1185 years Rheine was celebrated in Bentlage this year
It was a limestone hill near the Ems ford that caught the eye of Frankish warriors in the 8th century when they roamed the area around today’s Rheine. In order to secure the then important Ems crossing, they built a base on the hill, which was so magnificently suited. A small church was built on a second lime spur.
It was on June 7, 838, when Emperor Louis the Pious bequeathed the “Reni” estate located on the lime hill to the Benedictine nuns of Herford Abbey. The name of the town Rheine can be traced for the first time in this deed of donation. Therefore, the citizens of the town celebrate June 7, 838 as the anniversary of the town Rheine. Thus, the 1,185th anniversary took place in this year.
This year’s town jubilee in the Salt Boiling House focused on Rheines past as a salt town. For centuries, the salt works supplied the people of Münsterland with the vital white gold. The exciting local saltworks history is being further researched. The main focus is on the people who produced the salt. To mark the salt anniversary, there will be a program of events for the public, a new book publication and an exhibition in the Falkenhof Museum. The focus will be on the Gottesgabe salt works, a unique technical cultural monument in Westphalia.
In his welcoming speech, Mayor Dr. Peter Lüttmann addressed the importance of salt for the city Rheine.
The chairman of the Association for the Promotion of the Gottesgabe Salt Works, Thomas Liedmeyer, introduced his association.