STRAELEN

Straelen (pronounced like the German word Strahlen by the way) is a pleasant small town in the Lower Rhine region, near the border to the Netherlands. The place was mentioned for the first time in a document of 1342.

The area surrounding the town, today home to 15 000 inhabitants, is characterized by the cultivation of flowers and vegetables. A dense garland of greenhouses surrounds the town.

It is no accident that Straelen is called the Blumenstadt (Flower Town). No other town in Germany markets more flowers and vegetables. At the "electronic" heart, the auction clock, more than 350 million flowers and more than 50 000 tons of vegetables are turned over every year. Hundreds of dealers meet in Straelen's auction houses to buy their quota of flowers and vegetables.

In recent years the town has become a popular tourist attraction in the Lower Rhine region. This is due not only to the exemplary redevelopment of the town centre. The gem of the redevelopment is the historically restored market place. Since the redevelopment started in 1972, the town of Straelen has received several national and international awards for its attractive downtown.

The area is ideal for walking, hiking, biking, and jogging. You can easily walk from the town centre to the open countryside in a few minutes.

The swimming pool "wasserstraelen", which opened in 2006, offers a variety of options for sports and fitness fans.

For its support in founding the Europäisches Übersetzer-Kollegium, the town of Straelen was awarded the Silbergriffel der Stiftung zur Förderung des Schrifttums (Foundation for the Support of Literature) in Munich, on 28 November 1978.

You will find more information on Straelen on the Internet page of Stadt Straelen.

[Here] you can download the leaflet "Touristischer Rundgang durch Straelen" (A Guided Tour through Straelen).