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Bielefeld

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Bielefeld
City
Old Townhall
Old Townhall
Coat of arms of Bielefeld
Coat of arms
Districts of Bielefeld
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. regionDetmold
DistrictUrban district
Founded1214
Subdivisions10 districts
Government
 • MayorEberhard David (CDU)
Area
 • Total257.8 km2 (99.5 sq mi)
Elevation
118 m (387 ft)
Population
 (2023-12-31)[1]
 • Total338,410
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
33501-33739
Dialling codes0521, 05202-05209
Vehicle registrationBI
Websitewww.bielefeld.de

Bielefeld (IPA: [ˈbiːləfɛlt]) is a district-free town in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at 52°01′00″N 08°31′00″E / 52.01667°N 8.51667°E / 52.01667; 8.51667 on both the western and eastern slopes of the Teutoburg Forest. With its population of 326,000, it is the biggest city of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region. The current mayor is Eberhard David.

The name Bielefeld is derived from the old name bileveld, which means "hilly field". The city is situated below a pass separating the Northern and Southern Teutoburg Forest. The centre of Bielefeld is situated on the eastern side of the Teutoburg Forest, but the modern city incorporates boroughs on the opposite side and on the hilltops.

History

Bielefeld about 1895
Old Market Place (Alter Markt)

Bielefeld was founded in 1214 by Count Hermann IV of Ravensberg to guard a pass crossing the Teutoburg Forest. Bielefeld was a minor member of the Hanseatic League since the 14th century, and profited greatly from its status as the "city of linen". The Sparrenburg Castle, was built in the medieval town around 1250 and fortified in 1550. It later decayed to the point of ruin, until the town purchased the ruins from the state and began rebuilding in 1879.

Bielefeld began its industrial rise in the 1850s, after the new Cologne-Minden railway created a connection to the larger German and European rail network. 1851 saw the construction of the first large mechanised spinning mill in the town by the Bozi brothers, and later years witnessed the construction of additional mills, including the Ravensberg Spinning Mill, built between 1854 and 1857. In addition to these mills, metal works began to open in the 1860s.

Between 1904 and 1930, Bielefeld grew, opening a railway station, a municipal theatre, a town hall, a post office, and, finally, the Rudolf Oetker-Halle concert hall, which was famous for its excellent acoustics [2]. The 1930s, as in much of Germany, saw the dissolution of democratic political parties and the banning of political parties, and the town's synagogue was burned in 1938.

During World War II, the Bielefeld railway viaduct was the first target to be attacked with Barnes Wallis' Grand Slam bomb by 617 ("Dambusters") squadron of the R.A.F. 1944 saw heavy bombing, leaving large areas of the town in rubble, while American troops entered the city in April 1945.

Industry

Major industries in Bielefeld currently include food processing, home appliance manufacture, information technology, and various heavy industries.


Education

The Bielefeld University was founded in 1969. Among its first professors was the notable contemporary German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. Other institutions of higher education include the Theological Seminary Bethel (Kirchliche Hochschule Bethel) and the Fachhochschule (see Fachhochschule) which is internationally renowned for its fine education in photography and design.

Urban Districts

In 1973 the first villages on the opposite side of the Teutoburg Forest were incorporated. The current districts of the city are: Bielefeld-Mitte (downtown), Brackwede, Dornberg, Gadderbaum, Heepen, Jöllenbeck, Schildesche, Senne, Sennestadt and Stieghorst.


Traffic

File:Stadtbahnnetz bielefeld.png
Subway system in Bielefeld

Two major autobahns, the A 2 and A 33, intersect at the south east of Bielefeld. The Ostwestfalendamm expressway connects the two parts of the city naturally divided by the Teutoburg Forest. The main railroad station of Bielefeld is part of the German ICE high-speed railroad system. Bielefeld has a small airstrip in the Senne district, but is mainly served by the two larger airports nearby, Paderborn-Lippstadt and Münster-Osnabrück.

Bielefeld boasts a well developed public transport system, served mainly by the companies moBiel (formerly Stadtwerke Bielefeld - Verkehrsbetriebe) and BVO. A subway with four major lines and regional trains connect different parts of the city with nearby counties. Also, Buses run throughout the entire vicinity.

Sights

Sparrenburg Castle
Neustädter Marienkirche

Sparrenburg Castle is the most famous landmark. It was built between 1240 and 1250 by Count Ludwig von Ravensberg. The 37 m (121 ft) high tower and the catacombs of the castle are open to the public.

The Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus) was built in 1904 and still serves the same function. On its facade on can find various architectural styles, including elements of the Gothic style and of the Renaissance. Though the mayor still holds office in the Old City Hall, the most of the city's administration is housed in the adjacent New City Hall (Neues Rathaus).

The City Theater (Stadttheater) is part of the same architectural ensemble as the Old City Hall, also built in 1904. It has a notable Jugendstil facade. It is Bielefeld's largest theater.

The oldest city church is Altstädter Nicolaikirche. It is a Gothic hall church with a height of 81.5 m (267 ft). It was founded in 1236 by the Bishop of Paderborn, and enlarged at the beginning of the 14th century. The church was damaged in World War II and later rebuilt. Three times a day, a carillon can be heard. The most valuable treasure of this church is a carved altar from Antwerp, decorated with 250 figures. A small museum housed within illustrates the history of the church up to World War II.

The second-largest church is the Neustädter Marienkirche, an Gothic hall church dating back to 1293, completed 1512. It stands 78 m (256 ft) tall and has a length of 52 m (161 ft). Historically speaking, this building is the most precious. It was the starting point of the Protestant Reformation in Bielefeld in 1553. A valuable wing-altar with 13 pictures, known as the Marienaltar is also kept inside. The baroque spires were destroyed in World War II, and later replaced by two unusually-shaped "Gothic" clocktowers.

Bielefeld is also the seat of the two largest Protestant social welfare establishments (Diakonie) in Europe, the von Bodelschwingsche Anstalten Bethel and the Evangelisches Johanneswerk.

Other important cultural sights of the region are the art museum (Kunsthalle) and the Rudolf Oetker concert hall (Rudolf-Oetker-Halle).

On Hünenburg, there is an observation tower.

Trivia

Regional Superior Court in Bielefeld
Stadium "Schüco Arena" (traditional: "Alm")
  • The original name of the Teutoburg Forest was Osning. During the rise of German nationalism around 1848/1849, people became aware of the reference in Tacitus's Annals I 60, which refers to a defeat of the Roman army at saltus Teutoburgiensis. The similarity resulted in the renaming for "patriotic" reasons, while the actual site is now believed to have been about 40 km (25 miles) north, near Osnabrück. The details of what is known as the Varus Battle are currently subject to archaeological debates.
  • The altarpiece of the Bielefeld church Neustädter Marienkirche from around 1400 is among the most prominent masterpieces of artwork of the German Middle Ages. Two of the altarpieces, The Flagellation and The Crucifixion are now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
  • Being a strategically highly important point of the traffic connection between Ruhrgebiet and Berlin, the ten tonne Grand Slam bomb, the largest conventional bomb of World War II, was dropped by the No. 617 Squadron of the British Royal Air Force on the railroad viaduct of Bielefeld shortly before Germany surrendered. The viaduct has been rebuilt with a different design.
  • Among German netizens, especially on the Usenet, a running gag is the claim that Bielefeld does not exist. This is known as the "Bielefeld Conspiracy".
  • In 1923, during a period of hyperinflation, Bielefeld, along with several thousand other German towns, issued Notgeld (emergency money). Due to inflation, this money was hardly worth the paper it was printed on, but it became popular with collectors, and towns vied to print and sell as much currency on the collector market as possible through attractive designs. Bielefeld raised the bar and became one of the most popular (and collectable) issuers by printing banknotes on silk, leather, linen, wood, velvet and other materials.

Twinning

Bielefeld's twin towns are:

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bielefeld.
Photos


Template:Link FA

  1. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  2. ^ http://www.bielefeld.de/en/history/
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