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Minden (inhabited place) |
Coordinates: |
| Lat: 52 17 00 N degrees minutes |
Lat: 52.2833 decimal degrees |
| Long: 008 55 00 E degrees minutes |
Long: 8.9167 decimal degrees |
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Note: The city of Minden is situated on the Weser river where it is crossed by the Mittelland Canal aqueduct in the district of Detmold in the northwestern German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, near the Minden water gap. The Romans initially settled the site, when it was known under the name Minthun. Charlemagne founded a military bishopric around the site in 800. Minden joined the Hanseatic League in the 13th century and prospered in trade and commerce. The town with the entire episcopal see passed to Brandenburg in 1648 and became a secular entity. The Prussian king Frederick II the Great fortified it in the18th century. It was occupied by French troops briefly during the Seven Years' Was but returned to Prussia with the Hanoverian and British victory at the Battle of Minden in 1759. It changed hands between Westphalia and Prussia in the early 19th century. It was heavily damaged in World War II. Minden today is an important center for rail, ship, and highway transportation. It has diverse industries including chemicals, glass, furniture, textiles, ceramics, heavy metals, farming, and cattle raising. Its surviving historic architecture includes the restored Gothic town hall and a cathedral, the medieval churches of St. Martin and St. Mary, and several "Weser Renaissance" houses. The estimated population for 2004 was 82,800. |
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Minden (inhabited place) (P) |
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Place Types: |
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| inhabited place (preferred, C) |
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founded by Romans, revived by Charlemagne in 800 CE, fortified in mid-18th century |
| city (C) |
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| manufacturing center (C) |
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produces textiles, furniture, chemicals, ceramics, glass, and heavy metals |
| transportation center (C) |
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important road and rail center, at junction of waterways, famed for Mittelland Canal aqueduct across the Weser river |
| agricultural center (C) |
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for farming and cattle breeding in surrounding countryside |
| battlefield (H) |
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site of British and Hanoverian victory over French in 1759, after which the city reverted back to Prussia |
| episcopal see (H) |
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organized by Charlemagne in 800, bishopric was secularized in 1648 |
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