanded by mergers with Hoogkerk and Noorddijk, and in 2019 it merged with Haren and Ten Boer. All historical data are for

2730-466: A town. From that day, too, Schüttorf would also have its own police force. On 1 October 1924, the town founded a town savings bank to encourage the townsfolk to save after the inflation. In October 1942, Mayor Scheurmann was removed from office owing to serious differences with the local NSDAP leader Arnold Horstmeier and the NSDAP district leader Dr. Josef Ständer. He was succeeded by Arnold Horstmeier, who

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2860-642: Is about 800 mm (31 in). Annual sunshine hours vary, but are usually below 1600 hours, giving much cloud cover similar to most of the Netherlands. Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb ". (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate ). Winters are cool; on average above freezing, although frosts are common during spells of easterly winds. Night-time temperatures of −10 °C (14 °F) or lower are not uncommon during cold winter periods. The lowest temperature ever recorded

2990-601: Is called the Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion ; it was known as the "Euroborg stadium" before 2016, and "Noordlease Stadion" from 2016 to 2018. American sports are fairly popular in Groningen; it has American football , baseball , and basketball clubs. Groningen's professional basketball club Donar play in the highest professional league, the Dutch Basketball League , and have won the national championship seven times. The Groningen Giants are

3120-507: Is found right next to the open-air theatre , the so-called Bentheimer Freilichtbühne (open-air stage). The Bad Bentheim open-air plays have an unusual venue set in three disused quarries, thereby offering an extraordinary natural backdrop. In summer plays are staged here. Often special events are held here such as nighttime performances. The Haus Westerhoff is said to be one of the town's loveliest farmer's townhouses ( Ackerbürgerhäuser ), with its beginnings in 1656. Between 1989 and 1991, it

3250-466: Is navigable by barge as far up as Schüttorf, and it is known that the stone was loaded here. This explanation, however, presupposes intensive river shipping at the time of the town's founding. Quite another explanation is that the name Schüttorf stems from Scutthorpe or Scuttrop , which means “Protection Village” (this would be Schutzdorf in Modern High German ), referring to Altena Castle in

3380-475: Is not to be confused with the castle in Altena , which bears the same name, but which still stands today. In 1341, Count Simon at Bentheim recognized Schüttorf's first guild , namely de Schomackere Amte ( shoemakers ), leading to the conclusion that this profession was particularly widespread. In 1362, Count Otto recognized the wall builders’ and cabinetmakers ’ guilds, and finally in 1387, Count Bernhard recognized

3510-508: Is surrounded by symmetrically laid-out rose beds, themselves enclosed by hedges. In winter, the townsfolk, especially the younger ones, come to the park to run their sleds down the steep slopes in the south part of the park, right beneath the castle. In late summer (on the last Saturday in August), the Bad Bentheim flea market is held here. In the large car park in the western part of the park,

3640-500: Is that in 1399, Schüttorf had at least 52 townsmen, as they are named in the document. However, it seems unlikely that there were considerably more. Going by average family size, it seems likelier that at this time, the population was actually somewhere between 200 and 250 inhabitants in the town. Thereafter, the town's population climbed continuously, a trend interrupted only by the Second World War . There were three great surges in

3770-476: Is that the name was derived from the word groenighe , meaning 'green fields'. In Frisian , it is called Grins . In Groningen province , it is called Groot Loug  [ nl ] . Regionally, it is often simply referred to as Stad (the "city"), and its inhabitants are referred to as Stadjers or Stadjeder . The Dutch sometimes refer to it as "the Metropolis of the North", or Martinistad (after

3900-483: Is the lower castle gate at the Burg Bentheim . These walking tours are staged by the town travel office and are free. On these nighttime tours through Bad Bentheim visitors are treated to stories and legends about the town and the castle as well as historical data and facts, making for an interesting insight into the town's history. The so-called Weggen wegbringen is an old tradition still practised in Bad Bentheim and

4030-843: Is the second oldest university in the Netherlands (after the University of Leiden ). The university educated the country's first female student, Aletta Jacobs , the first Dutch national astronaut, Wubbo Ockels , the first president of the European Central Bank , Wim Duisenberg , and two Nobel laureates ; Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (in Physics) and Ben Feringa (in Chemistry). The university has about 31,000 students—22% of which are international. The Hanze University of Applied Sciences (in Dutch: Hanzehogeschool Groningen )

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4160-406: Is unclear what they mean there. This same charge is also seen in several other coats of arms from Bentheim district, among them those borne by Nordhorn , Neuenhaus , De Wijk and Geldermalsen . In the early 19th century, the bearing of these arms was banned. Later, in the late 19th century, the arms consisted simply of 18 golden balls on a red background, without the monogram. In 1955, the town

4290-467: Is −26.8 °C (−16.2 °F) on 16 February 1956. Snow often falls, but rarely stays long due to warmer daytime temperatures, although white snowy days happen every winter. Hotel and catering industries constitute a significant part of the economy in Groningen. Focus on business services has increased over time and areas such as IT, life sciences, tourism, energy, and environment have developed. Until 2008 there were two major sugar refineries within

4420-465: The Martinitoren tower.) The city was founded at the northernmost point of the Hondsrug area. While the oldest document referring to Groningen's existence dates from 1040, the area was occupied by Anglo-Saxons centuries prior. The oldest archaeological evidence of a settlement in the region stems from around 3950–3650 BC, and the first major settlement in Groningen trace back to the year 3 AD. In

4550-568: The Reichshofrat for the cassation of the town rights. The conflict further escalated when in 1668 the House of the Counts at Bentheim converted to Catholicism while Schüttorf remained Reformed. When Ernst Wilhelm abdicated in 1693, the town refused to render homage to his son, Arnold Maruk, although in the end it was forced to do so. Even though the town of Schüttorf was entitled to full tax freedom in

4680-575: The Wiehengebirgs-Bahn , which begins in Bad Bentheim, although connecting tracks continue west into the Netherlands. The local train on this line is the RB 61 (Bad Bentheim– Rheine –Osnabrück– Herford – Bielefeld ). As for long-distance rail travel, Bad Bentheim is served by the IC-77 ( Amsterdam – Osnabrück – Hanover – Berlin ). All the international trains have a standstill at the station of Bad Bentheim because

4810-548: The 2022 local elections , was made up as follows: From 2022, the ruling municipal coalition consisted of GroenLinks, PvdA, Party for the Animals, the Socialist Party and ChristenUnie. Groningen is twinned with the following cities: Groningen also has a trilateral partnership with the nearby northern German cities of Bremen and Oldenburg. Groningen is known as the "World Cycling City"; around 57% of its residents use

4940-537: The Bakker-Schut plan in 1945, but this plan was scuttled by US objections. Bentheim's sandstone , known as Bentheimer Gold , which is or was quarried in the main town and Gildehaus, was shipped beyond the old county's borders between the 15th and 18th centuries into the Münsterland , to East Frisia , into the Netherlands and to Belgium and Denmark . A few examples of important buildings made of this sandstone are

5070-836: The Dutch Republic . During the 17th century, Groningen served as a crucial hub for the Dutch West India Company (WIC). This powerful trading company was responsible for maritime trade, colonization, and the transportation of goods and people. The WIC transported over 300,000 slaves from the African coast to the Dutch colonies between 1621 and 1792. Warships like the Groeningen sailed from Groningen’s shipyards to Africa’s west coast, carrying enslaved Africans to plantations in Brazil, Suriname, and

5200-598: The French era . Today Groningen is a university city, home to some of the country's leading higher education institutes; University of Groningen ( Rijksuniversiteit Groningen ), which is the Netherlands's second oldest university, and Hanze University of Applied Sciences ( Hanzehogeschool Groningen ). Students comprise an estimated 25% of its total population and makes it the country's demographically youngest city. The origin and meaning of 'Groningen' and its older variant, 'Groeningen', are uncertain. A folk origin story relates

5330-550: The Lutheran faith , and along with him the whole County. In 1588, the County became Evangelical-Reformed and thereby Calvinist . Even today, most Schüttorfers are Evangelical-Reformed. From 1598 to 1599, however, Schüttorf was occupied by Spanish troops and Reformed services were banned on penalty. In 1629, a convent was founded in Schüttorf. It stood at first under the Beguines’ care, but

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5460-563: The Netherlands . Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of the country; as of December 2021, it had 235,287 inhabitants, making it the sixth largest city/municipality in the Netherlands and the second largest outside the Randstad . Groningen was established more than 950 years ago and gained city rights in 1245. Due to its relatively isolated location from

5590-621: The Teutoburg Forest . Only a small piece of the Bentheim Forest is in the town. All together, roughly 89 ha of woodland is found within the town, making up 8% of the town's total land area. North of the town is found a former heathland , which sees mainly agronomic use nowadays. There were still broad heathlands in the town just before the First World War . The last heath was converted to agricultural land in 1993. A peculiarity

5720-512: The Third Anglo-Dutch War failed and the city walls resisted; an event that is celebrated annually with music and fireworks on 28 August as " Gronings Ontzet " or " Bommen Berend " ("Bombing Bernard"). In the early 19th century when the kingdom of Holland under king Jerôme Bonaparte was founded, Groningen was integrated into the French system of administration, and then annexed in 1811 into

5850-509: The coram judico nostro Scottorpe . The town's inner political organization was left up to the townsmen. Quickly, a ruling class of traders and craftsmen arose. New townsmen were always invested on St. Peter's Day (22 January), and even unwed women had the right to become townswomen. Until 1555, townsmen were obliged yearly to pay the Bürgergewinnungsgeld (“townsman’s recovery tax”), which cost them each five Taler , roughly matching

5980-580: The curtis Scutthorp , as an estate belonging to the Counts at Bentheim. Town rights were granted Schüttorf on 6 November 1295, the Sunday after All Hallows , by Count Egbert at Bentheim. The document witnessing this has been preserved and is now found at the Fürstlich Bentheimschen Archiv in Burgsteinfurt . This makes Schüttorf Grafschaft Bentheim's oldest town. It is known, however, that before

6110-497: The smiths’ guild. In 1465, in the new town rights, these were still the only guilds mentioned, and no others. To be allowed to practise one of these professions it was a requirement to be a Schüttorf townsman, and also to have “won over” that profession's guild. This entailed considerable material benefits. Already quite early on, there was welfare in Schüttorf. The Heiliger Geist Stiftung (“ Holy Ghost Foundation”) had its first documentary mention in 1379, when Count Bernhard gave

6240-458: The 13th century Groningen was an important trade centre and its inhabitants built a city wall to underline its authority. The city had a strong influence on its surrounding lands and the Gronings dialect became common. The city's most influential period was at the end of the 15th century, when the nearby province of Friesland was administered from Groningen. During these years the Martinitoren

6370-499: The 15th century, bears further witness to an Irish presence in the area. In the 8th and 9th centuries, farmers from the Calais and Boulogne area came and settled in Schüttorf to further Christianization. Even today many families still bear names that come from villages in that region, such as Hermeling from Hermelinghen , Hummert from Humbert or Wanning from Maninghen (see 3 ). Schüttorf had its first documentary mention in 1154, in

6500-571: The 16th century to prevent the danger from the Turks and to fight the Anabaptists . Towards the end of the 17th century, war contributions rose, and there were even foreign troops stationed in Schüttorf, leading to a grave financial emergency in the town. In 1682, the Count of Bentheim even felt himself forced to gather in taxes with the troops’ help. Right after town rights were granted, work began on fortifying

6630-457: The 17th century, many Schüttorfers had been going each year to the wealthy Netherlands to improve their livelihoods by cutting peat , mowing or selling wares. With the onset of hard times in the Netherlands in the early 19th century, however, this source of income dwindled. A remedy was afforded by more intensive home weaving. About 1850, the Schlikker family already employed about 400 weavers, and

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6760-496: The American football team of the city who play in the premier league of the AFBN and are nicknamed as the "Kings of the North". The running event called 4 Miles of Groningen takes place in the city on the second Sunday of October every year with over 23,000 participants. The 2002 Giro d'Italia began in Groningen, including the prologue and the start of the first stage. The city hosted

6890-415: The Antilles. These same ships returned to Europe laden with valuable commodities such as sugar, coffee, and tobacco. The University of Groningen was founded in 1614 with initial course offerings in law, medicine, theology and philosophy. During this period the city expanded rapidly and a new city wall was built. The Siege of Groningen (1672) led by the bishop of Münster , Bernhard von Galen during

7020-434: The Binnenstad have been used for trade for at least a thousand years . The Dutch West India Company and foreign investors established their Groningen headquarters in Reitemakersrijge. Additional warehouses were strategically built along the canals at Noorderhaven to store colonial produce. These warehouses often held goods obtained from plantations in the Dutch colonies. Groningen has an oceanic temperate climate, like all of

7150-478: The Count at Bentheim neutrality than Napoleon ignored it, annexing the County on 12 June 1806 to the Duchy of Berg . This was forthwith followed by marked encroachment upon Schüttorf's jurisdiction and the upcoming town council election. On 7 March 1809, the Interior Minister stripped Schüttorf of its town rights and instead created the municipality of Schüttorf out of the town itself and the outlying communities of Quendorf , Wengsel , Suddendorf and Neerlage . At

7280-400: The Count's crypt that lies thereunder. Today it is a plain Baroque church in the middle of which stands an old stone pulpit. In the graveyard around the church are found impressive, centuries-old gravestones of importance to art history. The Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist ( Kirche St. Johannes Baptist ) with its Baroque interior lies west of the Schlosspark and comes from

7410-423: The Evangelical-Reformed Church. Later he was the lead candidate for the DFU  [ de ] in the Lower Saxony elections. In 1973, however, he lost his life in a traffic accident . A square in Schüttorf, Friedrich-Middendorff-Platz , is named after him. (see 5 ) In 1209, a church consecrated to Saint Lawrence in Schüttorf was mentioned in a document for the first time. In 1544, Count Arnold converted to

7540-430: The Foundation a plot of land free of charge on which to build an almshouse . The Foundation supplied poor and elderly townsfolk with clothing, and from 1384, the needy also got a yearly allowance of four Schilling . The Heiliger Geist Stiftung still exists today and is owned by the town. It has broadened its work into promoting youth. No sooner had French Foreign Minister Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand guaranteed

7670-436: The French Empire under emperor Napoleon I (until 1813). During the French administration of the area, Groningen was called Groningue . During World War II , the main square and the Grote Markt were largely destroyed in the Battle of Groningen in April 1945. However, the church Martinitoren , the Goudkantoor , and the city hall were undamaged. There is a town named after Groningen in Saramacca District , Suriname .

7800-425: The German side Lingen , Rheine , Münster and Osnabrück . The town comprises the centres of Achterberg, Bardel, Gildehaus, Hagelshoek, Holt und Haar, Sieringhoek, Waldseite and Westenberg. Bad Bentheim's first documentary mention came about 1050 under the name Binithem . There are various etymologies put forth for the town's name. It could refer to the rushes ( Binsen in German ) that grew on boggy land in

7930-419: The Imperial camp at Madrid , Napoleon ordered that even the Colonen and serfs were to be granted all civil rights . In 1813, the French were driven out and Schüttorf was merged with the Kingdom of Hanover . There was a blanket invalidation of all French laws. However, a return to the old structures proved difficult. On 15 May 1851, an order reached the town of Schüttorf from the Osnabrück Landdrostei for

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8060-501: The Netherlands, although slightly colder in winter than other major cities in the Netherlands due to its northeasterly position. Weather is influenced by the North Sea to the north-west and its prevailing north-western winds and gales. Summers are somewhat warm and humid. Temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) or higher occur sporadically; the average daytime high is around 22 °C (72 °F). Very rainy periods are common, especially in spring and summer. Average annual precipitation

8190-429: The Peperstraat. Groningen is the host city for Eurosonic Noorderslag , an annual music showcase event for bands from across Europe. Groningen's active nightlife depends largely on its student population, with the Grote Markt, Vismarkt, Poelestraat and Peperstraat crowded nightly, most bars not closing until five in the morning. From 2005 to 2007, Groningen was named "best city centre" of the Netherlands. Groningen has

8320-404: The Royal Palace in Amsterdam , the theatre and the Church of Our Lady in Antwerp , the Catholic Church in Århus , the Martini Church's tower in Groningen (completed in 1482) and the City Hall in Münster . Supposedly, the pedestal on which stands New York ’s Statue of Liberty is even made out of Bentheim sandstone, but other German towns, among them Obernkirchen , claim that they furnished

8450-411: The USSR, was the first time the Soviet Union had sent a team to a foreign event. An international chess "Schaakfestival Groningen tournament" has been held in the city in most years since 1946. Groningen is home to the Groninger Museum . Its new building designed by Alessandro Mendini in 1994 echoes the Italian post-modern concepts and is notable for its futuristic and colourful style. The city has

8580-415: The Vechte Valley, the river deposited Holocene  – that is, post-ice-age – sands and floodplain loam . The mainly sandy, partly loamy or moory soils of the valley sand plates and the narrow river floodplain are relatively sparse in soil quality , ranking between 11 and 30 on the scale used in Germany (which goes up to 100). The outliers of the Bentheim Hill are made up of Bentheim sandstone ,

8710-399: The Vechte was already dammed at the time the placename arose, and it leaves unexplained all forms in Scot- , which must be derived from the Low German Schott (“dividing wall in a stall”). Another explanation has the name coming from the Vechteschuten , barges ( Schuten ) being the flat-bottomed boats with a very small draught that were used for shipping Bentheim sandstone . The Vechte

8840-418: The area are, among others, Nordhorn and Rheine . The town is crossed through the middle southeast to northwest by the river Vechte , which farther downstream flows into the Netherlands. The town's highest point rises to 48 m above sea level . Schüttorf lies in the foothills of the Bentheimer Berg , a great sandstone formation from the Cretaceous rising to 80 m and a wooded western outlier of

8970-438: The area in earlier times. It is also supposed by some, as with the Dutch region of Twente, that the name could go back to the Tubanti . Bad Bentheim, a former count's residence, looks back on a history rich in tradition. For centuries, this market town was the hub of the like-named county ( Grafschaft ) of Bentheim. In 1945, the British occupational authorities stripped “brown Bentheim” of its district seat and transferred it to

9100-419: The area. During excavation work for a railway line, a woman’s thighbone was unearthed in Schüttorf reckoned to date from roughly 2000 BC. Schüttorf must therefore have already been settled by that time. The cromlechs in nearby Emsbüren were also built at about this time. Also, a clay pot found in 1927 comes from this same era. Already very early on, there was an important crossing of two trade routes on

9230-413: The biggest group is Turkish nationals (448), and the second-biggest Dutch nationals (187). There are 1,894 people (16.2%) living in Schüttorf who are German nationals, but whose background is foreign (as of 1 January 2006). The first population count for Schüttorf is yielded by a document from Claus von Tecklenburg from the year 1399, which clearly speaks of a total of 350 persons. What is known from this

9360-502: The castle – Burg Bentheim – stands in the town's centre where it simply cannot be overlooked. The popular tourist site can be visited nowadays as a museum, with or without a guide. The high keep, known as the Pulverturm , or “Powder Tower”, affords visitors a good view over Bad Bentheim. The Bad Bentheim Sandstone Museum ( Bad Bentheimer Sandsteinmuseum ) is a museum housed in an historic Bentheim farmer's townhouse (the farmer in this case

9490-630: The city. The Suiker Unie plant was constructed in the outskirts of Groningen, but became a part of the city due to expansion. The factory had 98 employees before it was closed in 2008 due to a reduction in demand. As of 2017, CSM Vierverlaten in Hoogkerk remains the only beet sugar production plant in the city. Other notable companies from Groningen include publishing company Noordhoff Uitgevers , tobacco company Niemeyer , health insurance company Menzis, distillery Hooghoudt , and natural gas companies GasUnie and GasTerra . As of 2020, Groningen had

9620-453: The communities of Bardel and Sieringhoek merged on 1 March 1974 to form the unified Town of Bentheim. Since 1979, it has been called Bad Bentheim. The constituent community of Gildehaus has been a state-recognized health resort ( Erholungsort ) since 1982. After the Second World War , the whole area, along with many other border areas in Germany, would have been annexed by the Netherlands under

9750-651: The completion of the Schüttorfer Kreuz (“Schüttorf Cross”), an Autobahn cloverleaf formed by the A 30 and the A 31 , greater commercial and industrial areas were laid out in the town's northeast near this interchange in 2004 and 2005. A beautiful floodplain landscape is the Große Maate northwest of town. In this lowland area by the Vechte are many pools replenished over and over again by flooding . Many butterfly and other insect species are found here, and also

9880-429: The first half of the 14th century. Then, in 1560, the castle became the widow's seat of the House of the Counts at Bentheim. As of the 17th century, the castle was gradually sinking into oblivion, slowly falling into ruins that, over the townsfolk's loud protests, were eventually torn down in 1975 to make way for a thoroughfare. Parts of the town's old wall are preserved in the southwest Old Town ( Altstadt ). Burg Altena

10010-450: The founding of the Empire in 1871 changed nothing with regards to Schüttorf's status as a community. The decisive rôle in Schüttorf's industrialization was played by the textile industry. This was due, on the one hand, to textile manufacture from linen on hand looms having already been done here for centuries, and on the other hand to cottage industry being channelled into this field. In

10140-553: The founding there were a count's main court and an ecclesiastical centre for the Upper County here. In 1295 there were only two other towns within 30 km of Schüttorf: Horstmar and Oldenzaal , making the new town into an important market and shipping place, and Schüttorf became a member of the Hanse . The town rights contained in particular six rights to which townsmen were entitled. Namely these were: Beyond these six rights, there are

10270-496: The idea that, in 453 BC, exiles from Troy who were guided by a mythical figure called Gruno (or Grunius, Gryns or Grunus), along with a group of Phrygians from Germany, founded a settlement in what is now Groningen, and built a castle on the bank of the Hunze , which they called 'Grunoburg', and which was later destroyed by the Vikings. One modern theory is that 'Groningen' meant 'among

10400-672: The later honorary citizen Dr. Franz Scheurmann to the mayor's office. In 1960, he was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz . (see 4 ) One Nazi opponent was Friedrich Middendorff, who was made pastor of the Evangelical-Reformed parish in Schüttorf in 1926. Even before the Machtergreifung , he had been openly disagreeing with National Socialist Ideology in the Deutsches Allgemeines Sonntagsblatt , and he

10530-711: The locomotive of the trains has to be changed as Germany and The Netherlands have different electric systems for their trains. These systems are not compatible. There are bus services to Gronau (Westfalen) and Nordhorn . The town lies on Bundesstraße 403 and is furthermore connected to the long-distance road network through the Autobahnen A ;30 ( Bad Oeynhausen – Osnabrück – Hengelo ) and A 31 ( Emden – Oberhausen ). Bad Bentheim has small and medium-sized businesses for tourism typical of smaller spa towns : cafés , hotels and guesthouses. The constituent community of Gildehaus has developed itself into

10660-482: The mean yearly precipitation amounts to between 700 and 800 mm. The climate is Subatlantic with rather mild winters and fairly warm summers. In Schüttorf itself, there is no weather station run by the German Weather Service ( Deutscher Wetterdienst ). The nearest weather station is Nordhorn , whose weather is not notably different from Schüttorf's. Lower Saxony's state hydrological service maintains

10790-481: The more characteristically Catholic towns of Gronau and Ochtrup in North Rhine-Westphalia's Steinfurt and Borken districts respectively. Bad Bentheim lies right on the Dutch border, its immediate neighbours on the other side being de Lutte and Losser , both Catholic places in the province of Overijssel ( Twente region). Not far away lie the Dutch cities of Almelo , Enschede and Hengelo , and on

10920-400: The most important economic activity in town, but raw materials were no longer being delivered. Only one business avoided closure by making uniforms , which were important to waging a war. This led to extremely high joblessness , moving the community to resolve to cultivate at its own cost the heath surrounding Schüttorf, to give people something to do. However, this led to a heavy burden on

11050-458: The most widespread of which is the legend that tells of the river Vechte being diverted around the town as early as 1295 by building a dam . The workers on this project are said to have dumped out the contents of their pushcarts on the command Schütt’t d’r up . This legend, however, only explains the sound of one of the town's modern names (the Low German name Schüttrupp). The earliest forms of

11180-471: The municipal area can be broken down thus according to mainly geomorphological and geological criteria, and soil science (see 1 ): The town of Schüttorf lies mainly on valley sand plates which are crossed by the Vechte Lowland, which is almost flush with them along this stretch. The lowland lies roughly 30 m above sea level and is from 200 to 500 m wide. Bordering its edges are river terraces with

11310-455: The name Schüttorf were Scuhtthorp , Scutorpe , Scuttorpe and Scotdorpe in documents from 1154. On a coin issue from the first half of the 13th century is the form SCOTOR(p)E . Hermann Abels (see 2 ) is of the opinion that the name's origin is the Dutch word schut (limber wall, dam, sluice ), which comes close to the folk meaning. Historically, however, it comes up short, as it assumes that

11440-562: The neighbouring areas, mainly around Christmastime . They are supposed to be a special treat if dipped beforehand in coffee . The caraway gives them a flavour that sets them very much apart from the usual Christmastime treats. Bad Bentheim is roughly one hour's drive from Münster/Osnabrück International Airport (FMO) in Greven . A regional airport is found in Klausheide near Nordhorn , about 30 minutes’ drive away. Bad Bentheim station lies on

11570-452: The north. Within the district of Grafschaft Bentheim , Schüttorf borders on the town of Bad Bentheim in the west. In the east, the town limit is also part of the boundary with the neighbouring district of Emsland , bordering there on Ahlde, an outlying centre of the community of Emsbüren . There is found – only 2 km from Schüttorf – a noteworthy, small conservation area with a heath pond. Environmental areas, or units, within

11700-508: The old county. The Weggen is a metre-long loaf of raisin bread brought by friends and neighbours after a child's birth to the family to celebrate the newborn's future. The Weggen is borne for this endeavour on a ladder. Another cultural “hallmark”, in this case culinary, is the Bentheimer Moppen . These are rather hard, long-keeping biscuits baked with a great deal of caraway , and are eaten in Bad Bentheim and Schüttorf, as well as

11830-434: The original city limits, excluding Hoogkerk, Noorddijk, Haren and Ten Boer. It has a land area of 168.93 km (65.22 sq mi), and a total area, including water, of 180.21 km (69.58 sq mi). Its population density is 1,367 residents per km (3,540 per square mile). On 1 January 2019, it was merged with the municipalities of Ten Boer and Haren . The Groningen-Assen metropolitan area has about half

11960-530: The people of Groni' ('Groningi' and 'Groninga' in the 11th century), derived from Gronesbeke , which was the old name for a small lake near the Hunze (on the northern border of Zuidlaarderveen ). As the name Grone (variant Groene) is an old Frisian personal name, the origin may very well be in a settlement originally founded by the family of Grone and their followers, which in Frisian would be called Groninga. Another theory

12090-624: The population growth. The first came in the late 19th century, especially in the 1890s while the textile industry boom due to the Industrial Revolution was luring workers to Schüttorf. After the Second World War came the second wave of immigration when roughly 2,600 refugees driven out of Germany's former eastern territories reached Schüttorf. Towards the end of the 1990s, the population once again rose sharply owing mainly to locally favourable building land prices. Schüttorf's town hall

12220-399: The price of a fat ox and a calf. To put this into perspective, a master mason earned roughly six Schilling a day, meaning that he had to work for three and a half days to earn a Taler . Alternatively it was also possible to pay a considerably lower inhabitant tax, but this brought with it no townsman's rights. Many inhabitants chose this thriftier alternative. To be allowed to live within

12350-422: The princely gardens of the 18th century. In a large lake at the park's north end are found ducks that are often fed by visitors. Other animals, such as wild rabbits , may be spotted from time to time in the park's bushes. In summer there is a fountain in the Schloßpark , which, shoots up into the air from a flat, sandstone basin. In winter, the water is pumped out and the fountain does not run. This fountain

12480-550: The rare kingfisher . The Holmer Maate is another of Schüttorf's floodplain landscapes, where lapwings and great crested grebes may be spotted. Near the centre is the Vechteniederung Recreation Area, which is a floodplain and contains stormwater basins. The town of Schüttorf mainly borders on other members of the Joint Community, namely Samern in the southeast, Quendorf in the northwest and Engden in

12610-601: The river Vechte , roughly 5 km east of Bad Bentheim , and 20 km southeast of Nordhorn . The town of Schüttorf lies in southwesternmost Lower Saxony and in the westernmost part of the Federal Republic of Germany . It is roughly 10 km to the Dutch border. With regards to the cultural makeup and to the natural environment, it lies in a transitional zone between the Emsland and Westphalia . The surroundings may be characterized as settled countryside. Middle centres in

12740-466: The same time, a census was compiled, which found the town's population to be 1,040, and the municipality's 2,140. In 1810, the municipality was further enlarged by having the communities of Salzbergen , Hummeldorf and Steide added to it. In Napoleon's time, serfdom also came to an end in the region. In a decree about the “abolition of serfdom in the Grand Duchy of Berg” issued on 12 December 1808 by

12870-403: The saturated textile manufacturers gradually withdrew from this business, as they could foresee an end to the boom, and they busied themselves instead as bankers and financiers in, for example, the expansion of the textile industry in neighbouring Nordhorn , which was quickly overtaking Schüttorf. The First World War led to a standstill in the textile industry, which by this time had grown into

13000-584: The site that is now Schüttorf, as the river Vechte could be crossed here at a ford . At this hub was an “original yard” around which the settlement developed and which existed until 1792 as the Alter Hof (“Old Yard”). In the 6th or 7th century missionaries from the British Isles came to Schüttorf. At archaeological digs, Irish Celtic crosses, for instance, have been found. The naming of Schüttorf's outlying centre of Schottbrink, whose existence can be proved by

13130-480: The start and finish of the fifth stage of the 2013 Energiewacht Tour . As of 2020, around 25% of the 230,000 inhabitants in Groningen are students. The city has the highest density of students and the lowest mean age in the Netherlands. There are also Middle Schools, such as H.N. Werkman College The University of Groningen (in Dutch: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen ), established in 1614

13260-477: The stone for that undertaking. The town of Bad Bentheim was granted its arms in 1661 by Count Ernst Wilhelm of Bentheim and Steinfurt (1643–1693). The coat of arms shows a golden monogram consisting of the letters E and G on a red background, surrounded by nineteen likewise golden balls. The letters stand for “Ernestus Guilelmus”, the Count's name in Latin . The golden balls stem from the district's arms, although it

13390-522: The summer and autumn fairs, and the town's shooting festival, are held annually. Near to this car park is the Bad Bentheim Sandstone Museum. After the Second World War , the town of Bad Bentheim sought to improve once again the noticeably cooler relations with its neighbours to the west, that is to say, the Dutch. Prof. Dr. Hendricus Prakke, since 1966 an honorary citizen of Bentheim, strongly supported this quest. Prakke, who died in 1992,

13520-462: The then successive Dutch centres of power ( Utrecht , The Hague , Brussels ), Groningen was historically reliant on itself and nearby regions. As a Hanseatic city, it was part of the North German trade network, but later it mainly became a regional market centre. At the height of its power in the 15th century, Groningen could be considered an independent city-state and it remained autonomous until

13650-629: The time of the Counterreformation . At Count Ernst Wilhelm's behest, it was built in 1670 from Bentheim sandstone. Outside, the building is rather plain, but inside there are stately, early Baroque altars and remains of the original glazing in the windows in the north wall. Other sightseeing highlights include: A popular activity in the town is the Nachtwächterrundgänge , or Night Watchman's Walks. These take place Monday, Friday and Saturday evenings beginning at 9 o’clock. The meeting point

13780-418: The town hall fire in 1945. The new town rights were subdivided into 49 sections and dated in perpetuity. The town rights were subsequently affirmed and expanded by each Count. From 1589, however, relations between the Count's court in Bentheim under Count Arnold and the town were souring. In this year, the Count even had the town's mayor im prisoned , releasing him only after the payment of 100 golden guilders and

13910-469: The town rights of 1295, it says in the town rights of 1465: “unse Stadt und Börger [...] nicht beschwehren mitt ungewohnliche Schattinge” (“not burden our town and townsmen with unusual taxes”). So, of course, taxes were imposed. At first, taxes were levied by head of cattle owned, but as of 1638 also for each hearth. Special taxes were levied in the 15th century for the war against the Hussites , and again in

14040-546: The town to conform to the new Hanoverian town system. This, however, would have required the town to have a professional mayor and a town police force, things that the town could then ill afford. Thus, Schüttorf was placed under the Hanoverian Landgemeindeordnung as a community ( Gemeinde ) – and thereby also under a royal Amt . The later mayor Dr. Scheurmann called this a dark chapter in Schüttorf town history. Even Hanover's annexation by Prussia and

14170-522: The town's coffers. Owing to high inflation , Schüttorf was forced to issue token money and bread tokens. After the war the community resolved to install a professional mayor as the first step back towards townhood. On 28 February 1924, the Berliner Dr. Franz Scheurmann was installed as Schüttorf's first full-time mayor, a fact officially recorded in a document. On 15 June 1924 came the decision that as of 1 July, Schüttorf would once more be constituted as

14300-455: The town's walls, it was a requirement for townsmen and other inhabitants alike to swear an oath of loyalty to the town of Schüttorf. Until 1719, all fully grown townsmen had the right to vote for town councillors, but thereafter only fully grown married men who were citizens were allowed to vote. In 1465, Count Everwyn at Bentheim once again renewed and expanded the town rights. The document witnessing this no longer exists, having been lost in

14430-419: The town, which involved building a 1 400 m-long town wall enclosing an area of 15 ha. Roughly 30 000 m of Bentheim sandstone was quarried and brought to town by oxcart to build the wall. By the late 14th century, Schüttorf was girt by a strong defence system that had at its disposal three town gates: To fortify the town further, Altena Castle ( Burg Altena ) was built, being completed in

14560-581: The town. Historically, however, this explanation also does not bear up under scrutiny, for the castle was not built until well after the town's founding. A modern explanation says that the placename comes from the Low German Scuit (“Irishman”). Ireland ’s mediaeval name was Scoti or Scotti. In Gaelic there are many dialects containing and illustrating the vowel variants o and u . Furthermore, finds at digs around Schüttorf of Celtic crosses and fan crosses show that there were once Irish monks in

14690-441: The utter destruction of 15 houses. A further 25 were heavily damaged, and roughly 600 lightly damaged. The German paratroopers who had been stationed in Schüttorf had withdrawn already anyway, to Lingen , blowing up all bridges on the Vechte and wrecking the electrical and telephone systems as they went. On 4 April 1945, the town hall was struck by an aerial bomb and burnt, along with the town's archive. The next day, Schüttorf

14820-488: The very diverse cultural scene for a city of its size. Since 2016 Groningen has been host of the International Cycling Film Festival , an annual film festival for bicycle related films. It takes place in the art house cinema of the old Roman Catholic Hospital. The first major international chess tournament after World War II was held in Groningen in 1946. The tournament, won by Mikhail Botvinnik of

14950-556: The working-class town of Nordhorn, which was more centrally located. The town's emblem is the mighty castle of the Counts of Bentheim, the Burg Bentheim , which was first mentioned in a document from 1116. About 1711, curative sulphur springs were discovered, from which grew the spa with its thermal brine and clinic. In 1895, Queen Emma of the Netherlands and her 15-year-old daughter Wilhelmina spent several weeks at Bentheim's baths. Before this, both Otto von Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm I had stayed there. In Otto von Bismarck's honour,

15080-419: Was a citizen of the Dutch town of Assen , with which Bad Bentheim has been intensively cultivating a partnership since 1959. Also Herr Dr. h. c. Hans-Carl Deilmann was awarded the town's honours when his business, Deilmann AG (now KCA Deutag), employing more than 8,000 in the 1970s, took a leading part in the economic upswing in Bentheim and the old county. To honour Deilmann, Deilmannstraße in Bad Bentheim

15210-583: Was also known through his work in the Christlich-Sozialer Volksdienst , and he quickly became a target for the Nazis . What followed was surveillance by the Gestapo and state reprisals. The disagreement reached its apex on 18 April 1937 when several hundred Schüttorfers gathered before the town hall after Middendorff had been arrested and “sang him free”, standing there for hours singing chorales until he

15340-432: Was an Ackerbürger , who lived in town and had a townsman's rights, unlike many farmers [1] ) with additions, which shows the history of Bentheim sandstone ( quarrying and use, trade and work) and the stone's geology . Exhibits like, for instance, Romanesque baptismal fonts from the 12th and 13th centuries or fossils , to mention the two permanent exhibits, may be seen here. The Franzosenschlucht (“Frenchman’s Gorge”)

15470-588: Was appointed mayor, and who imposed on the outgoing mayor a restraining order forbidding him to speak or stay in Schüttorf. In Schüttorf there came great disputes between the state and the Reformed Church, as Pastor Friedrich Middendorf was a member of the Reichsbruderrat (“ Reich Brotherly Council”) of the Confessing Church . Despite mass protests, he eventually had to leave the community after having

15600-554: Was built which is considered to be the city's most significant landmark. In 1536, Groningen accepted Emperor Charles V , the King of Spain and the Habsburg ruler of the other Netherlands as its ruler, thus ending the region's autonomy. The city was captured in the Siege of Groningen (1594) by the Dutch and English forces led by Maurice of Nassau . After the siege, the city and the province joined

15730-496: Was common practice simply to dump the unused ones anywhere before leaving Germany. Schüttorf was unlucky enough to be chosen as the dumping ground several times. On 3 April 1945, after the Allies had taken Bad Bentheim (then still Bentheim), they supposed that strong German forces were lying in wait in Schüttorf, and so they shelled the town heavily, with bomber squadrons also dropping phosphorus incendiary bombs . This brought about

15860-469: Was founded in 1986 and is more focused on the practical application of knowledge, offering bachelor and master courses in fields like Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Communication and Multimedia Design, and Renewable Energy. With around 8.1% international students, Hanze hosts more than 28,000 students and is one of the largest universities of applied sciences by enrollment in the Netherlands. The Groningen municipal council has 45 members which, after

15990-587: Was granted approval by the Lower Saxony ministry of the interior to bear once again the arms originally bestowed upon the town by Count Ernst Wilhelm in the 17th century. As with the old county, the town of Bad Bentheim has mostly been shaped by Protestant belief, held by 52.6% of the townsfolk (30 June 2006), of whom 36.7% are Reformed and 15.9% Lutherans. A further 21.5% are followers of the Roman Catholic faith. The other 25.9% either hold no religious beliefs or follow other faiths. The town's most prominent emblem,

16120-484: Was later transferred to the Augustinians . In 1843, the convent was torn down. Groningen (city) Groningen ( / ˈ ɡ r oʊ n ɪ ŋ ə n / GROH -ning-ən , UK also / ˈ ɡ r ɒ n ɪ ŋ ə n / GRON -ing-ən , Dutch: [ˈɣroːnɪŋə(n)] ; Gronings : Grunn or Grunnen [ˈχrʏnn̩] ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in

16250-449: Was liberated by British troops. All together, Schüttorf counted 222 dead, eight civilians had been killed in bombings and shellings, and 114 inhabitants were said to be missing. The British military government installed Bernhard Verwold as honorary mayor in April 1945 until the townsfolk could once again elect a mayor themselves. This they eventually did, and on 25 January 1946 they returned

16380-427: Was named after him. Sch%C3%BCttorf Schüttorf ( Northern Low Saxon : Schüttrup ) is a town in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in southwesternmost Lower Saxony near the Dutch border and the boundary with Westphalia ( North Rhine-Westphalia ). The town of Schüttorf forms with the surrounding communities the Joint Community ( Samtgemeinde ) of Schüttorf. It is the district's oldest town. It lies on

16510-465: Was professionally restored. Today, artists and craftsmen display their works there. Also worth seeing is the Reformed Protestant church with its Calvinistic interior décor, within which, among others, Count Arnold II zu Bentheim-Tecklenburg lies buried. It was built in 1696 on the site of the former early Gothic church from 1321, of which only bits are now maintained, such as a Gothic room and

16640-579: Was released. His article Ein Weniges zur Judenfrage (“A Little About the Jewish Question ”), which was seized and banned, had become well known. Middendorff had to flee town in 1937, and so did his family the following year. Only after the war, when the Third Reich had been defeated, in 1946, did he come back to Schüttorf. He later held many offices, and became from 1946 to 1953 the ecclesiastical president of

16770-411: Was struck by an aerial bomb in 1945 in the Second World War's last days and was completely gutted. The fire also destroyed the town archive and many valuable historical documents, making research into Schüttorf's history very difficult. Many things, however, have been reconstructed since then. The etymology of the name Schüttorf is not exactly known and various folk explanations have been put forth,

16900-518: Was the dune area in Schüttorf, which consisted of windblown sand, but this was quarried and exploited in the mid-20th century. The outlying centre where these dunes were is, however, still popularly called “ Marokko ” or, in Low German , Witten Over (“White Shore”), referring to the area's “ desertlike ” appearance. There are quite a number of open areas around the town, mainly used for agriculture. Residential areas are characterized by one-family dwellings. There are no genuine highrises in town. With

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