Billerbeck (
Westphalian: ''Billerbiëk'') is a municipality in the district of
Coesfeld
Coesfeld (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Koosfeld'') is the capital of the Coesfeld (district), district of Coesfeld in the Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
History
Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first ...
in
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
Geography
Neighbor towns/cities
Billerbeck has boundaries to
Rosendahl,
Laer
Laer () is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Since the ae spelling already contradicted the rules in force before 1996, it was not amended in accordance with a recommendation of the Standing Commi ...
,
Altenberge
Altenberge ( Westphalian: ''Ollenbiärg'') is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km south-east of Steinfurt and 15 km north-west of Münster.
Economy
The ...
,
Havixbeck,
Nottuln and
Coesfeld
Coesfeld (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Koosfeld'') is the capital of the Coesfeld (district), district of Coesfeld in the Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
History
Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first ...
.
City Districts
* Stadt Billerbeck,
* Kirchspiel Billerbeck (until 1969)
* Beerlage (until 1969)
Growth due to law acts
On 1 July 1969 the town's surrounding areas: Alstätte, Bockelsdorf, Bombeck, Dörholt, Gantweg, Gerleve, Hamern, ''!'Lutum, Osthellen, Osthellermark and Westhellen - each part of former "Kirchspiel Aulendorf", Esking, Langenhorst und Temming - each part of former Beerlage - were merged with Billerbeck.
Politics
Town council
26 Seats of the town council were given to different parties at local elections on 26 September 2004:
*
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 14 Seats
*
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) 10 Seats
*
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...
2 Seats
Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms shows the three rivers
Berkel, Haulingbach and Lilienbeck in silver on blue background. Its origin can be traced back to the medieval Knights of Billerbeck.
Sister city
*
Englewood, Ohio
Englewood is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,463 at the 2020 census. A northern suburb of Dayton, it is part of the Dayton metropolitan area.
History
Although Englewood was not actually founded until 1841 ...
Culture and Sights
Theatre
In 1950 the citizens Alex Hesselmann and Bernhard Engbers founded the open air-theatre of Billerbeck. It is well known for its high class acting, given that there are only non-professional actors.
Museums
The
Kolvenburg comprises building parts from the 15th and 16th centuries. This kind of mansion with its
half-hipp roof is a typical housing of the lower nobility of the Münsterland. Today it is the cultural centre of the district of Coesfeld showing changing exhibitions.
Buildings
*
St. Ludgerus Church
* Cath. Church of St. Johannis
*
Kolvenburg
* Town Hall, Markt 1. Neogothic building with blending made of sandstone, 1891, erected by ''Hilger Hertel''. Enlargement in 1948/49.
* Haus Beckebans
* Richthof
*
Gerleve Abbey
* Haus Hameren (Inh: Baron Twickel zu Degenhart)
* Former residence of the Arch Deacon of Billerbeck, Johanniskirchplatz 11. L-formed massive building with hipped roof, in earlier times surrounded by water. The oldest parts were erected in the early 16th century and enlarged in 1679.
* Ludgerus-fountain
* Marien chapel Aulendorf
* Evang. church centre
* "Alte Landwirtschaftsschule" (former agricultural college), Billerbeck's cultural center
* Ludgerus-Stift, an old hospital now used as old people's home
*Old buildings that were lived in
**street: MÜNSTERSTR. 4.: 16th century
**MÜNSTERSTR. 8.: 16th century or earlier.
**MÜNSTERSTR. 16.: the northern part and the back are from the 16th century. Inside there is a chimney/fireplace from 1693 in a late renaissance style
**MÜNSTERSTR. 25.: The backhouse dates to the 16th century.
*The old church of St. Johannis (from 1234) is completely surrounded by simple styled half-timbered buildings (little storage buildings). The oldest date from the late medieval age but have been re-arranged several times. Street: JOHANNSIKIRCHHOF 2, 1513 d. - Nr. 7, 1492 d.
Parks
*
Longinusturm in the "treehills" Baumbergen
* Berkel-Auen (the river Berkel starts here)
* Leisure- and Sports Centre Helker Berg
Economy and Infrastructure
Traffic
Billerbeck can be reached by car via the autobahn. From north-east on autobahn A1 at interchange "Havixbeck/Billerbeck", from south on autobahn A43 at interchange "Nottuln/Billerbeck", from west on autobahn A31 at interchange "Coesfeld".
Public Transport
Billerbeck is located on the train line from
Münster
Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, 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 ...
to
Coesfeld
Coesfeld (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Koosfeld'') is the capital of the Coesfeld (district), district of Coesfeld in the Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
History
Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first ...
, the so-called "tree hills line" ("Baumbergebahn"). The modernised station building offers a café for cultural Events and a bicycle rental station.
A further train station in Billerbeck is located in
Lutum, which is a countryside train station. The town of Billerbeck is part of the public transport association of the Münsterland
VGM. Therefore, some bus lines also stop at Billerbeck, connecting the town to its neighbouring towns and cities.
Business
The biggest employer in Billerbeck is the company ''Dr. Suwelack'' founded by
Wolfgang Suwelack and which employs 410 staff. It is working on the sector of nutrition production and skin care. It is also operating one of the most advanced and biggest nutrition shockfrosting sites in Europe.
A medium-sized metal-working industry can be found there as well as several trading companies, and service industry (e.g. 7 haircutters, 3 undertakers and a filmproduction company).
Billerbeck is an important centre of tourism as it is only half-an-hour away for the 7 million people of the Rhein-Ruhr-Area and it is also a place of pilgrimage as
Ludger
Ludger (; also Lüdiger or Liudger) ( – 26 March 809) was a missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, founder of Werden Abbey and the first Bishop of Münster in Westphalia. He has been called the "Apostle of Saxony".
Early life to ordina ...
, the first
bishop of Münster
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
, died there in the year 809. Last but not least cycling is very popular in the region which is manifested in 800 kilometres of bicycle and pedestrian streets. For these reasons the gastronomy is well developed and offers a great variety related to the city's number of inhabitants.
Education
In Billerbeck there are the
Grundschule
Education in Germany is primarily the responsibility of individual German States of Germany, states (), with the federal government only playing a minor role.
While kindergarten (nursery school) is optional, formal education is compulsory for a ...
(basic school - school years 1–4) at two locations, the
Realschule
Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...
(secondary modern school/junior high - 5–10) and a
Hauptschule
A ''Hauptschule'' (, "general school") is a secondary school in Germany, starting after four years of elementary schooling (''Grundschule''), which offers Lower Secondary Education (Level 2) according to the International Standard Classification ...
(secondary school - 5–10). 5 Kindergartens and 2 day care units are operated in the city.
Religion
In Billerbeck there are
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
churches present.
The Catholic ''Pfarr- und Propsteigemeinde St. Johann / St. Ludgerus'' Billerbeck has its roots in the 8th century.
Very renowned and with great importance far ahead of Billerbeck there is the abbey of Benedictine- St. Joseph at Billerbeck-Gerleve. It is part of the Beuron congregation and since 1999 has been led by prior Pius Engelbert O.S.B. The abbey also contains a house for retreat, a youth education unit, and a religious book store.
The Lutheran church centre (Protestant) "Vom guten Hirten" (of the good shepherd) in Billerbeck is a modern style church with affiliated centre of parish.
Literature
* ''Westfälischer Städteatlas''; Band: VI; 1 Teilband. Im Auftrage der Historischen Kommission für Westfalen und mit Unterstützung des Landschaftsverbandes Westfalen-Lippe, hrsg. von Heinz Stoob † und Wilfried Ehbrecht. Stadtmappe Billerbeck, Author: Peter Ilisch. ; Dortmund-Altenbeken, 1999.
Peter Ilisch, Zur Siedlungsgenese von Billerbeck. Westfälische Zeitschrift 129, 1979, S. 9-56.
Peter Ilisch, Zum Erscheinungsbild münsterländischer Kirchhöfe vor 1800 - Das Beispiel St. Johann zu Billerbeck. Geschichtsblätter des Kreises Coesfeld 4, 1979, S. 114–131.
Peter Ilisch, Die Vikarien zu Billerbeck. Geschichtsblätter des Kreises Coesfeld 28, 2003, S. 1-25.
Clubs, societies, groups, institutions
* DJK-VfL Billerbeck (sports club - football, tennis, athletics etc.)
* Katholische Landjugend Bewegung Billerbeck (Catholic youth movement billerbeck)
* Bürgerschützenverein Aulendorf
* Capellengemeinde-Aulendorf
* Freilichtbühne Billerbeck
* Förderverein Domorgel Billerbeck
* Förderverein Mahnmal
* Deutsches Rotes Kreuz Ortverein Billerbeck
* KJG-Ferienwerk Billerbeck
* Kolpingsfamilie Billerbeck
* Suwelack-Stiftung
* Tennisclub Billerbeck
* Sister-City-Club Billerbeck
Personalities from Billerbeck
* Josef Suwelack (1850–1929), entrepreneur and pioneer
* Helmut Elfring (born 1933), politician
* Margret Mergen (born 1961), politician (CDU), Lord Mayor of Baden-Baden since 2014
References
External links
Billerbeck im Kulturatlas Westfalen
{{Authority control
Coesfeld (district)