Bielefeld: from medieval trading post to modern urban centre

Bielefeld was founded in 1214 by Duke Hermann von Ravensberg. A man of great foresight, he chose a favourable location at the intersection of two old trading routes near a pass through the Teutoburg Forest. This paved the way for the emergence of a typical mercantile town with a large market and grand town houses that remain features of Bielefeld to this day.

Evolving with the times: Bielefeld down the ages.
Many a merchant took advantage of the freedoms granted by the ruler of this new town, thus shaping the development of the town from the very beginning. Trade in cloth and linen, sought-after goods at the time, brought Bielefeld a period of great prosperity, which is today reflected in the buildings on Alter Markt square, the Old Town Hall and the Church of St. Nicholas in the old quarter.

But the demand for linen eventually dwindled. And Bielefeld underwent a transformation from trading centre to industrial hub. Walking around the city you can see the changes this brought. New residential quarters were established with distinctive two and three-storey houses. In the early 20th century, a number of prestige buildings sprung up, including the New Town Hall, the theatre which combines baroque and art nouveau architecture, the Old Post Office with its ornamental Renaissance facade, the art nouveau train station and the synagogue, whose towering dome is visible for miles around. The end of the century saw the arrival of the Kunsthalle art gallery, the Stadthalle and Seidensticker Halle events centres, the Historical Museum and the Huelsmann Museum in Ravensberg Park. Not only did these buildings herald another dramatic change to the Bielefeld cityscape over a short period of time, but they also significantly enhanced its choice of culture and entertainment. In 1969 Bielefeld became a university city. All faculties are housed under one roof in the west of the city, overlooked by the Teutoburg Forest. A good 300 metres in length, the university's Great Hall is its main meeting place and an architectural triumph.

Celebrating according to tradition: markets, festivals and the Hermannslauf run
Every May Bielefeld's old town is the venue for the Linen Weavers Market, whose fairground rides and festivities keep people entertained for several days. Other annual events include the medieval games at Castle Sparrenburg in July and the September wine festival in the old quarter. The year traditionally closes with the Christmas market. This also takes places in the old town, against a backdrop of more than 100 festively decorated timber-framed houses. Another of the city's traditions is the Hermannslauf, which takes runners from the Hermann the Cheruscan monument in Detmold to Sparrenburg Castle in Bielefeld across the hills of the Teutoburg Forest.