not one of Schüttorf's town gates shown in the arms – the arms are older than the town gates – but rather the arms are meant to symbolize the town's status as such. Schüttorf also has its own flag, which has two broad horizontal stripes and bears in the middle the town's arms in oval form. Town partnerships Schüttorf maintained until 2005 a town partnership with Vriezenveen (Twenterand) in the Netherlands, in the Twente region. This town partnership was part of the EUREGIO programme, a municipal league, to which roughly 140 German and Dutch towns, communities and districts belong. The EUREGIO league seeks to develop cross-border economic relations and fosters cultural exchange and German-Dutch school contacts. In 2005, Vriezenveen cancelled the town partnership, although Schüttorf remained part of EUREGIO. Dutch is an optional subject in Schüttorf's Realschule. Infrastructure and economy Transport Air transport Schüttorf lies roughly a 50-minute drive away from the international Münster/Osnabrück Airport (FMO) in Greven. A regional airport is to be found 15 minutes’ drive away at Klausheide near Nordhorn. Rail and bus transport Schüttorf railway station lies on the Bad Bentheim–Minden railway line (KBS 375). There is local rail transport provided by the RB 61 on the Wiehengebirgs-Bahn (Bad Bentheim–Rheine–Osnabrück–Herford–Bielefeld). In local road transport, buslines join Schüttorf with Nordhorn, Bad Bentheim, Ochtrup and the surrounding villages. Roads In Schüttorf's northeast is found the cloverleaf known as the Schüttorfer Kreuz where the Autobahnen A 30 (Bad Oeynhausen – Osnabrück – Hengelo) and A 31 (Emden – Oberhausen) cross each other. Economy Towards the end of the 19th century, a strong textile industry was developing itself in Schüttorf with several large local businesses (Schlikker & Söhne, Gathmann & Gerdemann, G. Schümer & Co. and ten Wolde, later Carl Rremy; today's RoFa is not one of the original textile companies, but was founded by H. Lammering and later taken over by Gerhard Schlikker jun., Levert Rost and Wilhelm Edel; the name RoFa comes from the postwar shareholders Rost and Falley). Moreover, a margarine factory (Wilhelm Edel & Co.) was also established. Schüttorf managed to do very well for itself from this industrialization, which was reflected in the population figures (1871: 1692 inhabitants, 1900: 4110). (see 6). In the textile industry crisis in the 1970s, the industry in Schüttorf, too, fell into crisis, and nowadays only the firms RoFa and G. Schümer GmbH & Co. still exist. As a result