Gütersloh

The current mayor of Gütersloh is Norbert Morkes, elected in September 2020.[1] He ran on behalf of the voter group Bürger für Gütersloh (Citizens for Gütersloh, BfGT). The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows:

Results of the 2020 city council election.

The Gütersloh 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		Votes	%	+/-	Seats	+/-
	Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	11,521	30.3	8.1	17	3
	Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)	9,379	24.7	13.3	14	8
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	7,370	19.4	8.7	11	4
	Citizens for Gütersloh (BfGT)	4,955	13.0	2.0	7	1
	Alternative for Germany (AfD)	1,757	4.6	New	3	New
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	1,227	2.2	0.4	2	1
	The Left (Die Linke)	986	2.6	2.2	1	1
	Independent Voters' Association (UWG)	849	2.2	0.6	1	1
Valid votes		38,055	98.7
Invalid votes		510	1.3
Total		38,565	100.0		56	4
Electorate/voter turnout		80,555	47.9	2.5
Source: City of Gütersloh

In the second half of March, the Gütersloher Frühling (Gütersloh's Spring) is a festive celebration of springtime horticulture. Local garden centers, nurseries and flower shops present their savvy. During the langenachtderkunst ("long night of the arts") in May or June, museums and art galleries have longer opening hours, and the Straßenzauber ("street magic"), where you can see antique cars and all types of new cars. On Pentecost, there is a wine festival while at the market place is the Pentecost funfair.

Over the whole summer there are many concerts shown on the open air stage in the Mohns Park. In the Radrennen über Wasser (Bikerace over the Water), bikers have to drive over a course of planks over a boating pond without falling in the water. At „Gütersloh für Genießer" ("Gütersloh for gourmets"), many restaurants present haute cuisine open air. At "Gütersloh International", many foreign musicians and folk dancers present a mixed program in front of the municipal hall. In August bands and stand-up comedians show their program for free on the Dreiecksplatz.

At the end of September begins the Michaelis-funfair. Every two years there is also a pageant where many clubs present themselves. In October, there is Schinkenmarkt ("ham market"), where you can buy ham not just from Westphalia. Traditionally the year ends with a Christmas market on the Berliner Platz.

There are many Schützenvereine, Gütersloher Schützengesellschaft exists since 1832.

There are always many Easter fires on Easter Saturday.

The oldest Westphalian football club, the Gymnasial-Spielverein Gütersloh, was founded in 1878 at the Evangelisch Stiftisches Gymnasium.

FC Gütersloh 2000 (FCG) had a spell in the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga from 1996 to 1999 before being relegated and dissolved by a court due to an overwhelming debt of 7 million DM. The club was re-established in 2000. The women's team plays as FSV Gütersloh 2009 in the 2. Bundesliga while the men's team plays in the Oberliga Westfalen, the fifth league. The FSV Gütersloh 2009 organizes the Gütersloher Hallenmasters, Germany's biggest international cup for U17-teams. There is also the Strenge-Cup, one of the biggest cups in Ostwestfalen-Lippe for teenagers.

A great event in the history of Gütersloh was the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Being an official training area, the Heidewaldstadion was used three times by the Portugal national football team. Up to 5,000 fans came to watch the games on the biggest video screen in Ostwestfalen-Lippe in front of the town hall. Gütersloh was one of the very few towns in Germany where the FIFA World Cup Trophy was shown. Many people also had a job-related connection to the World Cup, because many articles like books, magazines or posters were produced in Gütersloh by Bertelsmann.

A Royal Air Force station in Gütersloh was home of RAF Squadrons 2 and 4, which flew Hawker Hunter photo reconnaissance aircraft, then 19 and 92 Sqn, which flew Lightnings, and later 3 and 4, which flew the distinctive VSTOL Harrier. They were supported by 18 Squadron operating Chinook Helicopters and 230 Squadron, which flew Puma Helicopters. There were also personnel at the station from the RAF Regiment who provided Rapier ground to air missile support. It was the most easterly of Nato's airbases during the Cold War.

The station was originally built for the Luftwaffe who flew Junkers bombers from the station and the runway was extended during this period using the labour of Soviet prisoners of war, a memorial to whom now stands near Junkers Farm, a farm building that was later used as a Scout hut within the station's perimeter fence. The farm building is now condemned, and the scouts use a larger building on Mansergh Barracks instead, but the scouts still use the area near the building during the summer, and the memorial is still mentioned on camps. RAF Gütersloh closed in 1993.

The British Army took over RAF Gütersloh in 1993 and renamed it Princess Royal Barracks, Gütersloh. It housed regiments of the Royal Logistic Corps, Army Air Corps and 114 Provost Company, Royal Military Police.

There was a second barracks in Gütersloh is called Mansergh Barracks, which was on the opposite side of town to the main camp. Mansergh Barracks was on the Verler Strasse near Spexard, it held a British secondary school called King's School and a primary school called Haig School for the armed forces. Mansergh Barracks was home to 40 Field Regiment, then 47 Field Regiment and finally, 26th Regiment Royal Artillery. During the time of the RAF base on the opposite side of town, there was also 10 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers (Harrier Support Squadron) and one Royal Army Ordnance Corps company which changed its name from 1 OFP to 1CTOC and finally 61 Ordnance Company. The Royal Engineers left when the Harrier Squadrons left Gutersloh and 61 Ordnance Company was amalgamated into the Royal Logistics Corps in 1993. The last British soldiers left Gütersloh in September 2019.

Aramäer Gütersloh wins the Gütersloh city championships for the first time in 2003

In Gütersloh there are approximately 10,000 Arameans. It has the largest number of Arameans of any other towns in Germany. In 2010, 100 companies in Gütersloh were run by Arameans.

Three football clubs play in local leagues: Tur Abdin Gütersloh, Aramäer Gütersloh and St. Gabriel Gütersloh.[8]

In local media, "Dalkestadt" is often used. An older nickname is "Nazareth" or "little Nazareth" because the Protestants in the 19th century were very religious. In Low German, the city is called Gütsel. The younger inhabitants often call it "G-Town" or (jocularly) Lülaloh.

The cuisine in Gütersloh is mostly influenced by the traditional and substantial Westphalian way of cooking. A typical dish would be pumpernickel (a heavy, sweet rye bread), served with Westphalian ham.

Also popular is the Pickert, a potato dish made of grated potatoes, flour, milk, eggs, currants and yeast. The recipe dates back to 1900 and it is still served in restaurants today.

Regional beverages include the Steinhäger gin, made in the nearby community of Steinhagen, the bitter Schroeders Boonekamp and the special brews created in the Gütersloher brewery.