NORDHORN

town, Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany, on the Vechte River at the junction of the Almelo-Nordhorn, Ems-Vechte, and Sd-Nord canals, 4 miles (6 km) from the Dutch border. First mentioned about 1000 and chartered in 1379, the city suffered heavily from plague, fire, and war in the 15th and 16th centuries. Part of the Augustinian Frenswegen Abbey (founded 1394) and the 15th-century Protestant church survive. Modern Nordhorn is a textile centre, with oil wells nearby. Its area was expanded in the 1920s by the addition of neighbouring communities. Pop. (1989 est.) 48,556.