Herford (district)

Herford (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛʁfɔʁt]) is a Kreis (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Minden-Lübbecke, Lippe, the urban district of Bielefeld, and the districts Gütersloh and Osnabrück.

Herford
District
CountryGermany
StateNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Adm. regionDetmold
CapitalHerford
Area
 • Total449.95 km2 (173.73 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2018)[1]
 • Total250,783
 • Density560/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Vehicle registrationHF
Websitehttp://www.kreis-herford.de

History

The region is also known as Wittekind's land, as the last fights of Wittekind's Saxon tribes against Charlemagne took place here. He is believed to be buried in the town of Enger.

When the area became part of the Prussian province Westphalia, the first district Herford was created in 1816. In 1832 it was merged with the district Bünde. In 1911, the city of Herford left the district; however, it lost its status as an independent urban district in 1969. The district reached its current size in 1973 when the municipality Uffeln, which was formerly in the district Minden, was merged into the city Vlotho.

Geography

The district is located between the three mountain chains of the Wiehen Hills in the north and the Teutoburg Forest in the south. To the northeast it is bounded by the Weser river.

Coat of arms
The black horse of Wittekind is depicted in the coat of arms of the district. After Wittekind was baptized Charlemagne gave him a white horse as present, which is now in the coat of arms of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.

Towns and municipalities
Towns and municipalities in Kreis Herford
Towns Municipalities
  1. Bünde
  2. Enger
  3. Herford
  4. Löhne
  5. Spenge
  6. Vlotho
  1. Hiddenhausen
  2. Kirchlengern
  3. Rödinghausen

References
  1. "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2018" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 10 July 2019.

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