Gescher

Gescher (German pronunciation: [ˈɡɛʃɐ] ^ⓘ) is a town in the district of Borken, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands. It is most often known for its bell work, and it includes a Museum of Bells.

Gescher
Town
Townhall of Gescher
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Gescher within Borken district
Gescher Show map of Germany Gescher Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 51°57′25″N 7°0′20″E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Borken
Subdivisions	6
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Anne Kortüm[1] (Ind.)
Area
• Total	80.84 km2 (31.21 sq mi)
Elevation	59 m (194 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	17,444
• Density	220/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	48712
Dialling codes	02542 02863 (Hochmoor)
Vehicle registration	BOR
Website	www.gescher.de

Geography

Gescher is surrounded by farming communities and can be seen as more of a rural town.

Farming Communities and Suburbs

Farming Communities and suburbs belonging to Gescher include:

• Harwick
• Estern
• Büren
• Tungerloh-Capellen
• Tungerloh-Pröbsting
• Hochmoor

Location

Gescher is located in the western half of the Regierungsbezirk, Münsterland. It finds itself within the District of Borken, just to the south of Stadtlohn. To the east lies the District of Coesfeld, and the Dutch border can be found to the west.

The river, Berkel runs through Gescher and used to be used extensively to deliver goods between Dutch towns and Münster.

History

The early history of Gescher starts as a connecting stop on a postal route running from Muenster to the Netherlands. In 1570, Gescher suffered an enormous village-wide fire that destroyed the entire town. During the time of reconstruction, many looters came over from the Netherlands to take advantage of the unfortunate situation. After the Second World War, Gescher was under the control of Mr. Ball and the British sovereignty in Germany. Gescher was under the authority of Kreis Coesfeld up until 1975 when Gescher was pulled into Kreis Borken.

Population Changes over the Years

Population Changes 1834-2002

Year Population 1834 3,784 1846 3,807 1849 3,790 1855 3,876 1858 3,806 1864 4,002 1871 3,912 1885 3,962

Year Population 1890 4,048 1900 4,206 1905 4,486 1914 5,219 1926 5,943 1939 7,223 1950 10,177 1961 10,795

Year Population 1981 14,397 1990 15,092 1995 16,154 2000 16,851 2005 17,146 2010 17,164 2011 16,869 2012 16,889

Local council (Rat)

Elections in 2014: Vote share and seats

• CDU 41.7% = 14 seats
• SPD 24.2% = 8 seats
• UWG 14.6% = 5 seats
• The Greens 13.1% = 5 seats
• FDP 6.3% = 2 seats
• Total 34 seats

Infrastructure

Transportation

Private

The Bundesautobahn 31 connects Gescher with the Ruhr Region and the North Sea.

The Bundesstrasse 525 connects Gescher with the Dutch border and Nottuln/Bundesautobahn 43.

Public

Bus

Westfalenbus operates a few scheduled bus services through Gescher:

Line	Route
R51	Coesfeld - Gescher – Hochmoor - Velen – Borken - Rhede - Bocholt
R61	Vreden - Stadtlohn - Gescher - Hochmoor - Coesfeld
776	Ahaus - Gescher - Hochmoor
N7	Stadtlohn - Gescher - Rosendahl - Billerbeck - Havixbeck - Münster

Rail

Up until 1985, Gescher was on the railroad offering services between Empel and Muenster. The old train station building can still be seen on the southside of Gescher.

Air

The closest general aviation airport is Stadtlohn-Vreden Airport, located about 15 kilometers from Gescher. The closest airport with scheduled commercial traffic is Münster Osnabrück Airport, which is located about 50 kilometers away from Gescher. A way bigger alternative is the Düsseldorf Airport, which is located about 85 kilometers from Gescher.

Sons and daughters of the city

• Heinrich Hörnemann (1906-1977), farmer and German politician (CDU), Member of Bundestag 1961-1969
• Peter Schmidt (born 1944), German writer, multiple recipient (first and second place) of the Deutscher Krimi Preis
• August Wessing (1880-1945), Catholic clergyman and NS victim, died in Dachau concentration camp
• G. Mescher (2000), Naamgenoot van de stad

Photos

• 
  Gescher - Connecting Cultures
• 
  Gescher, bell molds in the bell museum (Glockenmuseum Gescher)
• 
  Bell museum
• 
  Tungerloh-Capellen, chapelle