Detmold

This article is about the German town. For other uses, see Detmold (disambiguation).

Detmold
The princely castle.
Coat of arms
Detmold
Location of Detmold within Lippe district
Coordinates:
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Detmold
District	Lippe
Government
• Mayor	Rainer Heller (SPD)
Area
• Total	129.39 km2 (49.96 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)
• Total	73,449
• Density	570/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	32701–32760
Dialling codes	05231, 05232
Vehicle registration	LIP
Website	www.detmold.de

Detmold (German pronunciation: [ˈdɛtmɔlt]) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 73,400 (2013). It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of the district of Lippe and of the Regierungsbezirk Detmold. The Church of Lippe has its central administration located in Detmold. The Reformed Redeemer Church is the preaching venue of the state superintendent of the Lippe church.

History

Iron Age

About 5 kilometres (3 mi) to the southwest of Detmold is the de hill with a prehistoric circular rampart and the Hermann monument (German: Hermannsdenkmal). The monument commemorates the so-called Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, a battle in 9 AD which may or may not have been fought close to the present location of Detmold. In this encounter, Germanic tribes led by Hermann (Latin: Arminius) defeated Roman legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus.

Middle Ages

Detmold was first mentioned as Theotmalli in 783, the year of a battle between the Saxons and Charlemagne's forces nearby. This was an event in the Saxon Wars. In 1005 a Tietmelli or Theotmalli region (Gau) is referred to in documents.

In 1263, Bernard III of Lippe fortified the settlement at the crossing of the trade route from Paderborn to Lemgo over the Werre River with stone walls and granted it a municipal charter. Its population was reported in 1305 as 305. Market rights granted in 1265 led to rapid economic development. Its defenses were greatly strengthened after severe damage had been inflicted on the town during the conflict with Soest in 1447. A major fire in 1547 destroyed more than 70 houses.

Engraving of a view of the town of Detmold by Matthäus Merian, 1647

In 1550, Detmold became the permanent residence of Count Simon III of Lippe. The counts were elevated to princes in 1789, and Detmold remained the capital of the small Principality of Lippe until the end of the World War I in 1918, when all princely states in Germany were abolished. Today, Armin, Prince of Lippe is the owner of Detmold Castle.

Modern era

Street lighting was introduced in 1809, with oil-fired lanterns. By 1835, the town had become the most populous in Lippe, with over 4,000 residents. It grew to 12,000 in 1900 and over 30,000 in 1950.

From 1919 to 1947, Detmold was the capital of the Free State of Lippe. When Lippe was incorporated into the new German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the town became the seat of the Lippe district, and since 1972 it has been the seat of the district administration of Lippe. With the administrative reform of 1970, 25 nearby villages were incorporated into the city.

Main sights

Hiddeser Bent, moor near Donoper Teich

• Hochschule für Musik Detmold (Music Academy of Detmold)
• Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe (Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences)
• LWL-Freilichtmuseum Detmold (Detmold Open-air Museum)
• Lippisches Landesmuseum (Museum)
• Landestheater Detmold (Theater)
• Hermannsdenkmal (Arminius Monument)
• Externsteine
• Adlerwarte Berlebeck (Falconry)
• Fürstliches Residenzschloß, a Renaissance castle in the center of the town park.
• Donoper Teich (pond)
• Hasselbachteich (pond)
• Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen (bird sanctuary)

Building on the Campus Detmold of the Hochschule OWL (2010)

Market and town hall.

Culture

The town supports the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie for regular symphony concerts.

Twin towns — sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Detmold is twinned with:

• Hasselt, Belgium
• Saint-Omer, France
• Savonlinna, Finland
• Zeitz, Germany
• Kalithea, Greece

Notable people

Ferdinand Freiligrath

Notable people born in Detmold include:

• Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810–1876), poet and author
• Georg Weerth (1822–1856)
• Christian Dietrich Grabbe (1801–1836), alongside Georg Büchner the most important innovator of German-language drama in his time
• de (1879–1966), actor, spieler, elocutionist, singer and regional poet
• Jürgen Stroop (1895–1952), German Nazi general of the SS, war criminal
• Heinz Burt (1942–2000), British musician and member of The Tornados
• de (b 1946), art historian, for 11 years curator of the German Historical Museum in Berlin
• Iris Berben (b 1950), actress
• Peter Lampe (b 1954), German theologian
• Frank-Walter Steinmeier (b 1956), former foreign minister and chancellor candidate for the SPD
• Manfred Ostermann (b 1958), German local politician (independent) and former Landrat of Soltau-Fallingbostel
• Andreas Voßkuhle (b 1963), president of the Bundesverfassungsgericht

Long-time residents of Detmold include:

• Albert Lortzing (1801–1851), composer
• Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), composer
• Heinrich Drake (1881–1970), politician
• Felix Fechenbach (1894–1933), journalist
• Thomas Quasthoff (b 1959), bass-baritone

Others:

• Detmold child a child mummy who got its name from this city.

Amongst the honorary citizens of Detmold, besides politicians are scientists and artists who have served in Detmold. The best-known are the builder of the Hermannsdenkmal, Ernst von Bandel (1871), Reich Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck (1895), and Reich President, Paul von Hindenburg (1917).

External links

• Official website