Herford

Herford

Town Hall

Coat of arms
Herford

Coordinates: 52°8′0″N 8°41′0″E / 52.13333°N 8.68333°E / 52.13333; 8.68333Coordinates: 52°8′0″N 8°41′0″E / 52.13333°N 8.68333°E / 52.13333; 8.68333
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Detmold
District Herford
Founded 789
Government
 • Mayor Tim Kähler (SPD)
Area
 • Total 78.95 km2 (30.48 sq mi)
Elevation 56-240 m (−731 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)[1]
 • Total 66,521
 • Density 840/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 32049, 32051, 32052
Dialling codes 05221
Vehicle registration HF
Website www.herford.de

Herford (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛɐ̯fɔɐ̯t]) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.

Geography

Geographic location

The former Hanseatic town of Herford is situated in the chain of hills south of the Wiehen Hills (Ravensberg Hills). The highest place is the Dornberg (240 m) in the Schwarzenmoor district; the lowest point (56 m) is located in the Werretal in the Falkendiek district. The River Aa joins the river Werre in the centre of the town. The Stuckenberg is located east of the town.

Sports

The Herforder Ev (Ice Dragons) play in the regionaliga and have been a regular winning team. They draw an average of 800 fans.

Neighbouring towns

Districts

  • Altstädter Feldmark
  • Neustädter Feldmark
  • Radewiger Feldmark
  • Diebrock¹
  • Eickum¹
  • Elverdissen¹
  • Falkendiek¹
  • Herringhausen¹
  • Laar¹
  • Schwarzenmoor¹
  • Stedefreund¹

History

The town was founded in 789 by Charlemagne in order to guard a ford crossing the narrow Werre river. A century later, Matilda, daughter of Theudebert, duke of Saxony, grew up in the abbey of Herford; she was a descendant of the Saxon leader Widukind. In Herford she met Henry the Fowler, who later became king of Germany.

In late medieval times Herford was a member of the Hanseatic League. It was a Free Imperial City, i.e. it was directly subordinated to the emperor. This status was lost after the Peace of Westphalia (1648), when Herford was annexed by Brandenburg-Prussia. It was administered within the Province of Westphalia following the Napoleonic Wars, and made part of the new state North Rhine-Westphalia after World War II.

Herford Minster
Saint John's Church
MARTa-Museum
Saint Jacob's Church
Saint Mary's Church
Bürgermeisterhaus
Wulferthaus
Frühherrenhaus

Culture and sights

Sights

Museums

The MARTa Herford, a museum for contemporary art and design, housed in a building designed by Frank Gehry, has been open to the public since May 2005. Its exhibits change regularly. The current artistic director is Roland Nachtigäller.

The Daniel-Pöppelmann-Haus in Herford explores the history of the city, and the Memorial and Meeting Place Cell Block, in the basement of the city hall, documents the persecution and the obliteration of minorities. Plans to construct a museum of city history next to the city hall and the Minster church have been postponed.

Music and theatre

Herford is the seat of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie (Northwest German Philharmonic) which performs regularly in the Stadtpark Schützenhof as well as many neighbouring cities in North Rhine-Westphalia. Eugene Tzigane is the principal conductor designate (2010–present). The current director is Andreas Kuntze.

The Stadttheater (Municipal theatre) provides seats for 706 viewers and it is served by visiting theatre companies.

Events at regular intervals

Military

Herford was the location of the headquarters of the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division at Westfalen Garrison, part of British Forces Germany, until the division moved to the United Kingdom in 2015.[2]

The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) studio for Germany was located in Wentworth Barracks until 2009 when it moved to Hohne.

Herford had a large Naafi shopping complex off Minden Str. The Russians (soxmis) legalised Spy's were living in Bunde a few Kilometres away from Herford and regularly they could be seen shopping in the Naafi complex. This was part of the cold war!

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Herford is twinned with:

City-friendships include:

Born in Herford

References

  1. ↑ "Amtliche Bevölkerungszahlen". Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW (in German). 18 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "Soldiers start Germany farewell". Daily Mail. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "45 ans de jumelage : Histoire de cités Le jumelage à Voiron" [45 years of twinning: The history of Voiron's twin towns]. Voiron Hôtel de Ville [Voiron council] (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  4. ↑ "Kreis de Herford : (Allemagne) Ville jumelée avec Voiron" [Kreis de Herford, Germany: Twin town of Voiron]. Voiron Hôtel de Ville [Voiron council] (in French). Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  5. ↑ "Hinckley, UK - Herford, Germany twinning". Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
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