Telgte

Telgte
Old Town and River Ems
Coat of arms
Telgte
Location of Telgte within Warendorf district
Coordinates: 51°58′55″N 7°47′08″E / 51.98194°N 7.78556°E / 51.98194; 7.78556Coordinates: 51°58′55″N 7°47′08″E / 51.98194°N 7.78556°E / 51.98194; 7.78556
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Münster
District	Warendorf
Government
• Mayor	Wolfgang Pieper (BUENDNIS 90/DIE GRUENEN)
Area
• Total	90.6 km2 (35.0 sq mi)
Elevation	54 m (177 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	19,557
• Density	220/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	48291
Dialling codes	02504
Vehicle registration	WAF
Website	www.telgte.de

Telgte is a town in the Warendorf district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Ems, 10 km east of Münster, and 15 km west of Warendorf.

Telgte received town privileges in 1238. It developed at a fork of larger trade routes to the North Sea and Baltic Sea, at a ford across the river Ems. 1469 Telgte is mentioned as member of the Hanseatic League.

Prince-Bishop Franz von Waldeck of Münster was granted asylum in Telgte during the Münster Rebellion of the Anabaptists in the 1530s.

Telgte is famous for the annual Telgte Pilgrimage, the second largest pilgrimage in Germany. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and beginning in Osnabrück, the summertime pilgrimage regularly consists of 8,000 pilgrims. Approximately 150,000 pilgrims visit Telgte annually. Telgte is also known for its Nativity Museum (Krippenmuseum) and its fair (Mariä-Geburts-Markt).

Nobel-winner Günter Grass's novel The Meeting at Telgte (Das Treffen in Telgte) is set in Telgte during the negotiations of the Peace of Westphalia which ended the Thirty Years' War.