Editing Minden (section)

==Transport==
===Rail and bus===
[[File:Bahnhof MI.jpg|thumb|[[Minden railway station]] from 1848]]
[[File:MindenFischerstadt.jpg|thumb|''Fishermen's Town''; background: bridge of the ''Minden District Railways'']]
[[Minden station]] is connecting point of the [[Hanover–Minden railway]] and the [[Hamm–Minden railway]], which are part of the main lines connecting the [[Rhine-Ruhr]] region and [[Amsterdam]] with [[Berlin]], and the secondary [[Weser-Aller Railway]] between Minden and [[Nienburg, Lower Saxony|Nienburg]]. The railway station is a stop for local and express trains such as [[Intercity-Express]] and [[InterCity]].

Regional lines:
*RE 6 (''[[Rhein-Weser-Express]]'') Düsseldorf–Bielefeld–Minden,
*RE 60 (''[[Ems-Leine-Express]]'') / RE 70 (''[[Weser-Leine-Express]]'') Bielefeld/ Rheine–Minden–Hannover–Braunschweig
*RE 78 (''[[Nienburg–Minden railway|Porta-Express]]'') Bielefeld–Minden–Nienburg

Minden is terminal station of line S 1 of the [[Hanover S-Bahn]] to Hanover. All passenger platforms are accessible to handicapped persons.

The Minden District Railways ({{lang|de|Mindener Kreisbahnen}}) run two freight lines, one from Minden to Hille (Mittelland Canal port) in the west and the other one to Kleinenbremen in the east. The [[Minden Museum Railway]] ({{lang|de|Museumseisenbahn Minden}}) operates restored locomotives and rolling stock on these lines, in Kleinenbremen with the end at the [[visitors' mine]].

The main station is connected by bus with the central bus terminal ({{lang|de|Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof}}, ''ZOB'') in the town centre, where 13 bus lines rendezvous every half-hour.<ref>{{cite web |title=Teutoburger Wald Verkehr – Minden-Lübbecke |url=https://www.twv-bus.de/de/strecken/minden-bad-oeynhausen |access-date=10 May 2022}}</ref> The local buses are coordinated with the regional buses to the other towns of the district.

===Roads===
The town lies close to the federal highways (''[[Autobahn|Bundesautobahn]]'') [[Bundesautobahn 2|A 2]] from Berlin to the Ruhr, and the [[Bundesautobahn 30|A 30]] to Amsterdam. The [[Bundesstraße|federal roads]] 61 and 65 cross in the town, the federal road 482 touches Minden as eastern ring road and connects the town with Nienburg and the next A 2-junction in Porta Westfalica. A [[dual carriageway]] connects the town to the south with Porta Wesfalica and Bad Oeynhausen. Two semicircle four-lane ring roads go around the town itself, the inner route 61 provides a town by-pass. The town centre has pay car parks and an automated guide to empty spaces.

===Waterways and harbours===
[[File:Kanal ueber der Weser.jpg|thumb|[[Minden Aqueduct]]]]
The crossing of the navigable Weser and the [[Mittelland Canal]] is an important junction of the inland waterways system. Two locks (built 1914 and 2018) connect the River with the canal to overcome a difference in height of {{convert|13|m|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Neue Weserschleuse'' (Old and new lock) |url=https://amtage.de/minden-sehenswert/neue-weserschleuse/ |website=amtage.de |date=19 August 2017 |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref> The [[multimodal transport]] harbours on both Weser and Mittelland Canal are experiencing increasing volume because of the good waterway connections to the seaports of Bremen, Bremerhaven, and Hamburg. A new container port is in construction to the east of the present Mittellandkanal harbour, the so-called "RegioPort [[Ostwestfalen-Lippe|OWL]]", straddling [[Lower Saxony]], being a seldom example of cross-State planning in the Federal Republic.

Minden hosts offices of the Waterways and Shipping Authority: Mittelland Canal / [[Elbe Lateral Canal]] ({{lang|de|Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt Mitelllandkanal/ Elbe-Seitenkanal}}) for the maintenance and regulation of these waterways.<ref>{{cite web |title=WSA MLK / ESK Dienstort Minden |url=https://www.wsa-mittellandkanal-elbe-seitenkanal.wsv.de/Webs/WSA/Mittellandkanal-ESK/DE/MLK-ESK/Geschichte/Minden/Minden_text.html?nn=1715978 |website=www.wsa-mittellandkanal-elbe-seitenkanal.wsv.de}}</ref> An information centre is by the [[Minden Aqueduct]] (''Wasserstraßenkreuz Minden''), where the canal system and the function of the locks are explained.

===Weser bridges===
[[File:Minden Glacisbrücke 2011.jpg|Pedestrian bridge|thumb]]
The Weser is bridged over by seven overpasses:  three road bridges, a railroad bridge, a pedestrian bridge, and a double aqueduct for the canal, which can be used by pedestrians, too. The main town bridge connects the town centre with the eastern suburbs and the railway station. The two relief bridges from the 1970s, the [[Gustav Heinemann|Gustav Heinemann Bridge]] in the north and the [[Theodor Heuss|Theodor Heuss Bridge]] in the south, are four-lane and lead traffic away from town centre. A railway bridge carries the Minden District Railways' tracks over the Weser toward the main station. The Glacis bridge is a pedestrian suspension bridge that provides access to {{lang|de|Kanzlers Weide}}, a large parking area and event place east of the town centre.

The next nearby road bridges are {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=on}} south at Porta Wesfalica and {{convert|20|km|0|abbr=on}} north at Petershagen.

===Bicycle===
The town is touched by two [[long-distance cycling route]]s: the {{lang|de|Weserradweg}} (Weser bicycle path) along the complete river from [[Hann. Münden]] to [[Cuxhaven]],<ref>{{cite web  |title=Weser-Radweg: Hauptroute gesamt |url=https://www.weserradweg-info.de/de/tour/fernradweg/weser-radweg-hauptroute-gesamt/8225029/#dmdtab=oax-tab3 |website=www.weserradweg-info.de |access-date=18 February 2022}}</ref> and starting point and terminus as well of the [[Westphalian Mill Route]], that connects 43 historic mills along a circular route. A [[bike freeway]] from Minden to [[Herford]] (''Radschnellweg RS 3'') is under construction.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ministry for traffic North-Rhine Westphalia |title=(Routes in planning) |url=https://www.vm.nrw.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/Archiv-des-MBWSV-2013/2013_11_20_Radschnellwege_Gewinner/index.php |website=www.vm.nrw.de |access-date=18 February 2022}}</ref>

The railway station sports a bike station. The town belongs to a working cooperative of bicycle-friendly communities in North Rhine-Westphalia aiming for bikes to exceed 20% of traffic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arbeitsgemeinschaft fußgänger- und fahrradfreundlicher Städte, Gemeinden und Kreise in NRW: Mitglieder (Members) |url=https://www.agfs-nrw.de/agfs-partner/unsere-mitglieder |website=www.agfs-nrw.de |access-date=18 February 2022}}</ref>

===Hiking===
Minden lies on the ''[[Widukind|Wittekindsweg]]'' (Wittekind's path), part of the [[E11 European long distance path#Töddenweg and Wittekindsweg (205 km)|E11 European long distance path]] from [[The Hague]] to [[Tallinn]], and on the regional [[Pilgrims' Way|pilgrims' route]] ''Sigwardsweg'', named in memory of Bishop Sigward (1120–1140).<ref>{{cite web |title=Sigwardsweg (Sigward's path) |url=https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/#route?id=238092&map=11.0/52.4023/9.138 |website=hiking.waymarkedtrails.org |access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>

A planet walk from Simeon square along the western Weser shore to the north symbolizes the planetary distances in the [[Solar System]]; it was established in 1996, when [[Pluto]] was yet regarded as planet, and therefore has a length of {{convert|5.9|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Minden planet path |url=https://www.minden-erleben.de/tourismus/index.php/en/tourism/leisure-in-minden/minden-planet-trek |website=www.minden-erleben.de |date=29 November 2004 |access-date=1 March 2022}}</ref>