Vreden is a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 near the Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 border. The town is located near the river Berkel

Berkel

The Berkel is a river in the Netherlands and Germany. It is a right tributary of the River IJssel.The river rises in Billerbeck, near the German city of Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, and crosses the border with the Netherlands near Vreden and Rekken...

. The first mentioning of the town is proven for the year 839. In 1252 Vreden obtained city rights

German town law

German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...

.

Museums

• Hamaland-Museum
  • Farmer-Museum
• Silhouette Museum
• Miniature Shoe Museum
• Skulpturenpark Erning
• Heimathaus Noldes
• Berkelkraftwerk
• Biologische Station Zwillbrock

Buildings

• Former castle
• Old townhall
• Foundations of seven older churches under the current day St. Georg church
• Baroque church in Zwillbrock
• Stiftskirche (collegiate church of the former noble convent of Vreden)

Parks

• The "Zwillbrocker Venn": The Zwillbrocker Venn, approximately 10 km east of the city centre is part of a large nature reserve with numereous water areas. The Venn is home of Europe's largest Black-headed Gull
  Black-headed Gull
  The Black-headed Gull is a small gull which breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory, wintering further south, but some birds in the milder westernmost areas of Europe are resident...
  
   breeding area and the world's northernmost Flamingo
  Flamingo
  Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
  
   breeding site.
• Vreden City Park: Includes the town's Farmer Museum.

Coat of arms

In the 13th century, Vreden was enlarged to a city by the archbishop of Cologne and the bishop of Münster, who were the city owners of that time. The Coat-of-Arms shows Paulus

Paulus

- Roman and Byzantine empire :*Paul or Julius Paulus , Roman jurist*Paulus Catena , Roman notary*Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus , Roman general*Paulus , short-time ruler over the Domain of Soissons...

 (patron of Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

) and Petrus

Petrus

Petrus is a Latin name derived from the Greek meaning "rock", and is the common English prefix "petro-" used to describe rock-based substances, like petros-oleum or "rock oil." As the source of Peter, it is a common name for people from antiquity through the medieval era, and may refer to one of...

 (patron of Münster

Münster

Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...

) with a key and a sword behind the cross of Cologne and the bar of Münster.