Friesoythe

Friesoythe grew on the Soeste beside Oite Castle, which Count Otto of Tecklenburg made his residence in 1227. Farmers, craftsmen and merchants settled near the fortress; coins from Cologne, Münster and Osnabrück attest to its early trading connections. The settlement was recorded as a town in 1308 and was protected by walls. In 1400, after conflict between Tecklenburg and Münster, the district around Friesoythe and Cloppenburg passed to the bishopric of Münster. Its position among the lowlands made it a local centre for the surrounding countryside.