Gütersloh Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Gütersloh Overview
Gütersloh is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold (Detmold vacation rentals | Detmold travel guide). Gütersloh is the administrative center for a district of the same name. Gütersloh has a population of 96,200 people.
Gütersloh lies in the Emssandebene, south-west of the Teutoburg Forest and on the north-eastern edge of the Westphalian basin and has no significant points of elevation. The town's lowest point is 64 meters above sea level on the river Ems near the Princess Royal Barracks, Gütersloh and the highest point is 105 meters above sea level in the eastern township of Friedrichsdorf (Friedrichsdorf vacation rentals | Friedrichsdorf travel guide).
The border to Rheda-Wiedenbrück (Rheda-Wiedenbrück vacation rentals | Rheda-Wiedenbrück travel guide) extends as part of the Rhedaer Forest, a large wooded area with predominantly coniferous trees. The river Dalke flows through the town from east to west, crossing close to the Stadt Park as well as the town center and river Ems.
Gütersloh is an industrial town with major employers including Miele and Bertelsmann. Inside the ring road is the town center which contains a variety of shops and department stores.
Where to stay in Gütersloh?
Check out our selection of hand-selected and quality Gütersloh vacation rentals and holiday apartments.
Things to See
Gütersloh has two parks: the Mohns Park which contains an amphitheater, paddling pool and several adventure playground areas, and a larger park, known simply as the Stadt Park, which contains a boating lake, botanical garden, and many paths bordered by mature trees.
Swimmers are accommodated amply in Gütersloh with no less than four pools, both indoor and outdoor. The large outdoor pool has an Olympic Size Pool, Diving Boards and sunbathing space, while the original indoor pool has the usual sauna and steam rooms.
Royal Air Force in Gütersloh
A Royal Air Force station was located in Gütersloh until after the fall of the Berlin (Berlin vacation rentals | Berlin travel guide) Wall. Home of RAF Squadrons 3 and 4 which flew the distinctive VTOL Harrier, they were supported by Chinook Helicopters manned by 18 Squadron and 230 Squadron which flew Puma Helicopters. There were also personnel at the station from the RAF Regiment who provided Rapier Ground to Air Missile Support. It was the most easterly of the NATO airbases during the Cold War.
The Station was originally built for the Luftwaffe who flew Junkers bombers from the station and the runway was extended during this period with Soviet Prisoners of War, a memorial to whom now stands near Junkers Farm, a farm building which was later used as a Scout Hut within the station's perimeter fence.
RAF Gütersloh closed in 1993.
[ source: Wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Gütersloh
Gütersloh
[ source: Flickr]
Popular Points of Interest in and near Gütersloh
City Park and Botanical Gardens (Stadtpark und Botanischer Garten)
[ source: Wikimedia ]
The Stadtpark und Botanischer Garten Gütersloh is a member of the European Garden Heritage Network and open daily without charge. The park was created between 1906-1909 to designs by garden architect Friedrich Wilhelm Schoedder (1855-1938), with the botanical garden added to its northeastern corner in 1912. A palm house was constructed in 1938 but destroyed in World War II; it has subsequently been restored and now houses a café. A rose garden was created in 1941, followed by a birch grove (1950), mini golf course (1960), orchard (1990), herb garden (1998), and sculpture garden (2000).
Today the park retains its original design, broadly patterned upon an English landscape park, with an elongated axis, wide curving paths, lawns, and numerous trees, as well as a meadow flooded for ice-skating in the winter. The botanical garden is laid out as a display garden, with geometric pools, arcades, and high hornbeam hedges. The orchard contains a number of heritage fruit varieties including Westfälischer Gülderling and Schöner aus Wiedenbrück.
Die Welle
Die Welle has swimming, a giant wave pool, adventure pools, spa and sauna facilities, and restaurant. Open 10am - 10pm most days; check the facility during holidays. Price start at 7.50 € for adults, depending on weekday or weekend, services used and length of stay.
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Gütersloh. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Gütersloh: Gütersloh (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Gütersloh
More about the History of Gütersloh
The town was first mentioned in Guetersloh in the year 1184 in a deed of the bishop of Osnabrück (Osnabrück vacation rentals | Osnabrück travel guide).
In 1847, Guetersloh received the master track of the Cologne-Minden railway company and the railway station was opened. The onset of industrialization in the mid-19th Century, and the convenient location right on the railroad led to the settlement of major companies and a strong growth of the city. The rising trade in goods and passenger transport necessitated the expansion of the road.
What makes this Live Like a German Gütersloh Travel Guide special...
This Gütersloh travel guide provides you with an overview of Gütersloh, Gütersloh pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Gütersloh destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
