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Detmold
	Detmold
	The princely castle.
	; Detmold
Coordinates	51°56′0″N 8°53′0″E / 51.933333°N 8.883333°E
	Administration
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Detmold
District	Lippe
Town subdivisions	26
Mayor	Rainer Heller (SPD)
	Basic statistics
Area	129.39 km2 (49.96 sq mi)
Elevation	134 m (440 ft)
Population	73,707 (31 December 2006)
- Density	570 /km2 (1,475 /sq mi)
	Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	LIP
Postal codes	32701–32760
Area codes	05231/05232
Website	www.detmold.de
Location of the town of Detmold within Lippe district

This article is about the city in Germany. For other uses, see Detmold (disambiguation).

Detmold (German pronunciation: [ˈdɛtmɔlt]) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of about 74,000. It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of the district of Lippe and of Regierungsbezirk Detmold.

[edit] History

[edit] Middle Ages

Detmold was first mentioned in 783 as Theotmalli, and in 1005 a Tietmelli or Theotmalli region (Gau) is referred to in documents. In 1263, Bernard III of Lippe fortified the settlement at the crossing of the trade route from Paderborn to Lemgo over the Werre River with stone walls and granted it a municipal charter. Its population was reported in 1305 as 305. Market rights granted in 1265 led to rapid economic development. Its defenses were greatly strengthened after severe damage had been inflicted on the town during the conflict with Soest in 1447. A major fire in 1547 destroyed more than 70 houses.

Engraving of a view of the town of Detmold by Matthäus Merian, 1647

In 1550, Detmold became the permanent residence of Count Simon III of Lippe. The counts were elevated to princes in 1789, and Detmold remained the capital of the small Principality of Lippe until the end of the First World War in 1918, when all princely states in Germany were abolished.

[edit] Modern era

Street lighting was introduced in 1809, with oil-fired lanterns. By 1835, the town had become the most populous in Lippe, with over 4,000 residents. It grew to 12,000 in 1900 and over 30,000 in 1950.

From 1919 to 1947, Detmold was the capital of the Free State of Lippe. When Lippe was incorporated into the new German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the town became the seat of the Lippe district, and since 1972 it is the seat of the county administration of Lippe. With the administrative reform of 1970, 25 nearby villages were incorporated into the city.

[edit] Main sights

Hochschule für Musik Detmold (Music Academy of Detmold)
Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe (Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences)
Westfälisches Freilichtmuseum Detmold (Westfalian Open Air Museum)
Lippisches Landesmuseum (Museum)
Landestheater Detmold (Theater)
Hermannsdenkmal (Arminius Monument)
Adlerwarte Berlebeck (Falconry)
Fürstliches Residenzschloß, a Renaissance castle in the center of the town park.
Donoper Teich (pond)
Hasselbachteich (pond)
Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen (bird sanctuary)