Every design for Gütersloh

Until the reforms of the late sixties, the villages of Avenwedde, Ebbesloh, Friedrichsdorf, Hollen, Isselhorst, Niehorst and Spexard were places of their own; then they were folded into Gütersloh, and the town that Low German speakers call Gütsel took on its present shape.

There is a steady, unhurried feeling to Gütersloh that comes from its long working history. It grew into an industrial town best known for two names, the media company Bertelsmann and the appliance maker Miele, along with thousands of smaller firms making everything from pumpernickel to metal goods. The town lies on the flat Ems sand plain south-west of the Teutoburg Forest, where the Dalke flows from east to west through the Stadtpark and the centre. The park, laid out next to the river, still has its duck pond, botanical garden and paths lined with mature trees, and Mohns Park and the Riegerpark add more green. Out in the districts each old village keeps its own identity.

The Miele-Museum tells the story of the firm that carried the town's name into homes everywhere. Wearing Gütersloh means wearing that quiet pride.