Editing Minden (section)

=== Buildings ===
[[File:Haus Hill Minden.jpg|left|thumb|100px|upright|''Haus Hill'' with [[Weser Renaissance]] façade]]
[[File:MI - Proviant Magazin 2.jpg|thumb|Army bakery (left) and Granary on the ''Martinikirchhof'']]
[[File:MI - Neue Regierung.jpg|thumb|''Neue Regierung'' (1906)]]
[[Minden Cathedral]] originally dates to the 11th century, the [[westwerk]] with its entrance façade built in [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style, while the early [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[nave]] and [[aisle]]s date from the 13th Century. Most of the old buildings around the cathedral were severely destroyed by bombing during the Second World War. The cathedral was reconstructed by architect [[Werner March]] by 1957. The nearby town hall with its picturesque 13th century [[Arcade (architecture)|arcade]] is a complete postwar construction in its upper floors.

The market square is surrounded by buildings in the 19th century style of [[historicism]]. The façade of house ''Flamme/Schmieding'' obtained a twice daily clock display in 2010. It features the popular [[origin myth]] of last independent Saxon leader Duke [[Widukind]] shaking hands with [[Charlemagne]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nordsiek |first1=Marianne |title=Minda oder 'min unde din' – Die Gründungslegende Mindens im historischen Kontext |journal=Mitteilungen des Mindener Geschichtsvereins |date=1996 |volume=68 |pages=7–30 |url=https://sammlungen.ulb.uni-muenster.de/hd/periodical/titleinfo/4628390}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Minden's history |url=https://www.minden-erleben.de/tourismus/index.php/en/history-now/minden-s-history |website=www.minden-erleben.de/tourismus/index.php/en |date=10 June 2010 |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref>

The main [[pedestrian zone]] in the commercial centre of Minden extends from the  market place to the north (''Scharn'') and then turning rectangular in the Bakers' street (''Bäckerstraße'') eastward to the Weser. The present buildings mostly date from the late 19th century, but some show reconstructed façades in the [[Weser Renaissance]] manner. North of the Bakers' street are some 17th to 18th century half-[[timber framing]] buildings and the secularized St John's church, now being the event location {{lang|de|Bürgerzentrum}} (BÜZ).
The pedestrian zone continues the market place to the south as ''Obermarktstraße'' (Upper market street) and leads to the upper town centre. Its skyline is dominated from the three churches of (from south to north) St Simeon, St Martin and St Mary, the tower of the latter being an eye-catcher over a long distance. In the southwestern part of the town centre many 16th to 18th century residential buildings have remained intact.

The upper town is accessible via a short path from the market place by the St Martin's steps (''Martinitreppe'') to the St Martin's churchyard (''Martinikirchhof''), today a parking area surrounded by the St Martin's church, the  Old Mint (''Alte Münze''), the oldest secular stone building of Minden and one of the oldest in Westphalia, the ''Schwedenschänke'' (Swedish tavern bemoaning the Swedish occupation during the [[Thirty Years’ War]]), the renewed synagogue, and the Granary (''Proviant-Magazin'', now used as ''Weser-Kolleg'' school) and adjacent Army Bakery (''Heeresbäckerei'', now used as St Martin's parish centre) as military buildings of the 19th century. The last two buildings belong to the so-called Schinkel buildings (''Schinkelbauten''), as well as some buildings round the Simeon square south of the centre, for their style showing great resemblance to the manner of the famous Prussian architect [[Karl Friedrich Schinkel]]. One of the smallest buildings in Minden is the ''Windloch'' (wind hole) near St Martin's.

Some great public buildings have been placed in the glacis area from 1880 to the very modern times: the schools ''Ratsgymnasium'', ''Kurt-Tucholsky-Gesamtschule'', ''[[Herder-Gymnasium Minden|Herder-Gymnasium]]'', ''Domschule'', the Centre of justice, and the former Regional Government's building ({{lang|de|Neue Regierung}}) and the neighboured old district administration building (now the local archive) both in [[neo-renaissance]] style; the new district administration building from 1977 follows to the south.

Because of its location near to the frontier between the Kingdoms of Prussia and [[Kingdom of Hanover|Hanover]], the [[Minden station|railway station]] was strongly fortified from the beginning in 1847. Still extant are relicts of the station fortification with three forts. The station building itself is classified as an [[Cultural heritage management|historical monument]].

The picturesque {{lang|de|Fischerstadt}} (fishermens' town) lies northeast of the town centre along the Weser, where remnants of the old town fortification wall are reconstructed. In the old villages now being town quarters a lot of half-timbered houses have remained. {{lang|de|Schloss Hadenhausen}} (Haddenhausen Palace) is a 17th-century Weser Renaissance style manor house, still owned by the [[Bussche family]], on the outskirts of the town.

The Kampa-Halle from the 1970s is a large gym-complex for sports and other events.