Шютторф: Географическое положение и историческое развитие города

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 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 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 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. near Nordhorn.

Schüttorf railway station lies on the Bad Bentheim–Minden railway line (KBS 375). There is local rail transport provided by the RB 61 on the Wiehengebirgs Bahn (Bad Bentheim–Rheine–Osnabrück–Herford–Bielefeld). In local road transport, buslines join Schüttorf with Nordhorn, Bad Bentheim, Ochtrup and the surrounding villages.

In Schüttorf's northeast is found the cloverleaf known as the Schüttorfer Kreuz where the Autobahnen A 30 (Bad Oeynhausen – Osnabrück – Hengelo) and A 31 (Emden – Oberhausen) cross each other.

Towards the end of the 19th century, a strong textile industry was developing itself in Schüttorf with several large local businesses (Schlikker & Söhne, Gathmann & Gerdemann, G. Schümer & Co. and ten Wolde, later Carl Rremy; today's RoFa is not one of the original textile companies, but was founded by H. Lammering and later taken over by Gerhard Schlikker jun., Levert Rost and Wilhelm Edel; the name RoFa comes from the postwar shareholders Rost and Falley). Moreover, a margarine factory (Wilhelm Edel & Co.) was also established. Schüttorf managed to do very well for itself from this industrialization, which was reflected in the population figures (1871: 1692 inhabitants, 1900: 4110). (see 6). In the textile industry crisis in the 1970s, the industry in Schüttorf, too, fell into crisis, and nowadays only the firms RoFa and G. Schümer GmbH & Co. still exist. As a result of this, joblessness rose, and the town's tax revenues fell. After the Schüttorfer Kreuz was completed in December 2004, Schüttorf profited from its favourable transport location and its proximity to the Dutch border. Schüttorf had at this time laid out a big industrial area on the Autobahn and tried by fostering the economy to get businesses to locate there. The Joint Community's unemployment rate lay at 6.7% in May 2007, which was lower than the figure for Lower Saxony as a whole (8.5%), but higher than the figure for the district (6.1%).

One of the biggest business taxpayers in Schüttorf since 1971 has been the Swiss company Georg Utz GmbH with 280 employees. This enterprise maintains a plastics factory in which plastic palettes and containers are made. Similarly big is a corrugated cardboard factory run by the Prowell Group, which was completed in 2005 right on the cloverleaf. Stemmann Technik GmbH, with its 320 employees, produces pantographs for the ICE and other trains, tramways and metros as well as further products for energy and data transfer in industry. Midsized businesses are Arnold Lammering GmbH & Co. KG, a steel wholesaler with roughly 100 employees, Mannebeck Landtechnik, which manufactures stable equipment and Kortmann Beton GmbH & Co. KG, which makes concrete parts and blocks. Until 2004, the town was also home to a lime sand brickworks, but this was closed and torn down. Schüttorf's favourable transport location encourages shippers to set up shop here. Five such companies have done so: Rigterink GmbH & Co. KG, Fiege net, SLK Kock internationale Spedition & Logistik GmbH, Euregio Logistik GmbH and Wanning Spedition GmbH & Co. KG. The best known company in Schüttorf, even far beyond the town, is the Danish company Tulip Food Company GmbH which processes meat and sausage products which are sold under this name in German supermarkets. Further companies known well beyond the town are the family business (since 1821) H. Klümper GmbH & Co. KG and Klüsta Schinken Klümper & Stamme GmbH, which distribute ham specialities. The biggest service business in Schüttorf is the Index, a discotheque with 6000 to 7000 guests every weekend.

Schüttorf has at its disposal its own Stadtwerke Schüttorf GmbH – the town works – which is publicly owned. Already in 1896, a direct current power station had been established on Fabrikstraße. From 1897, Schüttorf had electric street lighting, thus becoming one of the first towns in the German Empire to have it. In the same year, the lighting on Unter den Linden in Berlin was electrified. On 1 April 1909, the town bought the power station for 110,000 gold marks, and it has been owned by the town ever since. By 1955, the network switched from direct current to three phase alternating current, and it stopped generating its own electricity. In 1928 and 1929, Schüttorf acquired a town watermain. From 28 December 1970, the town works also began supplying natural gas. Today, the two local swimming pools are also owned by the town works.

On 17 October 1904, the manufacturer Hermann Schlikker endowed the town with 250,000 gold marks to build a hospital. The Krankenhaus Annaheim with 40 beds was opened in 1907. It was named after Schlikker's late wife. In the 1980s, a nursing home run by the Evangelical Reformed church was made part of the hospital. The hospital, however, had never been solvent, and was closed in 1996. In the building arose a healthcare centre to which medical and physiotherapeutic practices also belong. Today, there are nine physicians, two veterinarians and six dentists in practice in Schüttorf.

In Schüttorf, Low German is traditionally spoken. For a few years now, people have been moved to preserve the local dialect, the Schüttrupper Platt. The Joint Community's homeland club (Heimatverein) for instance stages regular events under the title Wij kürt ock Platt. There is a Low German theatre group. At the primary school in German lessons, the local dialect is discussed and there also appear literature and newspaper articles in Low German.

Besides the “Great Church” (the Evangelical Reformed Church of Saint Lawrence), the Town Hall is particularly worth seeing. It is a two story stone block building made of Bentheim sandstone with crow stepped gables from the 15th century, in which Schüttorf's ellwand is kept. This is a 68 cm long metal bar which served for calibration. On the marketplace before the town hall is a bronze statue of a woman leading two goats. Right next door to the town hall stands the Catholic Church. Behind the church school is found the old Princely watermill from 1914. It is the only preserved mill of many that Schüttorf once had and it lies on a kolk pothole surrounded by old weeping willows. Also in Schüttorf, there is a whole range of residential buildings that are worth seeing. Originally, one story timber frame Dielenhäuser – houses with very high entrance halls – with gables towering over jetty bressummers, as are still commonly seen, for instance, in Quakenbrück, were the predominant type. In Schüttorf, however, the façades were not seldom massively remodelled. After demolitions, only a few older examples are still to be seen. Worthy of mention among them is the town pharmacy, which was originally made up of two forward gabled single houses that were joined about 1750 with a false façade. The righthand part of the building dates from about 1645. A few older houses are still found on Steinstraße. Among these, house no. 7, which originally dates from the 17th century, is particularly worthy of mention. The façade was remodelled in 1827 in the Dutch Classicist style. On Singel (no. 1) stands a timber frame Dielenhaus from about 1600. It is used nowadays as an inn. Three villas are especially striking. The Villa Remy on Bentheimer Straße was built in 1906 in Baroque building master Johann Conrad Schlaun’s style, although he had been dead since 1773. The hipped mansard roof recalls the Baroque, while the façades are Classicist. Villa Rost on Lehmkuhle, also known nowadays as the “Blue Villa”, is a renovated villa from 1902. Villa Schlikker on Steinstraße was a gift from manufacturer Herman ten Wolde to his daughter Ida and his son in law in 1903. This house is a protected monument because of its rich Art Nouveau interior design.

Schüttorf is home to the Theater der Obergrafschaft, which has existed since 1975. Here, performances are staged about twice every month. As well, famous artists are invited, and plays by Schüttorfers are rehearsed and performed. By 2006 there had been 350 performances all together with over 150,000 visitors.

In Schüttorf there are two public swimming pools, the Vechtebad, an indoor swimming pool, and an outdoor swimming pool, founded in 1935 and overhauled in 1997. Furthermore, there is also the Quendorfer See (lake) which affords bathing or swimming. The best known player in the FC's football division was Simon Cziommer, who now plays for AZ Alkmaar. A pure, if smaller, football club is SC Borussia 26 Schüttorf. TC Schüttorf 85 has its own tennis hall and tennis courts. The Reitsportgemeinschaft Schüttorf e. V. (horseback riding) conducts dressage and show jumping. Another big sport club is the Sportfischerverein Schüttorf e. V. (sport fishing) with roughly 760 members. All together Schüttorf has four sport halls at its disposal, three sport fields, a riding hall, a tennis area, a playing field and nine children's playgrounds. Another popular kind of sport, especially in the colder months, is Kloatsheeten, which involves teams rolling a small wooden disk with a leaden core along roadways. There are many small private clubs, which can be seen, mostly in January, on the local roads playing the game. Schüttorf also has its Unabhängiges Jugendzentrum KOMPLEX Schüttorf e. V. – independent youth centre – but despite the name, concerts are also staged there and there are various projects and work associations for young people. The YMCA (or CVJM in Germany) maintains a youth café in Schüttorf. There is a local fire brigade, and there is also a youth fire brigade. There are even three carrier pigeon breeding clubs in town, and other clubs for those who raise small animals. There are four glee clubs, five music clubs and a few other clubs and associations.

An important nationally well known regular event was the Schüttorf Open Air. From 1980 to 1994 this open air festival was held regularly every year on the Vechtewiesen (meadows) in Schüttorf. Well known bands were, for instance, Midnight Oil and Whitesnake. Also, Frank Zappa, Rod Stewart, the Simple Minds, David Bowie, BBM and Die Toten Hosen appeared in Schüttorf. Legendary was the appearance of Münster band Törner Stier Crew, who in 1982 outdid Frank Zappa onstage as the better opening band before 50,000 spectators. The town administration's and the building office's growing stricter requirements hindered the running of the festival. Once these became nearly impossible to fulfil, another festival was held in 1994 under the name Schüttorf Open Air near Bad Bentheim Gildehaus. In 1995 there was then another Schüttorf Open Air near Gildehaus at which the Rolling Stones appeared. Since this time, the festival has no longer existed, and also an attempt to revive it in 2004 failed. Parallelling it, however, the Komplex Open Air in Schüttorf has been developed over the last few years, organized by the Komplex youth centre's Konzertinitiative Zikadumda. Thus far, renowned bands such as Blackmail and 4Lyn have played there, but local bands, too, can book appearances. Furthermore, three yearly marksmanship festivals are held in Schüttorf by different shooting clubs – the Bürger Schützenfest, the Gilde Schützenfest and the Adler Schützenfest. There are summer and autumn kermises. Since 1984, there has been a weekly market in Schüttorf

In Schüttorf, as in most rural areas in northern Germany, meals can be quite hefty. Widespread is self prepared Hausmannskost (“plain fare”). The North's typical dishes are also eaten here, the most popular sidedish being potato. One of Schüttorf's regional specialities is Kaneelkökskes, flat, round little cakes baked to a crisp in a waffle iron and with a light taste of cinnamon imparted by a small amount of cinnamon oil. Schümers Korn (corn or grain), although it is baked in the neighbouring community of Salzbergen, can also be said to be a Schüttorf speciality. The Schümer distillery was at first located in the inner town, but at the Count's behest, it was not allowed to build its own mill, as the wind blowing over the land belonged to the Lord. Schümer moved just outside the community limit and ran his newly built mill nevertheless with “the Count’s wind”. One custom practised in Schüttorf and the old County (now district) is the Weggenbringen. When a child is born to a family, the neighbours and friends bring a Weggen, a loaf of raisin bread that is often up to two metres long, and which is borne on a ladder. Traditionally, the Weggen was baked by the neighbours themselves and given as a Christening gift along with ham and cheese. After the Christening, it is then consumed. The clothing for this is the Holtbeus, a blue work jacket with black trousers, grey socks, wooden shoes, a top hat and a red neckerchief tied with a matchbox. Today, the Weggen is hardly ever brought anymore on the Friday before the Christening. Even when there is a Weggenbringen, it is not usually a Weggen with ham and cheese that is brought, but rather things like Bobbycars, child car seats and other useful articles.

In Schüttorf there are, besides the school kindergarten also a municipal kindergarten and two further ones under the Evangelical Reformed Church's sponsorship and one more under the German Red Cross’s. There are three primary schools, a Hauptschule and a Realschule, and until 2004 there was also a middle school (Orientierungsstufe) but this was abolished by the state of Lower Saxony. The Hauptschule and Realschule have since 2006 been joined to the all day school programme. Schüttorf’s oldest school is the Kirchschule (“Church School”) or Evangelische Volksschule Schüttorf (“Schüttorf Evangelical Elementary School”) from 1608. The school founded then as a Latin grammar school had room for 200 pupils. In July 2007, the school moved into the former Hauptschule’s building. The old building has stood empty since then and is either to be made into flats for the elderly or to become a transregional museum building. Going back to a founding in 1712 is the Catholic community's Katholische Volksschule Schüttorf. It is today the town's smallest primary school with room for only 200 pupils. The biggest is the municipal school Grundschule auf dem Süsteresch founded in 1970. In 1955, Schüttorf became home to the Erich Kästner Schule, a school for those with learning difficulties. The Hauptschule was founded in 1967, while the Realschule developed out of the elementary school. Young Schüttorfers who want to go to a Gymnasium can commute to one of the surrounding Gymnasien, in particular the Burg Gymnasium Bad Bentheim, the municipal Gymnasium in Ochtrup, the Gymnasium Rheine or the private Missionsgymnasium St. Antonius in Bardel (see 9). Since September 2007, Schüttorf has had its own school museum housed in the community centre (Bürgerhaus) near the former Church School.

Schüttorf's first, and thus far only, honorary citizen is the town's first full time mayor, who was later also a Landrat for Grafschaft Bentheim, Franz Scheurmann (born 8 May 1892 in Berlin, died 3 October 1964 in Nordhorn), on whom this honour was bestowed on 8 May 1962. In May 1957, he had also been awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande and since 1966, a square, Dr. Scheurmann Platz in Schüttorf, has been named after him. Scheurmann set himself to work during his time in office above all for the town archive, bringing many old documents and historical papers together, which he published in many essays about Schüttorf (see 10).