Editing Vlotho

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox German location
|type               = Stadt
|name              = Vlotho
|image_photo       = Vlotho.jpg
|imagesize         = <!-- Photo size. Default is 250px -->
|image_caption     = Vlotho as seen from the castle on the Amthausberg
|image_flag           = Flagge von Vlotho.svg
|image_coa            = Wappen von Vlotho.svg
|coordinates       = {{coord|52|10|00|N|08|50|59|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan          = Vlotho in HF.svg
|state        = Nordrhein-Westfalen
|region  = Detmold
|district             = Herford
|elevation              = 109
|area            = 76.93
|postal_code               = 32602
|area_code           = 05733 (Vlotho)<br>05228 (Exter)
|licence               = HF
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 7 58 036
|divisions        = 4
|website           = [http://www.vlotho.de/ www.vlotho.de]
|mayor             = Rocco Wilken<ref>[https://www.wahlergebnisse.nrw/kommunalwahlen/2020/index_bm.shtml Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020], Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 21 June 2021.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2020&ndash;25
|party             = SPD
}}

'''Vlotho''' ({{IPA|de|ˈfloːto|-|De-Vlotho.ogg}}) is a town in the district of [[Herford (district)|Herford]], in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], [[Germany]].

==Geography==
Vlotho is located along the [[Weser]] river, south of the [[Wiehengebirge]], bordering on the [[Ravensberg Land|Ravensberger Hügelland]] in the west, [[Lippe]]rland 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.

===Neighbouring municipalities===
Vlotho 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.

===Division of the town===
* [[Exter (Vlotho)|Exter]]
* Uffeln
* Valdorf
* Vlotho

==History==
The earliest historical records of Vlotho date back to the year 1185. In 1248, Vlotho gained the official status of a city, but this was subsequently lost due to depopulation resulting from pestilence and war. In the 17th century, Vlotho recovered as a location for industry, most notably paper.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} During the [[Thirty Years War]], on 17 October 1638 [[Battle of Vlotho|Vlotho was the site of a battle]], which resulted in a victory for an [[Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor|Imperial army]] under the command of Field Marshal [[Melchior, Count of Hatzfeldt]] over a Palatinate-Swedish army under the command of [[Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine|Charles Louis of Palatine]].{{sfn| Guthrie|2003|pp=72,73}} In 1650, Vlotho regained the right to hold a market, and in 1719, became an independent city.  A harbour was built and Vlotho became the location of cigar, machine, and textile industry. In 1875, [[Vlotho 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 (Vlotho)|Exter]] and Valdorf. In 1973, Uffeln (formerly part of the district of [[Minden]]) joined Vlotho.

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

==Sightseeing==
* ''[[Burg Vlotho|Vlotho castle]]'' from the 13th century

== Notable people ==

* [[Ursula Haverbeck]] (1928–2024), Holocaust denier
* [[Helmut Rethemeier]] (born 1939), versatility rider, Olympian participant in 1976 (silver medal winner)
* [[Heinrich Adolf Rinne]] (1809–1868), doctor
* [[Axel Downard-Wilke]] (born 1966), transport planner and Wikipedian

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{Citation|last=Guthrie  |first=William P  |year=2003  |chapter=Appendix F:The Action at Vlotho, October 17, 1638 |title=The Later Thirty Years War: From the Battle of Wittstock to the Treaty of Westphalia |volume=222  |series=Contributions in Military Studies |edition=illustrated |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=9780313324086 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=iarLf0_8or8C&pg=PA72 72], 73}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Vlotho}}
* [http://www.korte-kleemeier.de/html/webcam.htm Webcam overlooking the town centre] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.festivalkult.de/ Homepage of the yearly festival] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.gwexter.org History of Vlotho and its surroundings] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.mendel-grundmann-gesellschaft.de Mendel-Grundmann-Gesellschaft e.V. Vlotho] {{in lang|de}}

{{Cities and towns in Herford (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Herford (district)]]