Editing Herford

{{other uses}}
{{Infobox German location
| type              = Stadt
| image_photo       = Rathaus.Herford.jpg
| image_caption     = Town Hall
| image_flag        = Flagge Herford.svg
| image_coa         = Wappen von Herford.svg
| coordinates       = {{coord|52|8|N|8|41|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| image_plan        = Herford in HF.svg
| state             = Nordrhein-Westfalen
| region            = Detmold
| district          = Herford
| elevation         = 56-240
| area              = 79.16
| postal_code       = 32049, 32051, 32052
| area_code         = 05221
| licence           = HF
| Gemeindeschlüssel = 05 7 58 012
| divisions         = 12 
| website           = {{URL|https://www.herford.de/}}
| mayor             = Tim Kähler<ref>[https://www.wahlergebnisse.nrw/kommunalwahlen/2020/index_bm.shtml Wahlergebnisse in NRW Kommunalwahlen 2020], Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, accessed 21 June 2021.</ref>
| leader_term       = 2020&ndash;25
| party             = SPD
| year              = 789
}}
'''Herford''' ({{IPA|de|ˈhɛɐ̯ˌfɔɐ̯t|-|De-Herford.ogg}}; {{langx|nds|Hiarwede}}) 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 situated in the cultural region of [[Ostwestfalen-Lippe]] (OWL) and the [[Detmold (administrative region)|administrative region of Detmold]]. It is the capital of the [[Districts of Germany|district]] (''Landkreis'') of [[Herford (district)|Herford]].

== Geography ==

=== Geographic location ===
The former [[Hanseatic League|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 [[Westfälische Aa|Aa]] joins the river [[Werre]] in the centre of the town.  The Stuckenberg is located east of the town.

=== Neighbouring towns ===
* West: [[Enger]], [[Hiddenhausen]]
* North: [[Löhne]]
* North-East: [[Vlotho]]
* South-East: [[Bad Salzuflen]] ([[Lippe]] district)
* South-West: [[Bielefeld]]

=== Districts ===
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
* Altstädter Feldmark
* Neustädter Feldmark
* Radewiger Feldmark
* Diebrock¹
* Eickum¹
* Elverdissen¹
* Falkendiek¹
* Herringhausen¹
* Laar¹
* Schwarzenmoor¹
* Stedefreund¹
{{div col end}}

==History==
The town was founded in 789 by [[Charlemagne]] in order to guard a [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] in the narrow [[Werre River|Werre river]]. A century later, [[Matilda of Ringelheim|Matilda]], daughter of [[Dietrich of Ringelheim]], a count of [[Saxony]], grew up in the [[Herford Abbey|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]].

[[File:Muensterkirche-sideview.jpg|thumb|left|Herford Minster]]
[[File:St.Johannis.Herford.jpg|thumb|left|Saint John's Church]]
[[File:Herford MARTa 88.jpg|thumb|right|MARTa-Museum]]
[[File:Herford Jakobikirche IMGP2635 wp.jpg|thumb|left|Saint James' Church]]
[[File:St Marien Herford1.JPG|thumb|right|Saint Mary's Church]]
[[File:Cruewell-Haus.jpg|thumb|right|Bürgermeisterhaus]]
[[File:Wulfert-Haus Herford.jpg|thumb|right|Wulferthaus]]
[[File:Fruehherrenhaus Herford.jpg|thumb|right|Frühherrenhaus]]

==Culture and sights==

===Sights===
* The Herford Minster (Münsterkirche) is a late [[Romanesque architecture|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 architecture|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 [[Baroque Revival architecture|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 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 '''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==
{{expand section|date=April 2023}}
*[[Vivani]] organic chocolate

==Military==
Herford was the location of the headquarters of the [[1st (United Kingdom) Division|1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division]] at [[Westfalen Garrison]], part of [[British Forces Germany]], until the division moved to the United Kingdom in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/soldiers-start-germany-farewell-30441277.html|title=Soldiers start Germany farewell|newspaper=Belfasttelegraph |date=18 July 2014|agency=PA|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref>

The [[British Forces Broadcasting Service]] (BFBS) studio for Germany was located in Wentworth Barracks until 2009 when it moved to Hohne.

7th Signal Regiment, based at Maresfield Barracks on Stadtholz Strasse, received the honour of the Freedom of Herford in 1973 Becoming the first British military unit to receive the freedom of a German city.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Herford is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Internationale Kontakte: Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.herford.de/Meine-Stadt/St%C3%A4dtepartner-schaften/index.php?object=tx,2593.8&ModID=7&FID=2593.501.1&NavID=2593.30&La=1&NavID=2593.30&La=1&regkarte=2|website=herford.de|publisher=Herford|language=de|access-date=2021-02-14}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Hinckley and Bosworth|Hinckley]], England, United Kingdom (1972)
*{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Fredericia Municipality|Fredericia]], Denmark (1987)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Quincy, Illinois|Quincy]], United States (1991)

===Friendly cities===
Herford also has friendly relations with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Internationale Kontakte: Städtefreundschaften|url=https://www.herford.de/Meine-Stadt/St%C3%A4dtepartner-schaften/index.php?object=tx,2593.8.1&ModID=7&FID=2593.501.1&NavID=2593.30&La=1&NavID=2593.30&La=1&regkarte=3|website=herford.de|publisher=Herford|language=de|access-date=2021-02-14}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|CRO}} [[Vodice, Croatia|Vodice]], Croatia (1974)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]], Poland (1995)
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Manavgat]], Turkey (2008)
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Xinbei District|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 ([[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]])
* [[Otto Weddigen]] (1882–1915), [[submarine]]-commander in [[World War I]]
* [[Carl Menckhoff]] (1883–1949), WWI Fighter Ace
* [[Hermann Höpker-Aschoff]] (1883–1954), politician ([[German Democratic Party|DDP]], [[Freie Demokratische Partei|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
* [[Rolf Weinberg]] (1919-2011), member of French World War II resistance

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Herford}}
* {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
{{Cities and towns in Herford (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Free imperial cities]]
[[Category:Herford (district)]]
[[Category:Members of the Hanseatic League]]