# Rheine

Rheine (German: ) is a city in the district of Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base.

## Geography

Rheine is on the river Ems, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Münster, 45 kilometres (28 mi) west of Osnabrück and 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of Hengelo (Netherlands).

## History
### Early history

Although the region around the city has been populated since prehistoric times, Rheine was first mentioned in a document signed by Louis the Pious in 838. On 15 August 1327, it received its town charter from Louis II, Bishop of Münster.
The settlement was near to the crossing of two old merchant roads and a ford over the river Ems. Frankish soldiers initially secured this strategic point with a barrack yard. Later a church and more buildings were added to this outpost.

### 17th-19th centuries

At the end of the Thirty Years' War the city was burned down almost completely. Swedish and Hessian troops besieged imperial soldiers who had entrenched themselves in Rheine. On 20/21 September and 19 October 1647 glowing cannonballs set fire to the city and 365 houses were destroyed. In 1803 the city became the capital of the Sovereign Principality of Rheina-Wolbeck (556 square kilometers) of the House of Looz-Corswarem, later annexed by the Grand Duchy of Berg and the Kingdom of Prussia.
During the Industrial Revolution the textile industry prospered. It remained an important economic factor until the second half of the 20th century. Today engineering industries and services form the largest part of economy in Rheine.

### 20th and 21st centuries

On 1 April 1927 about 10,000 inhabitants of the Office Rheine (Bentlage, Wadelheim, Dutum, etc.) were incorporated into the city, the population increased to 29,598, the city area was thus tripled.
During Nazi rule of Germany, Jewish citizens were deported from Rheine, as elsewhere in Germany. In the Second World War, Allied forces bombarded the city repeatedly, especially the railway line and the Dortmund-Ems Canal, which represented tactical goals. Large-scale bombing raids occurred on 5 October 1944 and 21 March 1945, each leaving more than 200 dead and causing extensive damage to the city area. The conquest of Rheine took place on 2 April 1945 after some fierce fighting by units of the 157th British Infantry Brigade (5th Battalion of the King's Own Scottish Borderers Regiment, 7th Battalion of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Regiment).
After 1945, Rheine was in the British occupation zone and 1946 was politically assigned to the newly founded Land (state) of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1949 it joined with the other states in the Western Zone to form the Federal Republic of Germany.
On 10 February 1946 Rheine was affected by the highest ever Emshochwasser. Large parts of the city were flooded.
On 15 August 2002 the city celebrated the 675th anniversary of the granting of municipal law.

## Division of the city

There is no standard division of the city, different divisions are used for different purposes. The districts do not form administrative units. A detailed breakdown includes 21 districts.
* Altenrheine
* Baarentelgen
* Bentlage
* Catenhorn
* Dorenkamp
* Dutum
* Elte
* Eschendorf
* Gellendorf
* Hauenhorst
* Hörstkamp
* Innenstadt (city centre)
* Kanalhafen
* Mesum
* Rodde
* Schleupe
* Schotthock
* Stadtberg
* Südesch
* Wadelheim
* Wietesch
The city of Rheine has eleven district advisory councils. For statistical purposes, there is a division into 18 statistical districts. The city is divided into 22 electoral districts.
Eschendorf, Dorenkamp, and Schotthock are the biggest districts by population, and Catenhorn is the smallest.

## Politics

Peter Lüttmann of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has been the mayor of Rheine since 2015. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020. Lüttmann was the sole candidate and was re-elected with 90.6% of votes in favour and 9.4% against, on a turnout of 48.5%.

### List of mayors

* 1946–1948: Georg Pelster (1897–1963) (CDU)
* 1948–1954: Albert Biermann (CDU)
* 1954–1960: Balduin Echelmeyer (CDU)
* 1960–1961: Franz Rudolf Kümpers (CDU)
* 1961–1975: Albert Biermann (1903–1994) (CDU)
* 1975–1994: Ludger Meier (CDU)
* 1994–1999: Günter Thum (SPD)
* 1999–2004: Wilhelm Niemann (1949–2012) (CDU)
* 2004–2015: Angelika Kordfelder (born 1955) (SPD)
* since 2015: Peter Lüttmann

### City council

The Rheine city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows:
| Party | Party | Votes | % | +/- | Seats | +/- |
| | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 13,885 | 47.2 | 1.3 | 23 | 2 |
| | Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 6,444 | 21.9 | 8.1 | 10 | 3 |
| | Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) | 4,196 | 14.3 | 4.5 | 7 | 3 |
| | Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 1,663 | 5.7 | 0.6 | 3 | 1 |
| | Independent Voters' Association Rheine (UWG) | 1,380 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 2 | ±0 |
| | The Left (Die Linke) | 993 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 2 | ±0 |
| | Citizens for Rheine (BfR) | 873 | 3.0 | New | 1 | New |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 29,434 | 98.3 | | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 498 | 1.7 | | | |
| Total | Total | 29,932 | 100.0 | | 48 | 4 |
| Electorate/voter turnout | Electorate/voter turnout | 61,695 | 48.5 | 2.1 | | |
| Source: City of Rheine |||||||
The next city council elections will take place on September 14, 2025, with a possible runoff election scheduled for September 28, 2025.

## Transport

Rheine is the western terminus of the Münster-Rheine railway.
* Rheine railway station
* Rheine-Mesum

## Twin towns – sister cities

Rheine is twinned with:
* Borne, Netherlands (1983)
* Bernburg, Germany (1990)
* Leiria, Portugal (1996)
* Trakai, Lithuania (1996)

## Notable people

* Heinrich Meyring (1628–1723), German sculptor
* Moritz Dobschütz (1831–1913), German-American merchant
* Carl Murdfield (1868–1944), painter
* Josef Winckler (1881–1966), author
* Carlo Mense (1886–1965), painter
* Carl-Alfred Schumacher (1896–1967), military officer
* Georg Pelster (1897–1963), politician (CDU)
* Gustav Niemann (1899–1982), mechanical engineering scholar
* Josef Pieper (1904–1997), philosopher
* Rembert van Delden (1917–1999), politician (CDU)
* Josef Paul Kleihues (1933–2004), architect
* Harald Ibach (born 1941), physicist
* Frank Ripploh (1949–2002), actor
* Peter Funke (born 1950), historian
* Josef H. Neumann (born 1953), art historian and photographer
* Silvia Hildegard Haneklaus (born 1959), agricultural scientist
* Bettina Hoy (born 1962), equestrian
* Lisa Paus (born 1968), politician
* Michael Prus (born 1968), football player
* Oliver Krüger (born 1973), professor of religious studies
* Kerstin Stegemann (born 1977), footballer
* Jonas Reckermann (born 1979), beach volleyball player
* Julian Lüttmann (born 1982), football player