Bentheim
Bentheim (
German:
Grafschaft Bentheim;
English:
County of Bentheim) is a district in
Lower Saxony,
Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the
Dutch provinces
Overijssel and
Drenthe, the district of
Emsland, and the districts
Steinfurt and
Borken in
North Rhine-Westphalia.
Bentheim was a small medieval state, for that see:
Bentheim (county). The district was once full of fens, just as the neighbouring Emsland. The small Vechte river offered the opportunity to found settlements along the banks. Bentheim became an earldom as early as
1050. In the following centuries it became a regional power by annexing the neighbouring earldoms of
Steinfurt and
Tecklenburg. Sandstone was the major export article in medieval times, ensuring the wealth of the earldom.
The small district of Bentheim is protruding into Dutch territory. The
Vechte River (Dutch
Vecht) crosses the district from south to north and leaves to the
Netherlands. All major towns are situated along that river.
The district is roughly identical with the medieval earldom of Bentheim, but excluding Steinfurt and Tecklenburg.
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Coat of arms |
|The arms are identical to the arms of the medieval earldom of Bentheim. The origin of these arms is unknown.
