Detmold (German pronunciation: [ˈdɛtmɔlt] ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of 74,438. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of the district of Lippe and of the Regierungsbezirk Detmold. The Church of Lippe has its central administration located in Detmold. The Reformed Redeemer Church is the preaching venue of the state superintendent of the Lippe church.
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History
Iron Age
About 5 kilometres (3 mi) to the southwest of Detmold is the Grotenburg hill with a prehistoric circular rampart and the Hermann monument (German: Hermannsdenkmal). The monument commemorates the so-called Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, a battle in 9 AD which may or may not have been fought close to the present location of Detmold. In this encounter, Germanic tribes led by Hermann (Latin: Arminius) defeated Roman legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus.
Middle Ages
Detmold was first mentioned as Theotmalli in 783, the year of a battle between the Saxons and Charlemagne's forces nearby. This was an event in the Saxon Wars. In 1005 a Tietmelli or Theotmalli region (Gau) is referred to in documents.
In 1263, Bernard III of Lippe fortified the settlement at the crossing of the trade route from Paderborn to Lemgo over the Werre River with stone walls and granted it a municipal charter. Its population was reported in 1305 as 305. Market rights granted in 1265 led to rapid economic development. Its defenses were greatly strengthened after severe damage had been inflicted on the town during the conflict with Soest in 1447. A major fire in 1547 destroyed more than 70 houses.
In 1550, Detmold became the permanent residence of Count Simon III of Lippe. The counts were elevated to princes in 1789, and Detmold remained the capital of the small Principality of Lippe until the end of the World War I in 1918, when all princely states in Germany were abolished. Today, Stephan, Prince of Lippe is the owner of Detmold Castle.
Modern era
Street lighting was introduced in 1809, with oil-fired lanterns. By 1835, the town had become the most populous in Lippe, with over 4,000 residents. It grew to 12,000 in 1900 and over 30,000 in 1950.
From 1919 to 1947, Detmold was the capital of the Free State of Lippe. The Lippische Landes-Zeitung started in 1878 and, in co-operation with other regional papers, is still published today. The competing Lippische Tageszeitung was published in Detmold from 1896 until 1938. During the Nazi years (1933–1945), the Lippische Staatszeitung was the official party and government publication. When Lippe was incorporated into the new German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the town became the seat of the Lippe district, and since 1972 it has been the seat of the district administration of Lippe. With the administrative reform of 1970, 25 nearby villages were incorporated into the city.
The former Hobart Barracks is nearby.
Main sights
Adlerwarte Berlebeck (falconry)
Donoper Teich (pond)
Externsteine
Fürstliches Residenzschloß, a Renaissance castle in the center of the town park
Hasselbachteich (pond)
Hermannsdenkmal (Arminius monument)
Hochschule für Musik Detmold (Music Academy of Detmold)
Technische Hochschule OWL (OWL=Ostwestfalen-Lippe)
Landestheater Detmold, Detmolder Sommertheater
Lippisches Landesmuseum (museum)
LWL-Freilichtmuseum Detmold (Detmold open-air museum)
Martin Luther Church (Detmold)
Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen (bird sanctuary)
Culture
The highlights in Detmold are the school for music and the Landestheater Detmold.
The town also supports the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie for regular symphony concerts.
Transport
There is no airport in the city. The nearest airports are:
Paderborn Lippstadt Airport, located 35 km (22 mi) south west.
Münster Osnabrück International Airport, located 116 km (72 mi) north west.
Hannover Airport, located 116 km (72 mi) north east.
Düsseldorf Airport, located 194 km (121 mi) south west.
Schools
Gymnasium Leopoldinum, founded 1602
Stadtgymnasium Detmold, founded 1830
Christian-Dietrich-Grabbe-Gymnasium, founded 1925
Twin towns – sister cities
Detmold is twinned with:
Hasselt, Belgium
Saint-Omer, France
Savonlinna, Finland
Zeitz, Germany
Oraiokastro, Greece
Notable people
Notable people born in Detmold include:
Friedrich Adolph Lampe (1683–1729), theologian
Simon August, Count of Lippe-Detmold (1727–1782), Count of Lippe
Leopold I, Prince of Lippe (1767–1802), Prince of Lippe
Leopold Zunz (1794–1886), scientist, founder of Reform Judaism.
Leopold II, Prince of Lippe (1796–1851), Prince of Lippe
Christian Dietrich Grabbe (1801–1836), alongside Georg Büchner the most important innovator of German-language drama in his time.
Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810–1876), poet and author
Leopold III, Prince of Lippe (1821–1875), Prince of Lippe
Ferdinand Weerth (1774–1836), Pastor and School Reformer
Georg Weerth (1822–1856), writer and poet.
Gustav Wallis (1830–1878), botanist and South American traveler
Joseph Plaut (1879–1966), actor, spieler, elocutionist, singer and regional poet
Jürgen Stroop (1895–1952), Nazi general of the SS, executed for war crimes
Werner Buchholz (1922–2019), engineer, creator of the art word byte
Manfred Fuhrmann (1925–2005), old philologist