Ahlen is a city of 53 000. Ahlen was first mentioned in 850. Ahlen means "eels" in Germany and there isn't any evidence as to why Ahlen got its name, nor how the town's coat of arms - an eel with a crown and feathers - was created. 

Janette sent a beautiful post card that translates to Lighthouses of the North Sea. She loves to visit the North and Baltic Seas. Ahlen is a small city of just over 50 000 people. A long and interesting history exists about Ahlen. I discovered that there are documents of witch trials between 1574-1652. The hunt for witches began when four women died. Peter Kleikamp was accused of being a werewolf and was tortured and burned alive. In 1616 Christian Zum Loe was charged with wizardry and died in prison. And Anna Sadelers was the last witch tortured, burned alive, and then beheaded in 1652.  Sounds like a nice place!