Rietberg

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Country:	Germany
Rietberg
Rietberg town centre, 2005

Coordinates:	51° 48′ N, 8° 26′ E
Time zone:	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Administration
State:	North Rhine-Westphalia
Administrative region:	Detmold
District:	Guetersloh
City subdivisions:	7 Wards
Mayor:	Andre Kuper (CDU)
Governing party:	CDU
Basic Statistics
Area:	110 km² (42 sq.mi.)
Population:	30,149 (1 Nov. 2005)
- Density:	274 /km² (710 /sq.mi.)
Elevation:	74 - 93 m
Further Information
Postal code:	33397
Area codes:	05244 / 02944 05242 / 05248
Licence plate code:	GT
Website:	www.rietberg.de

Rietberg is a town in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approx. 10 km south of Gütersloh and 25 km north-west of Paderborn in the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The town is located at the river Ems.

1 History
2 Sights
3 Events
4 Education
5 Economy
6 Sister cities
7 Future
8 Wards in the town of Rietberg
9 External links
10 References

[edit] History

Rietberg was first mentioned as 'Rietbike' around the year 1100. This name refers to Ried which is an old name for reed and to 'Bach' which means creek. The castle dates back to the 11th century. From 1237 it was home to the family of the Count of Rietberg. From this time on the part 'Berg' in the name Rietberg refers to the existence of a castle which is called 'Burg' in German. Since that time Rietberg was an independent German territory until the year 1807. In the Middle Ages the county of Rietberg was a very small state. Nevertheless, Rietberg had its own military, its own currency and its own laws. Even foreign policy, on a small scale, was conducted independently. Until the 17th century Rietberg coined its own money. Until the 18th century the Government was located in the Palace, built in the 14th century.

At the beginning of the 19th century the Palace was torn down because it was not needed anymore. Only the St. Johns Chapel from 1748 can still be visited today.

In the year 1807 Rietberg became a part of Prussia. So it was not independent anymore. In the year 1843 the municipality Rietberg was established. Since 1970 Rietberg has been organised politically as it is today.

[edit] Sights

The best known building in Rietberg is the Town Hall from around 1800 in the centre of the Town. There are several other interesting historical buildings in the town like the 'Altes Progymnasium', the 'chapel of St. John' or the old Court House. In the historical Town centre there are generally around 60 old nice renovated half-timbered houses. That's why Rietberg is also known as 'the town of beautiful gables'. It's still possible to see where the former Rampart surrounded the Town. Today there is no Rampart anymore, but a Promenade next to the river Ems and the 'Umflut' on which it is possible to have a nice walk around the town centre. In the ward Varensell there is the Varensell Abbey from 1902.

[edit] Events

In Rietberg carnival is the biggest event throughout the year. Every year around 50,000 people watch the Parade at Carnival Monday. After the Parade the people party in the streets and the bars for the whole night. Other Events are the Maikirmes Fair or the Stoppelkirmes Fair. And there are some traditional 'Schützenfeste', which are fair featuring shooting matches in Rietberg.

[edit] Education

Schools in Rietberg:

7 Elementary Schools
3 Secondary schools of the type 'Hauptschule'
1 Secondary school of the type 'Realschule'
1 Secondary school of the type 'Gymnasium'
8 Libraries
1 School for mentally handicapped children
Adult evening classes 'Volkshochschule' with around 100 courses each semester

[edit] Economy

An important industry for Rietberg and the surrounding area is the furniture industry. In Rietberg itself there is a big galvanizing plant and a Schnapps destillery.

General facts:

Industry: 32 %
Commerce: 34 %
Service: 32 %
Agriculture: 2 %

[edit] Sister cities

Ribérac, France, since 1983
Glogowek, Poland, since 1999

[edit] Future

Presentation of the Logo for the gardening show in 2008.

The 'Landesgartenschau' of the year 2008 will take place in Rietberg. The 'Landesgartenschau' is a show of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia that shows gardens and parcs of an area. It takes part in different cities each three years. A lot of parc area will be created until the year 2008. So Rietberg will change a lot in the next time. In the year 2008 there will be an area with parcs, gardens and playgrounds in Rietberg that can only be entered after paying an entrance fee. After the 'Landesgartenschau', the area will be a normal parc that can be entered without paying an entrance fee.