In 1950, the mayors of the parish of Uelsen joined together to form the district mayor's office of Uelsen in order to jointly tackle the political and economic problems. In 1970, this developed into the joint municipality of Uelsen, to which ten municipalities belonged at the time. The number of municipalities was reduced by incorporation, so that the joint municipality of Uelsen, which was formed as a result of the territorial reform on March 1, 1974, consists of seven member municipalities:
General information on the joint municipality of Uelsen
The joint municipality of Uelsen is the largest unit in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in terms of area, but it also has the lowest number of inhabitants. The mayor of the joint municipality of Uelsen has been Hajo Bosch from Uelsen since 01.11.2019. The state-approved resort of Uelsen is the center of the joint municipality and also the seat of the joint municipality administration. Thanks to the scenic surroundings and the high recreational and residential value, the joint municipality of Uelsen is a popular excursion and vacation destination. Despite the central administration, the member municipalities of the joint municipality of Uelsen have retained their individual character. They are largely agricultural in structure with commercial settlements in Uelsen, Itterbeck, Wielen and Wilsum. The numerous tourist facilities, sights and sports facilities provide a wide range of offers for every taste.
In silver three (1:2) green holly leaves, accompanied by seven green balls: at the top two placed postwise, in the base of the shield arranged 1:2. The area of today's parish of Uelsen belongs to the Twente region and in the early 8th century was the missionary territory of St. Werenfried and St. Willibrord, who probably also founded the original parish church and baptistery in Uelsen. The parish therefore belonged to the diocese of Utrecht and was transferred to St. Peter's Abbey in Utrecht in 1131. A branch church was founded in Wilsum. In the High Middle Ages, the Twente area around Uelsen belonged to the Duchy of Lorraine, came into the hands of the Counts of Bentheim in the course of the formation of the territory and remained part of the Lower County of Bentheim until the end of the old empire. The seven municipalities of Getelo, Gölenkamp, Halle, Itterbeck, Uelsen, Wielen and Wilsum merged in 1974 to form the joint municipality of Uelsen, with all the others except Wilsum belonging to the parish of Uelsen. The seven member municipalities are symbolized by the seven balls, which in turn allude to the coat of arms of the Counts and Princes of Bentheim and the present-day district of Grafschaft Bentheim: the golden "Bentheimer Pfennige" in the red field. Three green holly leaves in a silver shield have been used in various positions (2:1, 1:2) by both the political and the ecclesiastical community of Uelsen since the 17th century (coat of arms relief on the town hall, ca. 1880; weather vanes on the church tower and choir roof, after 1683). They are said to be the coat of arms of the von Niehoff family from Uelsen, whose most important member, Johann Niehoff, died in the service of the Dutch East India Company in Madagascar. When the coat of arms was adopted by the municipality, the harmony of Uelsen and Hülsen or Hülskrabben (= holly, Ilex) may have been a stimulus, although the place name "Uelsten", which was handed down in 1177, has nothing to do with "Hülsen", but according to Abels (Die Ortsnamen des Emslandes, 1927; p. 71) is to be interpreted as "settlement near the springs". Green and silver are the traditional colors of the old Uelsen municipal coat of arms.
Design and execution: Dr. Ulf-Dietrich Korn, Münster 1988/1989
1st deputy mayor of the joint municipality: Wilfried Segger, CDU 2nddeputy mayor of the joint municipality: Holger Vorrink, CDU 3rddeputy mayor of the joint municipality: Holger Schoneveld. CDU
Other council members: Jürgen kl. Balderhaar, SPD Gerrit Bergjan, CDU Stefan Brink-Spalink, CDU Lars Elferink, CDU Jutta Gommer, SPD Jan Hamhuis, SPD Judith Hindriksen, SPD Heidrun Jürries, CDU Dieter Kamphuis, CDU Alexander Kieft, SPD Stefan Kieft, SPD Friederike Klever, UWG Heike Klomp, SPD Erik van der Knaap, UWG Gerd-Holger Kolde, UWG Heinrich Lügtenaar, CDU Hartmut Menken, CDU Arend Nordbeck, CDU Zander Oortmann, CDU Jörg Reurik, SPD Mathilda Snieder, CDU Gerold Stroeve, CDU Jürgen Timmerhuis, CDU Manja Veltmann, CDU Andreas Völkerink, UWG
