Oerlinghausen

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Coat of Arms of Oerlinghausen

View of Oerlinghausen

Oerlinghausen is a city in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany located between Bielefeld and Detmold in the Teutoburger Wald. It has an area of 32.7 km² and 17,429 inhabitants (2003). First mentioned in documents in 1036, the town became a city in 1926 by authority of the Land of Lippe. In 1969 the city was expanded with the addition of Helpup, Währentrup and Lipperreihe as part of the "Gebietsreform" movement. Oerlinghausen is home to the busiest glider airport in Europe as well as the well known "Archäologisches Freilichtmuseum Oerlinghausen" featuring reconstructions of a variety of dwellings spanning from 10,000 B.C. to A.D. 1000. The city has also been home to an unusual number of well-known sociologists. Marianne Weber (born Schnitger), who grew up in Oerlinghausen and married Max Weber here in 1893, was a well-respected author herself. Niklas Luhmann and Richard Grathoff, two of the key sociologists who made the Bielefeld University one of the premier institutions for sociology in Europe, have also lived in Oerlinghausen for extended time periods.

Geographically, Oerlinghausen is situated on top of the Teutoburger Wald hills. Oerlinghauens highest point is the Tönsberg with 334 meters. The flatlands of northern Germany start some 40km north of Oerlinghausen. There are beautiful hiking routes along the hill chain which stretches 80km in east-west direction. To the south of the hills are large sand areas originating from melting glaciers during past ice ages. Although not high, the hills are steep in many places and thus almost completely covered by forest which makes it a weekend destination for friends of nature. One can go long distances without crossing roads eastwards from Oerlinghausen, along the Teutoburger Wald hills.

The Altstadt (old town) has some old buildings with a number of restaurants.