Goch (German: [ɡɔx] ^ⓘ; archaic spelling: Gog) is a town in the Kleve district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the border with the Netherlands, 12 km (7 mi) south of Kleve and 27 km (17 mi) southeast of Nijmegen.

County of Guelders 1259–1339
Duchy of Guelders 1339–1393
Duchy of Jülich 1393–1423
Duchy of Guelders 1423–1473
Duchy of Cleves 1473–1521
United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg 1521–1614
Duchy of Cleves 1614–1622
Spanish Empire 1622–1625
Duchy of Cleves 1625–1666
Brandenburg-Prussia 1666–1701
Kingdom of Prussia 1701–1757
Kingdom of France 1757–1762
Kingdom of Prussia 1762–1795
French Republic 1795–1804
French Empire 1804–1815
Kingdom of Prussia 1815–1871
German Empire 1871–1918
Weimar Republic 1919–1933
Nazi Germany 1933–1945
Allied-occupied Germany 1945–1949
West Germany 1949–1990
Germany 1990–present

Goch is at least 750 years old: the earliest mention of Goch is in a document dated 1259. It was a part of the Duchy of Cleves. During World War II, the city was completely destroyed by Allied bombers during Operation Veritable. On September 8th, 2011, A Magnitude 4.5 struck the town, causing damage to infrasctructure and to homes.

Goch is twinned with:

Vincent van Gogh, according to his name, which translates to "Vincent from Goch", has ancestors likely native to this location.

Media related to Goch at Wikimedia Commons