Herford (; nds, Hiarwede) is a town in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the

Wiehen Hills The Wiehen Hills (german: Wiehengebirge, , also locally, just ''Wiehen'') are a hill range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. The hills run from west to east like a long finger away from the main upland area of the Lower Saxon ...

and the

Teutoburg Forest The Teutoburg Forest ( ; german: Teutoburger Wald ) is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Until the 17th century, the official name of the hill ridge was Osning. It was first renamed th ...

. It is the capital of the district of

Herford Herford (; nds, Hiarwede) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford. Geography Geographic locat ...

Geography

Geographic location

The former

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...

town of Herford is situated in the chain of hills south of the Wiehen Hills (

Ravensberg Hills The Ravensberg Basin (german: Ravensberger Mulde) or Ravensberg Hills () is a natural region in the governorate of Detmold () in the northeastern part of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia; small elements also fall within the neighbourin ...

). The highest place is the Dornberg (240 m) in the Schwarzenmoor district; the lowest point (56 m) is located in the Werretal in the Falkendiek district. The River Aa joins the river

Werre The Werre is a river in the Detmold region (Regierungsbezirk) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, left tributary of the Weser. Its source is near Horn-Bad Meinberg. The Werre flows generally north through the towns Detmold, Lage, Bad Salzuflen, ...

in the centre of the town. The Stuckenberg is located east of the town.

Sports

The Herforder EV (Ice Dragons) ice hockey club plays in the Regionaliga, and have enjoyed regular success. They draw an average of 800 fans.

Neighbouring towns

* West:

Enger Enger () is a town in the Herford district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Enger is situated between the Teutoburg Forest and the Wiehen Hills, approx. 6 km west of the town of Herford, the capital of the district. Neighbouri ...

Hiddenhausen Hiddenhausen is a municipality in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The municipality was formed in 1969 in a reform of Herford (district) by combining the villages of Lippinghausen, Eilshausen, Schweicheln-Bermbeck, Hid ...

* North:

Löhne Löhne () is a town in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Löhne is situated on the river Werre, approx. 8 km north of Herford and 20 km south-west of Minden. Neighbouring places * Hüllhorst * Bad ...

* North-East:

Vlotho Vlotho () is a town in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Vlotho is located along the Weser river, south of the Wiehengebirge, bordering on the Ravensberger Hügelland in the west, Lipperland in the south, a ...

* South-East:

Bad Salzuflen Bad Salzuflen is a town and thermal spa resort in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. At the end of 2013, it had 52,121 inhabitants. Geography Bad Salzuflen lies on the eastern edge of the Ravensberg Basin, at the confluence ...

(

Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The ...

district) * South-West:

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

Districts

* Altstädter Feldmark * Neustädter Feldmark * Radewiger Feldmark * Diebrock¹ * Eickum¹ * Elverdissen¹ * Falkendiek¹ * Herringhausen¹ * Laar¹ * Schwarzenmoor¹ * Stedefreund¹

History

The town was founded in 789 by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

in order to guard a

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

in the narrow

Werre river The Werre is a river in the Detmold region (Regierungsbezirk) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, left tributary of the Weser. Its source is near Horn-Bad Meinberg. The Werre flows generally north through the towns Detmold, Lage, Bad Salzuflen, H ...

. A century later,

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

, daughter of

Dietrich of Ringelheim Dietrich, also known as Dietrich of Ringelheim, was a Saxon count of the Middle Ages. Biography Dietrich (Theodoric), sometimes called ''Dietrich of Ringelheim'' in later literature, was a medieval Saxon count in the German region of Westph ...

, a count of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, grew up in the abbey of Herford; she was a descendant of the Saxon leader

Widukind Widukind, also known as Wittekind, was a leader of the Saxons and the chief opponent of the Frankish king Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 777 to 785. Charlemagne ultimately prevailed, organized Saxony as a Frankish province, massacred th ...

. In Herford she met Henry the Fowler, who later became king of Germany. In late medieval times Herford was a member of the Hanseatic League. It was a Free Imperial City, i.e. it was directly subordinated to the emperor. This status was lost after the Peace of Westphalia (1648), when Herford was annexed by Brandenburg-Prussia. It was administered within the Province of Westphalia following the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, and made part of the new state

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Culture and sights

Sights

* The Herford Minster (Münsterkirche) is a late Romanesque

hall church A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...

, built about 1220-1250 for the Fürstabtei Herford (Herford monastery). It is one of the earliest hall churches in Germany * St. James' (Jakobikirche/Radewiger Kirche) is a late

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

hall church (1330) * St. John's (St. Johannis/Neustädter Kirche) is a late Gothic hall church (1340) * St. Mary's (St. Marien auf dem Berge) is also a late Gothic hall church. It was completed about 1325/50 and part of a monastery * Town hall, built 1913-16 by Paul Kanold in Neo-Baroque forms * Neustädter Rathaus (former town hall), built 1600, aesthetic pediment 1930 removed, 1988/89 reconstructed * Remensnider-Haus, Brüderstraße 26, a late Gothic half-timbered building from 1521 * Kantorhaus, Elisabethstraße 2, a half-timbered building, about 1484/1494 * Holland 21, half-timbered building, 1554 * Holland 39, half-timbered building, 1559 * Bürgermeisterhaus, Höckerstraße 4, a late Gothic stone building from 1538 with a stepped gable similar to houses in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

and

* Frühherrenstraße 11, a Renaissance building, 1591 * Wulfert-Haus, Neuer Markt 2 with a brick-built Renaissance gable, 1560

Museums

The

MARTa Herford MARTa Herford is a contemporary art museum in Herford, Germany. Building and history The idea for the museum formed in 2000, drawing from Herford's status as a German center of furniture and home furnishing production. The name ''MARTa'' is a ...

, a museum for contemporary art and design, housed in a building designed by Frank Gehry, has been open to the public since May 2005. Its exhibits change regularly. The current artistic director is Roland Nachtigäller. The Daniel-Pöppelmann-Haus in Herford explores the history of the city, and the Memorial and Meeting Place Cell Block, in the basement of the city hall, documents the persecution and the obliteration of minorities. Plans to construct a museum of city history next to the city hall and the Minster church have been postponed.

Music and theatre

Herford is the seat of the

Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie The Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie (North West German Philharmonic) is a German symphony orchestra based in Herford. It was founded in 1950 and, along with Philharmonie Südwestfalen and Landesjugendorchester NRW, is one of the 'official' orchestr ...

(Northwest German Philharmonic) which performs regularly in the Stadtpark Schützenhof as well as many neighbouring cities in North Rhine-Westphalia. Eugene Tzigane is the principal conductor designate (2010–present). The current director is Andreas Kuntze. The Stadttheater (Municipal theatre) provides seats for 706 viewers and it is served by visiting theatre companies.

Events at regular intervals

* Easter Fair ''around Easter'' (Oster-Kirmes) * Jazz Festival ''May'' - Performances of different jazz artists in a couple of bars * Organ Summer * Visions Fair ''June'' * Summer Stage ''Summer'' (Sommerbühne) - Concerts at the square between city hall and market hall * Hoekerfest ''August'' - Municipal festival with plenty of events in the city centre * City Fair ''October'' - In the city centre * Herbstzeitlos (Autumnally timeless) ''Autumn'' - Exhibition at the former depot site * Wine Festival ''Autumn'' - At Gänsemarkt * Christmas Lights ''December'' - Municipal Christmas fair (Weihnachtsmarkt)

Military

Herford was the location of the headquarters of the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division at

Westfalen Garrison Westfalen Garrison is a major British garrison with facilities located in Paderborn, Sennelager and Gütersloh in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany which now forms the major part of British Forces Germany. It was the home of 20th Armoured Infantry ...

, part of British Forces Germany, until the division moved to the United Kingdom in 2015. The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) studio for Germany was located in Wentworth Barracks until 2009 when it moved to Hohne.

Twin towns – sister cities

Herford is twinned with: *

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England. It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in the administrative county of Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughbo ...

, England, United Kingdom (1972) *

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

, Denmark (1987)

Friendly cities

Herford also has friendly relations with: * Vodice, Croatia (1974) * Quincy, United States (1991) * Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland (1995) *

Manavgat Manavgat is a city in the district of the Antalya Province in Turkey, from the city of Antalya. The Manavgat River has a waterfall near the city. The population of the district is 242,490 (2020 census). Geography Between the Taurus Mountains ...

, Turkey (2008) * Xinbei (Jiangsu), China (2015)

Notable people

* Heinrich von Herford (c. 1300–1370) *

Gerhard Friedrich Müller Gerhard Friedrich Müller ( Russian: ''Фёдор Ива́нович Ми́ллер'', ''Fyodor Ivanovich Miller'', 29 October 1705 – 22 October 1783) was a Russian-German historian and pioneer ethnologist. Early life Müller was born in Her ...

(1705–1783), explorer of

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

* Karl Ludwig Costenoble (1769–1837), actor and theatre director *

Frederick August Otto Schwarz Frederick August Otto Schwarz (October 18, 1836 – May 17, 1911) was a German-born American toy retailer known for founding FAO Schwarz. Biography Schwarz was born to a German Lutheran family in 1836 at Herford, Province of Westphalia, Ki ...

(1836–1911), founder of

FAO Schwarz FAO Schwarz is an American toy brand and store. The company is known for its high-end toys, life-sized stuffed animals, interactive experiences, brand integrations, and games. FAO Schwarz claims to be the oldest toy store in the United States ...

toystore * Friedrich Adolf Richter (1847–1910), founder of

Richter (toy company) F. Ad. Richter & Cie was founded and owned by Friedrich Adolf Richter. This German manufacturer produced many products, including pharmaceuticals, music boxes, gramophones, and Anchor Stone building sets. He established his main factory in Rudolst ...

Carl Severing Carl Wilhelm Severing (1 June 1875, Herford, Westphalia – 23 July 1952, Bielefeld) was a German Social Democrat politician during the Weimar era. He was seen as a representative of the right wing of the party. Over the years, he took a leadi ...

(1875–1952), politician (

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been t ...

) * Otto Weddigen (1882–1915), submarine-commander in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

* Hermann Höpker-Aschoff (1883–1954), politician ( DDP, FDP) * Karl Steinhoff (1892–1981), Minister-president (Ministerpräsident) of the German state (Land) of Brandenburg * Reinhard Maack (1892–1969), explorer, geologist and geographer *

Erich Gutenberg Erich Gutenberg (13 December 1897 in Herford – 22 May 1984 in Cologne) was an influential German economist. He is considered the founder of modern German business studies after World War II. Gutenberg used microeconomy to explain the functionin ...

(1897–1984), economist * Heinz Röttger (1909–1977), composer *

Hans Kornberg Sir Hans Leo Kornberg, FRS (14 January 1928 – 16 December 2019) was a British-American biochemist. He was Sir William Dunn Professor of Biochemistry in the University of Cambridge from 1975 to 1995, and Master of Christ's College, Cambridge ...

(1928–2019), biochemist *

Wilhelm Leber Wilhelm Leber (born July 20, 1947) is a German mathematician and formerly chief apostle in the New Apostolic Church. Life Wilhelm Leber was born in Herford in Westphalia. In 1975 he earned his doctorate in mathematics at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe ...

(born 1947), mathematician *

Bernd Sponheuer Bernd Sponheuer (born 6 February 1948) is a German musicologist. Career Born in Herford, Sponheuer studied musicology from 1969 to 1976, from 1970 as a scholarship holder of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, (among others with Anna Amali ...

(born 1948), musicologist * Marian Gold (born 1954), singer-songwriter * Karl-Heinz Wiesemann (born 1960), 96th Bishop of Speyer *

Jörg Rüpke Jörg Rüpke (born 27 December 1962 in Herford, West Germany) is a German scholar of comparative religion and classical philology, recipient of the Gay-Lussac Humboldt Prize in 2008, and of the Advanced Grant of the European Research Council in 2011 ...

(born 1962), academic, scholar of comparative religion and classical philology *

Thomas Helmer Thomas Helmer (born 21 April 1965) is a German former footballer. His preferred playing position was sweeper, but he was primarily deployed as a centre-back.Radnedge, Keir ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of European Football'' (1997, Carlton Books) ...

(born 1965), footballer * Philipp Heithölter (born 1982), footballer *

Diego Demme Diego Demme (born 21 November 1991) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Napoli and the Germany national team. Club career Arminia Bielefeld Born in Herford, Germany, Demme began playing football a ...

(born 1991), footballer

References

External links

* {{Authority control Free imperial cities Herford (district) Members of the Hanseatic League