Gütersloh District

Gütersloh District is a Kreis (district) in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Osnabrück, Herford, district-free Bielefeld, Lippe, Paderborn, Soest and Warendorf.

History
It was created in 1973 in the reorganization of the districts in North Rhine-Westphalia, when the previous districts of Halle and Wiedenbrück were merged. Also the districts Bielefeld, Paderborn, Beckum und Warendorf had to cede parts of their area to the newly formed district. The precursor districts were created in 1816 after the new Prussian province of Westphalia was established.

Today, the district Gütersloh has one of Germanys largest exile communities of Arameans, also known as Syriacs and Chaldeans.

Geography
The east of the district is covered by the Teutoburg Forest, which also contains the highest elevation of the district, the Hengeberg (316m). In the west there is the source of the Ems river. The Ems valley also contains the lowest point of the district, near Harsewinkel with 56m.

Economy
Some important companies are located in the district of Guetersloh:
 * Beckhoff Automation Technology
 * Bertelsmann Media
 * Claas Combine harvesters
 * Gerry Weber Fashion
 * Miele Consumer electronic goods
 * Nobilia International Kitchens
 * Storck Candies
 * Telefonica Internet Services