Herford

Herford 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) ice hockey club plays in the Regionaliga, and have enjoyed regular success. They draw an average of 800 fans.
Neighbouring towns
West: Enger, Hiddenhausen
North: Löhne
North-East: Vlotho
South-East: Bad Salzuflen (Lippe district)
South-West: Bielefeld
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 in the narrow Werre river. A century later, Matilda, daughter of Dietrich of Ringelheim, a count 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.
Culture and sights
Sights
The Herford Minster (Münsterkirche) is a late Romanesque hall church, built about 1220-1250 for the Fürstabtei Herford (Herford monastery). It is one of the earliest hall churches in Germany
St. James' (Jakobikirche/Radewiger Kirche) is a late Gothic hall church (1330)
St. John's (St. Johannis/Neustädter Kirche) is a late Gothic hall church (1340)
St. Mary's (St. Marien auf dem Berge) is also a late Gothic hall church. It was completed about 1325/50 and part of a monastery
Town hall, built 1913-16 by Paul Kanold in Neo-Baroque forms
Neustädter Rathaus (former town hall), built 1600, aesthetic pediment 1930 removed, 1988/89 reconstructed
Remensnider-Haus, Brüderstraße 26, a late Gothic half-timbered building from 1521
Kantorhaus, Elisabethstraße 2, a half-timbered building, about 1484/1494
Holland 21, half-timbered building, 1554
Holland 39, half-timbered building, 1559
Bürgermeisterhaus, Höckerstraße 4, a late Gothic stone building from 1538 with a stepped gable similar to houses in Münster and Bielefeld
Frühherrenstraße 11, a Renaissance building, 1591
Wulfert-Haus, Neuer Markt 2 with a brick-built Renaissance gable, 1560
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
Easter Fair around Easter (Oster-Kirmes)
Jazz Festival May - Performances of different jazz artists in a couple of bars
Organ Summer
Visions Fair June
Summer Stage Summer (Sommerbühne) - Concerts at the square between city hall and market hall
Hoekerfest August - Municipal festival with plenty of events in the city centre
City Fair October - In the city centre
Herbstzeitlos (Autumnally timeless) Autumn - Exhibition at the former depot site
Wine Festival Autumn - At Gänsemarkt
Christmas Lights December - Municipal Christmas fair (Weihnachtsmarkt)
Economy
Vivani organic chocolate
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.
The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) studio for Germany was located in Wentworth Barracks until 2009 when it moved to Hohne.
Twin towns – sister cities
Herford is twinned with:
Hinckley, England, United Kingdom (1972)
Fredericia, Denmark (1987)
Friendly cities
Herford also has friendly relations with:
Vodice, Croatia (1974)
Quincy, United States (1991)
Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland (1995)
Manavgat, Turkey (2008)
Xinbei (Jiangsu), China (2015)
Notable people
Heinrich von Herford (c. 1300–1370)
Gerhard Friedrich Müller (1705–1783), explorer of Siberia
Karl Ludwig Costenoble (1769–1837), actor and theatre director
Frederick August Otto Schwarz (1836–1911), founder of FAO Schwarz toystore
Friedrich Adolf Richter (1847–1910), founder of Richter (toy company)
Carl Severing (1875–1952), politician (SPD)
Otto Weddigen (1882–1915), submarine-commander in World War I
Hermann Höpker-Aschoff (1883–1954), politician (DDP, FDP)
Karl Steinhoff (1892–1981), Minister-president (Ministerpräsident) of the German state (Land) of Brandenburg
Reinhard Maack (1892–1969), explorer, geologist and geographer
Erich Gutenberg (1897–1984), economist
Heinz Röttger (1909–1977), composer
Hans Kornberg (1928–2019), biochemist
Wilhelm Leber (born 1947), mathematician
Bernd Sponheuer (born 1948), musicologist
Marian Gold (born 1954), singer-songwriter
Karl-Heinz Wiesemann (born 1960), 96th Bishop of Speyer
Jörg Rüpke (born 1962), academic, scholar of comparative religion and classical philology
Thomas Helmer (born 1965), footballer
Philipp Heithölter (born 1982), footballer
Diego Demme (born 1991), footballer
Carlotta Wamser (born 2003), footballer
References
External links
Free imperial cities
Herford (district)
Members of the Hanseatic League