Portrait of Bünde Attractive city with high quality of life

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1 Portrait of Bünde Attractive city with high quality of life Location and transport connection Bünde is located in the German federal state North Rhine-Westphalia. The medium-sized city has a population of about 45,500 people and is about km² in size % of this acreage are used as agricultural land and forestry, 24.2 % as building area. There are 11,400 residential buildings with 20,400 apartments in Bünde. Within a radius of 100 km there are three airports: Münster / Osnabrück (75 km, 50 minutes) Hannover / Langenhagen (100 km, 70 minutes) Paderborn / Lippstadt (90 km, 75 minutes) With the motorway A 30 / E 30 Amsterdam / NL - Osnabrück - Bad Oeynhausen, A 2 / E 34 / E 30 Oberhausen - Dortmund - Hannover Berlin and the railway station Bünde/Westfalen, Bünde has a good transport connection from north to south and from east to west. City of cigars living history The legend of Hengist and Horsa Bünde is one of the oldest settlements in the Land of Ravensberg. In times of migration, the Angles and Saxons also set forth. As legend has it, two of their leaders, who were called Hengist and Horsa, settled their differences and shook hands. Both can be seen as symbols in the city s emblem. Date of founding 1150 years ago, in the year 853 on May 23, the settlement was first mentioned in a document. The date of this document marks the birth of the town. Prosperity More than 150 years ago the cigar dominated economy and society. Today, monuments, names of streets, places and parks remind people of this significant era in the history of Bünde. The cigar industry began in 1842 with Gustav Meyer, who bought a building in the center of Bünde, the Eschstraße. One year later, Tönnies Wellensiek, who got his knowledge about cigar production in Bremen, succeeded with the real breakthrough. In August 1856, August Steinmeister took part in his enterprise. The historical monument Steinmeister & Wellensiek in front of the city hall reminds visitors of these two businessmen. A branch of the enterprise Arnold André was built in It is worldwide known for the brand 1

2 Handelsgold, which was produced in Bünde. In 1862, 80 million cigars were manufactured in Bünde. In 1900, 84 tobacco enterprises employed 3,372 members of staff. At this time, the city had 4,818 citizens. In 1914, a dozen of Bünde s habitants could describe themselves as millionaires. As a result of the taxes these people paid, Bünde was a wealthy town. But the increase of mechanizing and the competition of the cigarette decreased the prosperity. Today, three enterprises that produce cigars are based in Bünde: Arnold André GmbH & Co. KG, August Schuster and Villiger Söhne GmbH & Co. Sights The most famous sights in Bünde are the Deutsches Tabak- und Zigarrenmuseum (German Tobacco and Cigar Museum) and the Dobergmuseum - Geologisches Museum Ostwestfalen- Lippe (Geological Museum East Westphalia Lippe). The modern permanent exhibition of the Deutsches Tabak- und Zigarrenmuseum is arranged in an ancient agricultural building exhibits and 31 interactive points explain the world of tobacco and its consumption. The Dobergmuseum however, is dedicated to another interesting aspect of the area s history: an area called Doberg in the south of Bünde. In past times, this area was used by the people of Bünde to extract calcareous marl for their fields, using it as fertilizer. Because of these extractions, the Doberg appears as a ground depression with steep hills. The stones that were mined here, are about 30 million years old and originate from the Oligocene. The sedimentary bed originates in the younger period of the Oligocene, which is called Chattian, and is nearly completely conserved. The Doberg is known as a geologic reference point for the Chattian. The permanent exhibition in the Dobergmuseum is comprised of nearly 1000 exhibits, most of which derive from the region, for example the famous manatee skeleton. Shopping Both museums are located close to the attractive pedestrian shopping area. A few years ago, the people in Bünde decided to invest in and enhance their city center. This modernization was profitable for everyone. Throughout the whole year, the city center is a hot spot for the people of the region. Department stores, specialised shops and boutiques are located in the pedestrian area and every desire can be fulfilled. From spring to autumn, people come to ice cream parlors and beer gardens. Four times a year, the shops are open on a Sunday. Cars can be left in the parking area, which provides parking spots for free. Leisure time, sports, culture For many people, shopping in Bünde is also a leisure activity. They combine fun with useful 2

3 activities. But what else do the people in Bünde do in their leisure time? More than a fourth of the habitants are member of a sports club. Besides the gymnasia and athletic grounds, there are three artificial turfs and one mini playing field in Bünde. From May to September, people can use the open-air swimming pool Bünde-Mitte, which has a paddling pool, a non-swimmer s and a swimmer s pool and also a diving platform (10 meter) available. If it is cold or rainy, the residents of Bünde can swim in the indoor swimming pool Bünder Welle. The cultural program of Bünde is outstanding. There are three major venues: Stadtgarten/-halle Bünde, Universum and Forum in the urban district Ennigloh. In 2001, the old cinema was renewed: the Universum-Filmtheater became a modern cultural center. It offers film screenings for different target groups, music (Jazz & Blues, Rock & Pop, experimental), cabaret, comedy, vaudeville shows, readings, theatre (also for children), recitations, education and multimedia-based presentations. The theatre and concert series of the Stadtkultur GbR takes place in Bündes Stadtgarten. Here, people can watch plays and listen to old and new music. Other cultural events include ballet, musicals, balls, folklore, Rock&Pop, folk music and even more. Lastly, the Forum in the urban district Ennigloh is a venue that offers about 600 seats in the building of the Erich Kästner-Gesamtschule. Education The quality of one s apartment and the immediate surroundings are important factors for a good home. Crucial are the distance to the job, the shopping facilities available, the leisure time facilities for the whole family and of course the child care and learning opportunities for children. When parents are at work, their children should feel safe. The ultimate goal for a family is the compatibility of family and job. In Bünde, there are 19 daycare facilities for children in several urban districts. Depending on the facility and the different offers, children of at least four month can be brought to these daycare facilities until they start going to school. Elementary schools also provide daycare for the children, if required by the parents. Learning assistance is also offered. For the educational system, there are 15 schools in Bünde. Close to their home, children attend the elementary school. In Bünde, there is also a school for children with special needs called Pestalozzi Förderschule, a comprehensive school and five secondary schools (1 Hauptschule, 2 Realschulen, 2 Gymnasien). About 7,300 pupils attended these schools last year. At the musical school in Bünde, there are currently about 1,100 pupils. The school offers basic musical education, theory of music and 25 instrumental and vocal subjects. The vocational institute Erich-Gutenberg is settled in Bünde. Pupils can choose between different pathways, for example the year of vocational preparation, the commercial school, the commercial 3

4 college or the commercial high school. Besides school, pupils can take different courses that prepare them for their apprenticed profession. Near Bünde, there are the University of Bielefeld and the University of Osnabrück. In the public library, over 200,000 items are borrowed per year by the inhabitants of Bünde. That shows their love for books, films, music and audio books. The offers are highly recommended. Mobility The favorite mode of transport of Bünde s citizens is the car and there are about 380 km of streets in Bünde. The bicycle is also often used. There are bike routes of a total length of 54 km with every urban district being connected to the road network for bicycles. In summer, about 1,000 bicyclists participate in an event that is called Großes Volksradfahren 1000 Räder Bünde, which exists already for ten years now. On four routes, the bus network is used by about 35,000 citizens. Every hour, at quarter past and quarter to, one can take the green and blue bus from the central station Museumsplatz, which is close to the city center. The bus schedules are coordinated with each other and the train schedule. Industrial location Because of the diversity of Bündes economic structure with global players, the wealthy middle class and excellent skilled workers, the city is a good business location. Enterprises of different economic sectors operate in Bünde, every single enterprise supports the industrial location and progress. Companies of different industries are settled in Bünde (kitchen, living, upholstery, package, food, metal, automobile, pharmaceuticals, electronics, wood, glass, synthetic). Enterprises are known as producer of heating appliances, cooking utensils, air conditioner and boxes. Also there is a lot of agriculture and market gardening. One of the important employers with 610 employees, is Miele & Cie. KG, as parent company of the Imperial-Werke ohg. Another important enterprise, Revell, is known for its model kits. The venerable company Bünder Glas, today Gerresheimer Bünde GmbH, employs 650 people. Gerresheimer is a global operating company, which has about 10,000 employees, in 40 different cities in Europe, America and Asia. However, it is the local hospital, the Lukas-Krankenhaus, which provides the most jobs: about 700 people are employed here. Bünde s attractiveness is reflected in the real estate price (retail sale: ; repository/ production: 2 4 per m²). It is also reflected in the employment. The number of people who are subjected to social insurance contribution is 14,250. The unemployment is decreasing since With 5.3 %, the unemployment rate is one of the 4

5 lowest in the region. Also the apprenticeship market in the territory of the Arbeitsagentur Herford (county Herford and Minden-Lübbecke) developed in 2011 in a positive way. As a reaction to the demographic change, enterprises and institutions increase their investments in order to prevent skill shortage. Municipal council and administration In Bünde, the administration comprises over 300 employees and the municipal undertaking of about 160 persons. The city council consists of the mayor, the second deputy mayor (also the treasurer) and the deputy mayor. Administration is divided into six different departments: central service (employees and organisation), budget, economy and culture, order and social affairs, youth, school and sports, planning and build activities. Furthermore, there is a staff council, an equal opportunity employer and the administrative law department. The municipal council consists of 44 members. Chairman is the mayor. The latest local elections took place on 30 th of August Seats in municipal council: CDU-Fraktion 15 seats SPD-Fraktion 14 seats Fraktion Bündnis 90/Die Grünen 6 seats FDP-Fraktion 5 seats UWG-Fraktion 2 seats Die Linke 2 seats For the first time, Bünde discusses a biennial budget in 2012/2013. The municipal council and administration department hope, that for example the planning reliability will increase. Text: Stadt Bünde Translation: Anna Börjes,