Westphalia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westphalia (German: Westfalen [vɛstˈfaːlən]) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Bielefeld, Bochum, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster, and Osnabrück and included in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.
Green: Kingdom of Westphalia (1807-1813)
Red: Province of Westphalia (1815-1946)
Dark grey: North Rhine-Westphalia (1946-)
The name "West-phalia" probably means "West-Plain". The second word, "Falen", is related to the Germanic words "Field", "Flat", and "Floor" (all of which are related to the Latin "planus" through a common Proto-Indo-European root, *pele, meaning "flat, (to) spread").
Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia" was applied to several different entities in history. For this reason specifications of area and population are greatly differing. They range between 16,000 and 22,000 km² in land area, and between 4.3 million and 8 million inhabitants. There is however consent that both Münster and Osnabrück as well as Bielefeld and Dortmund are part of Westphalia.
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[edit] History
[edit] Roman Incursion
Around 1 A.D. there were numerous incursions through Westphalia and perhaps even some permanent Roman or Romanized settlements. The Battle of Teutoburg Forest took place near Osnabrück (as mentioned, it is disputed whether this is in Westphalia) and some of the tribes who fought at this battle came from the area of Westphalia.
[edit] Charlemagne
Charlemagne is thought to have spent considerable time in Paderborn and nearby parts. His war against the Saxons also took place (partly) in what is thought of as westphalia today. Popular legends link his adversary Widukind to places near Detmold, Bielefeld, Lemgo, Osnabrück and lots of other places in Westphalia. Widukind was buried in Enger, which is also a subject of a legend.
[edit] Middle Ages
Originally Westphalia was a part of the Duchy of Saxony, until it was elevated to the rank of a duchy by Emperor Barbarossa in 1180. The Duchy of Westphalia comprised only a small area south of the Lippe River.
There is no dominant religion in Westphalia. Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism are on relatively equal footing. Lutheranism is strong in the eastern and northern parts with numerous free churches. Münster and especially Paderborn are thought of as Catholic. Osnabrück is divided almost equally between Catholicism and Protestantism.
[edit] Prussia
Parts of Westphalia came under Prussian control during the 1600 and 1700 but most of it stayed divided little duchies and other feudal areas of power.
After the defeat of the Prussia Army at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt the Treaties of Tilsit those parts where lost and became part of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807 to 1813. It was founded by Napoleon and was a French vassal state. This state only shared the name with the historical region; it contained only a relatively small part of Westphalia, consisting instead mostly of Hessian and Eastphalian regions.
After the Congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Prussia received a large amount of territory in the Westphalian region and created the province of Westphalia in 1815. The northernmost portions of the former Westphalia, including the town of Osnabrück, had become part of the states of Hanover and Oldenburg.
The present state of North Rhine-Westphalia is composed of the former Prussian province of Westphalia, the northern half of the former Prussian Rhine Province, and the former state of Lippe.
Westphalia is known for the 1648 Peace of Westphalia (in fact the two treaties of Münster and Osnabrück), which ended the Thirty Years' War.
A linguistic definition of Westphalia includes the former Prussian province (except Siegen-Wittgenstein), Lippe and the region around Osnabrück. Present-day common use, however, restricts the notion to the present part of North Rhine-Westphalia, because of the name.
Westphalia is also the location of Baron Thunder-Ten-Tronckh's castle in Voltaire's novella Candide, from which place Candide began (and ended) his voyage.
Volkswagen released a model of their Type 2 van named the "Westfalia".
[edit] Points of interest
The biggest culture cave of Europe is located in Balve. Sir Peter Lely, appointed Principal Painter to Charles II of England in 1662 was born Pieter van der Faes in Westphalia in 1618.
In Attendorn you can find a cave with limestones.
Westphalia is the primary setting for Voltaire's Candide.
[edit] External links
- Map of Germany centered on the region
- Information and resources on the history of Westphalia on the Web portal "Westphalian History"
