city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Gütersloh is a large town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for the eponymous county and has a population of 96,320 people.
The town lies on the Emssandebene plain, south-west of the Teutoburg Forest and on the north-eastern edge of the Westphalian basin and has no significant points of elevation. The town's lowest point is 64 m (210 ft) above sea level on the river Ems near the British Army's Princess Royal Barracks and the highest point is 105 m (344 ft) above sea level in the village of Friedrichsdorf to the east.
In the area of the county boundary with Rheda-Wiedenbrück is the Rhedaer Forest, a large wooded area with predominantly coniferous trees. The river Dalke flows through the town from east to west, crossing close to the municipal park (Stadtpark) as well as the town centre and river Ems.
Gütersloh hosts the headquarters of two of Germany's biggest business corporations: Bertelsmann (media) and Miele (domestic appliances).
The nearest major airport is in Hanover (HAJ). Moreover the airports of Dortmund (DTM, c. 1½ hours) and Düsseldorf (DUS; two hours) are easily reachable by train.
On the A2 between Dortmund and Hannover, southwest of Bielefeld.
