Coesfeld (; Westphalian: ''Koosfeld'') is the capital of the district of Coesfeld in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

state of

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 ...

History

Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first recorded earlier than that in the biography of St.

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 ...

, patron and first bishop of the diocese of Munster who was born north of Coesfeld in

Billerbeck Billerbeck ( Westphalian: ''Billerbiëk'') is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Geography Neighbor towns/cities Billerbeck has boundaries to Rosendahl, Laer, Altenberge, Havixbeck, Nottuln and Co ...

. The day before he died, Ludger spent the night in Coesfeld and heard mass in the morning in the church he founded. He was on his way from his abbey in Essen to Münster. The road he followed passed Coesfeld and Billerbeck, and after preaching in the St. Lambert's church, 26 March 809, he travelled on to Billerbeck, where he died in the evening. The Coesfeld St. Jacobikirche dates from the same period as the city charter. For centuries, Coesfeld was an important stopping place for pilgrims traveling one of the more popular Germanic Jakobi routes (

Way of St. James The Camino de Santiago (, ; ), or the Way of St. James in English, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where trad ...

) leading from

Warendorf Warendorf (, Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Warnduorp'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of Warendorf (district), Warendorf District. The town is best known today for its well-preserved medieval town centre, for eq ...

over

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 ...

(via Billerbeck) to Coesfeld, and then on via Borken to

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel i ...

on the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

Bernhard von Galen

During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, troops were stationed in Coesfeld. The

Prince-bishop of Münster A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some Secularity, secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to ''Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinals. Since 1951, the sol ...

was often at odds with these troops.

Bernhard von Galen Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen (12 October 1606, in Drensteinfurt – 19 September 1678) was Prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family. Background, education and conversion to Roman Catholicism Christoph Ber ...

managed to drive the foreign troops away and even started to build a palace in Coesfeld, but it was never finished and after he died it was torn down. He became known for his sieges of Dutch cities in his efforts for the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

and started a

Way of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers, These stations are derived from the im ...

procession that still exists up to the present day, with 18

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

. One procession round the historic centre of Coesfeld is still held on Whitmonday but the "Great Procession along the stations of the cross" held for centuries on Whit Tuesday is now held on 9/14 (

Exaltation of the Cross The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates True Cross, the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christianity, Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the ...

) if it is a Sunday otherwise on the Sunday thereafter.

Geography

Coesfeld is situated in the

Baumberge The Baumberge are the highest hills in the natural regions of Münsterland and Kernmünsterland with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster (Westfalen), Münster and Coesfeld, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Ba ...

in Münsterland.

Neighbouring municipalities

Dülmen Dülmen () is a town in the district of Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Dülmen is situated in the south part of the Münsterland area, between the Lippe river to the south, the Baumberge hills to the north and the Ems ri ...

Havixbeck Havixbeck ( Westphalian: ''Havkesbierk'' or ''Havkesbieck'') is a municipality situated on the north-east edge of the Baumberge in the district of Coesfeld, in northern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 15 km west ...

Nottuln Nottuln (; Low German: ''Notteln'') is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Nottuln is situated in the Baumberge, approx. 20 km west of Münster. Neighbouring municipalities ...

Senden The town of Senden is the second-largest town of the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and is located at the border to Baden-Württemberg. The town belongs to the Donau-Iller-Nahverkehrsverbund. Senden's neighbours are Neu-Ulm in the north, Weiße ...

Divisions

Coesfeld consists of 2 subdivisions: * Coesfeld * Lette

Education

Major secondary schools are: * the Nepomucenum, * the Heriburg-Gymnasium * and the

St.-Pius-Gymnasium St.-Pius-Gymnasium is a private Catholic Gymnasium located in Coesfeld near Münster, Germany. , the school had approximately 700 pupils. It is named after Pope Pius X. The school is associated with the Lycée Notre-Dame in Guingamp, Brittany, ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Coesfeld is twinned with: *

De Bilt De Bilt () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and town in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Netherlands. It had a population of in . De Bilt houses the headquarters of the Royal Netherland ...

, Netherlands *

Plerguer Plerguer (; ) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Plerguer are called in French ''Plerguerrois''. See also *Communes of the Ille-et-Vilaine department The following ...

, France

Notable people

Leunclavius Johannes LeunclaviusOther name variants: Hans Lewenklaw, Löwenklau, Joannes Leunclavius, John Leunclavius (c. 1533/1541 – 1594) was a German historian and orientalist. He was an expert in Turkish history, republishing and annotating Ottoman sou ...

(1541–1594), humanist, legal scholar, Greek scholar and historian *

Christoph Bernhard von Galen Christoph Bernhard Freiherr von Galen (12 October 1606, in Drensteinfurt – 19 September 1678) was Prince-bishop of Münster. He was born into a noble Westphalian family. Background, education and conversion to Roman Catholicism Christoph Be ...

(1606–1678), Bishop of Münster, Coesfeld built from a bishopric *

Anne Catherine Emmerich Anne Catherine Emmerich, CRV (also ''Anna Katharina Emmerick''; 8 September 1774 – 9 February 1824) was a Roman Catholic Augustinian canoness of the Congregation of Windesheim. During her lifetime, she was a mystic, Marian visionary and s ...

(1774–1824), Roman Catholic nun, visionary and stigmatic *

Otto Bräutigam Otto Bräutigam (14 May 1895 – 30 April 1992) was a German diplomat and lawyer who worked for the '' Auswärtiges Amt'' (German Foreign Office) and for the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, which was led by Alfred Rosenberg ...

(1895–1992), lawyer and diplomat, took part in the Holocaust *

Rudolf Wolters Rudolf Wolters (3 August 1903 – 7 January 1983) was a German architect and government official, known for his longtime association with fellow architect and Nazi Germany, Third Reich official Albert Speer. A friend and subordinate of Speer, Wo ...

(1903–1983), architect and urban planner, close associate of

Albert Speer Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as Reich Ministry of Armaments and War Production, Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of W ...

Hermann Wedekind Hermann Wedekind (18 November 1910, in Coesfeld, Westphalia – 16 January 1998, in Wadern) was an artistic director at Festspiele Balver Höhle from 1983 to 1996. Vita After his first engagements in Hagen and Bielefeld, Wedekind was brought to t ...

(1910–1998), artistic director *

Michael Oenning Michael Oenning (born 27 September 1965) is a German football coach and former player. He formerly managed Vasas Budapest, Hamburger SV, 1. FC Nürnberg, 1. FC Magdeburg, and Aris. Playing career Oenning graduated in German and Sports science ...

(born 1965), football player and coach

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Towns in North Rhine-Westphalia Coesfeld (district) Members of the Hanseatic League