BOCHOLT

city, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany, on the Aa, a stream near the Dutch border, just north of Wesel. Chartered in 1222 by the bishop of Mnster, Bocholt derives its name from Buchenholz, the beech wood of its surroundings. Historic buildings include the Gothic Church of St. George (141586), the Dutch Renaissance town hall (161821, restored 192834), and the nearby castles of Anholt and Gemen. A centre of the textile industry, it also has iron foundries and machine works. Annexations during the 1970s enlarged the city by more than a third. Pop. (1989 est.) 67,565.