Bielefeld

{{stack|

{{Quote box |width=20em |align=right |bgcolor=#B0C4DE

|title=Historical Affiliations

|fontsize=90% |quote=Holy Roman Empire 1214–

Hanseatic League 14th century–

Berg (state) 1346–

Margraviate of Brandenburg 1614–

Minden-Ravensberg 1719–1807

Kingdom of Westphalia

Kingdom of Prussia (Province of Westphalia) 1815–

}}

File:Bielefeld Innenstadt.jpg

File:Bielefeld Niederwall Wasserspiel über Stadtbahntunnel.jpg

}}

Founded in 1214 by Count Hermann IV of Ravensberg to guard a pass crossing the Teutoburg Forest, Bielefeld was the "city of linen" as a minor member of the Hanseatic League, known for bleachfields into the 19th century.Hamburgh Mail, The Times 14 December 1816 Bielefeld was part of the Kingdom of Westphalia when it was created in 1807.The Times, 9 November 1809; Letters to the Editor In 1815 it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia following the defeat of France and the Congress of Vienna.The Times, 26 August 1815; News

After the Cologne-Minden railway opened in 1849, the Bozi brothers constructed the first large mechanised spinning mill in 1851. The Ravensberg Spinning Mill was built from 1854 to 1857, and metal works began to open in the 1860s.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Founded in 1867 as a Bielefeld sewing machine repair company, Dürkoppwerke AG employed 1,665 people in 1892; it used Waffenamt code "WaA547" from 1938 to 1939 as the Dürkopp-Werke, and merged with other Bielefeld companies to form Dürkopp Adler AG in 1990.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Between 1904 and 1930, Bielefeld grew, opening a rebuilt railway station, a municipal theatre, and finally, the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle concert hall, renowned for its excellent acoustics.{{cite web |url=http://www.bielefeld.de/en/history/ |title=Bielefeld – History |publisher=Bielefeld.de |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427102530/http://www.bielefeld.de/en/history/ |archive-date=27 April 2009 |url-status=dead }} The Dürkopp car was produced 1898–1927. After printing emergency money ({{langx|de|Notgeld}}) in 1923 during the inflation in the Weimar Republic, Bielefeld was one of several towns that printed very attractive and highly collectable banknotes with designs on silk, linen and velvet. These pieces were issued by the Bielefeld Stadtsparkasse (town's savings bank) and were sent all around the world in the early 1920s. These pieces are known as Stoffgeld – that is, money made from fabric.Many examples can be found on the {{cite web |url=http://www.notgeld.com |title=Archived copy |access-date=15 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010231515/http://www.notgeld.com/ |archive-date=10 October 2016 }} website, where a new catalogue listing all the variants of different coloured borders and edges made on the 100m piece is being compiled.

The town's synagogue was burned in 1938 during the Kristallnacht pogrom carried out against Jewish population. In 1944, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the USAAF bombed the gas works at Bielefeld on 20 September{{cite web|url=http://www.ccsu.edu/cppsr/VHP/homepage/veterans/Taylor_John.htm |title=Veterans History Project |publisher=Central Connecticut State University |date=24 February 2005 |access-date=7 April 2011}} and the marshaling yard on 30 September;{{cite web |last=McKillop |first=Jack |url=http://www.usaaf.net/chron/index.htm |title=Combat Chronology of the USAAF |access-date=25 May 2007 |publisher=USAAF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610115615/http://www.usaaf.net/chron/index.htm |archive-date=10 June 2007 }}[https://web.archive.org/web/20071005171553/http://www.usaaf.net/chron/44/sep44.htm September 1944] Bielefeld was bombed again on 7 October[https://web.archive.org/web/20031031115303/http://usaaf.net/chron/44/oct44.htm McKillop, October 1944] and the RAF bombed the town on the night of 4/5 December.{{cite web |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/dec44.html |title=War Diary December 1944 |work= Bomber Command 60th Anniversary |publisher=Raf.mod.uk |access-date=7 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606110620/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/dec44.html |archive-date=6 June 2011 }} On 17 January 1945, B-17s bombed the nearby Paderborn marshalling yard, and the railway viaduct in the suburb of Schildesche.[https://web.archive.org/web/20040323103022/http://www.usaaf.net/chron/45/jan45.htm McKillop, January 1945] On 14 March the RAF bombed the viaduct again, wrecking it. This was the first use of the RAF's 10 tonne Grand Slam bomb. American troops entered the city in April 1945.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Due to the presence of a number of barracks built during the 1930s and its location next to the main East-West Autobahn in northern Germany, after World War II Bielefeld became a headquarters town for the fighting command of the British Army of the Rhine – BAOR (the administrative and strategic headquarters were at Rheindahlen near the Dutch border). Until the 1980s there was a large British presence in the barracks housing the headquarters of the British First Corps and support units, as well as schools, NAAFI shops, officers' and sergeants' messes and several estates of married quarters. The British presence was heavily scaled back after the reunification of Germany and most of the infrastructure has disappeared.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

In 1973 the first villages on the south side of the Teutoburg Forest were incorporated.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Starting in 1994, the city has been featured in the humorous Bielefeld conspiracy, which satirises conspiracy theories by claiming that the city does not exist.

Bielefeld is subdivided into the following ten (10) districts:

• Bielefeld-Mitte (downtown)
• Brackwede
• Dornberg
• Gadderbaum
• Heepen
• Jöllenbeck
• Schildesche
• Senne
• Sennestadt
• Stieghorst

Bielefeld has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dobk). The average annual high temperature is {{convert|14.6|°C|1}}, the annual low temperature is {{convert|5.4|°C|1}}, and the annual precipitation is {{convert|866.4|mm|2|abbr=off}}.

The Alzey weather station has recorded the following extreme values:

• Its highest temperature was {{convert|39.0|C|F}} on 25 July 2019.
• Its lowest temperature was {{convert|-21.3|C|F}} on 13 February 2021.
• Its greatest annual precipitation was {{convert|1466.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 2023.
• Its least annual precipitation was {{convert|652.6|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 2018.
• The longest annual sunshine was 1,918.3 hours in 2022.
• The shortest annual sunshine was 1,418.4 hours in 2013.

{{Weather box

|location = Bielefeld (1991–2020 normals, extremes 2006–present)

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 16.4

|Feb record high C = 19.2

|Mar record high C = 24.5

|Apr record high C = 27.4

|May record high C = 30.1

|Jun record high C = 34.7

|Jul record high C = 39.0

|Aug record high C = 36.9

|Sep record high C = 33.3

|Oct record high C = 27.2

|Nov record high C = 20.0

|Dec record high C = 17.4

|year record high C = 39.0

|Jan avg record high C = 11.6

|Feb avg record high C = 12.3

|Mar avg record high C = 18.5

|Apr avg record high C = 24.1

|May avg record high C = 26.6

|Jun avg record high C = 30.9

|Jul avg record high C = 33.4

|Aug avg record high C = 32.7

|Sep avg record high C = 27.8

|Oct avg record high C = 22.3

|Nov avg record high C = 16.5

|Dec avg record high C = 12.6

|year avg record high C = 35.0

|Jan high C = 4.9

|Feb high C = 6.0

|Mar high C = 9.9

|Apr high C = 15.5

|May high C = 18.7

|Jun high C = 22.1

|Jul high C = 24.3

|Aug high C = 24.0

|Sep high C = 19.8

|Oct high C = 14.5

|Nov high C = 9.3

|Dec high C = 6.1

|year high C = 14.6

|Jan mean C = 2.6

|Feb mean C = 2.9

|Mar mean C = 5.6

|Apr mean C = 9.8

|May mean C = 13.0

|Jun mean C = 16.4

|Jul mean C = 18.2

|Aug mean C = 18.0

|Sep mean C = 14.3

|Oct mean C = 10.5

|Nov mean C = 6.5

|Dec mean C = 3.9

|year mean C = 10.1

|Jan low C = -0.1

|Feb low C = -0.2

|Mar low C = 1.2

|Apr low C = 3.5

|May low C = 6.6

|Jun low C = 10.3

|Jul low C = 11.9

|Aug low C = 12.0

|Sep low C = 9.0

|Oct low C = 6.6

|Nov low C = 3.5

|Dec low C = 1.3

|year low C = 5.4

|Jan avg record low C = -8.9

|Feb avg record low C = -7.5

|Mar avg record low C = -5.0

|Apr avg record low C = -2.6

|May avg record low C = 0.0

|Jun avg record low C = 4.8

|Jul avg record low C = 6.5

|Aug avg record low C = 6.7

|Sep avg record low C = 2.8

|Oct avg record low C = -0.4

|Nov avg record low C = -3.7

|Dec avg record low C = -6.2

|year avg record low C = -11.1

|Jan record low C = -20.2

|Feb record low C = -21.3

|Mar record low C = -14.7

|Apr record low C = -5.6

|May record low C = -1.5

|Jun record low C = 0.8

|Jul record low C = 4.7

|Aug record low C = 5.2

|Sep record low C = -0.3

|Oct record low C = -4.4

|Nov record low C = -9.1

|Dec record low C = -20.0

|year record low C = -21.3

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 101.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 69.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 62.9

|Apr precipitation mm = 35.2

|May precipitation mm = 64.7

|Jun precipitation mm = 71.5

|Jul precipitation mm = 72.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 83.0

|Sep precipitation mm = 60.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 70.7

|Nov precipitation mm = 78.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 96.7

|year precipitation mm = 866.4

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 20.8

|Feb precipitation days = 16.7

|Mar precipitation days = 15.7

|Apr precipitation days = 12.1

|May precipitation days = 14.3

|Jun precipitation days = 14.6

|Jul precipitation days = 16.7

|Aug precipitation days = 16.5

|Sep precipitation days = 14.0

|Oct precipitation days = 16.7

|Nov precipitation days = 18.6

|Dec precipitation days = 21.6

|year precipitation days = 198.3

|Jan snow depth cm = 5.8

|Feb snow depth cm = 2.7

|Mar snow depth cm = 1.3

|Apr snow depth cm = 0

|May snow depth cm = 0

|Jun snow depth cm = 0

|Jul snow depth cm = 0

|Aug snow depth cm = 0

|Sep snow depth cm = 0

|Oct snow depth cm = 0

|Nov snow depth cm = 0.9

|Dec snow depth cm = 4.9

|year snow depth cm = 8.8

|humidity colour = green

|Jan humidity = 87.1

|Feb humidity = 82.8

|Mar humidity = 77.5

|Apr humidity = 72.3

|May humidity = 74.0

|Jun humidity = 75.6

|Jul humidity = 74.1

|Aug humidity = 75.5

|Sep humidity = 80.8

|Oct humidity = 85.3

|Nov humidity = 87.9

|Dec humidity = 87.7

|year humidity = 80.0

|Jan sun = 40.8

|Feb sun = 69.2

|Mar sun = 134.0

|Apr sun = 181.6

|May sun = 217.9

|Jun sun = 216.1

|Jul sun = 220.1

|Aug sun = 200.4

|Sep sun = 149.0

|Oct sun = 100.5

|Nov sun = 54.0

|Dec sun = 33.8

|year sun = 1617.3

|source 1 = Deutscher Wetterdienst / SKlima.de{{cite web

|url = http://sklima.de/datenbank_auswertung.php?tab=2

|title = Monatsauswertung

|website = sklima.de

|publisher = SKlima

|language = de

|access-date = 20 October 2024}}

}}

Bielefeld was a linen-producing town, and in the early 1920s the Town's Savings Bank (Stadtsparkasse) issued money made of linen, silk and velvet. These items were known as 'stoffgeld'.

In addition to the manufacture of home appliances and various heavy industries, Bielefeld companies include Dr. Oetker (food manufacturing), Möller Group (leather products and plastics), Seidensticker (clothing and textiles) and Bethel Institution with 17.000 employees.

Bielefeld University was founded in 1969. The first professors included the well-known German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. Other institutions of higher education include the Theological Seminary Bethel (Kirchliche Hochschule Bethel) and the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences ({{langx|de|Hochschule Bielefeld}}), which offers 21 courses in 8 different departments (agriculture and engineering are in Minden) and has been internationally recognized for its photography school.{{cite web |title=University of Applied Sciences Bielefeld |url=http://www.fh-bielefeld.de/article/fh/2093/1/492?NavCatID=863 |access-date=23 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914194527/http://www.fh-bielefeld.de/article/fh/2093/1/492?NavCatID=863 |archive-date=14 September 2009 }}

Bielefeld has several vocational schools like Berufskolleg Senne.{{cite web |title=Berufskolleg Senne |url=https://bk-senne.de/index.php/ueber-uns/schulprofil |access-date=15 November 2024}} and Berufskolleg Bethel{{cite web |title=Infotag am Berufskolleg Bethel |url=https://www.bethel.de/en/|access-date=15 November 2024}} These schools focus on hands-on training in various fields, including business, healthcare, and technical disciplines.

{{Clear}}

File:Einwohnerentwicklung von Bielefeld - ab 1871.svg{{Historical populations|1510|2,500|1718|2,967|1811|5,613|1871|21,803|1900|63,046|1919|79,049|1925|86,062|1933|121,031|1939|129,466|1946|132,276|1961|175,517|1970|168,937|1987|305,566|2000|323,373|2011|326,870|align=right|footnote=source:Link{{Circular reference|date=August 2019}}{{cite web |title=Germany: States and Major Cities|url=https://citypopulation.de/en/germany/cities/}}|2022|330,072}}

File:2020 Bielefeld mayoral election (2nd round).svg

The current mayor (Oberbürgermeister) of Bielefeld is Pit Clausen of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who was elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2014 and 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows:

{{election table}}

! rowspan=2 colspan=2| Candidate

! rowspan=2| Party

! colspan=2| First round

! colspan=2| Second round

|-

! Votes

! %

! Votes

! %

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|

| align=left| Pit Clausen

| align=left| Social Democratic Party

| 53,836

| 39.7

| 57,803

| 56.1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|

| align=left| Ralf Nettelstroth

| align=left| Christian Democratic Union

| 39,782

| 29.3

| 45,246

| 43.9

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|

| align=left| Kerstin Haarmann

| align=left| Alliance 90/The Greens

| 16,903

| 12.5

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}|

| align=left| Jan Maik Schlifter

| align=left| Free Democratic Party

| 6,984

| 5.1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|

| align=left| Onur Ocak

| align=left| The Left

| 5,503

| 4.1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}|

| align=left| Florian Sander

| align=left| Alternative for Germany

| 4,708

| 3.5

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}|

| align=left| Lena Oberbäumer

| align=left| Die PARTEI

| 2,799

| 2.1

|-

|

| align=left| Rainer Ludwig

| align=left| League of Free Citizens

| 1,612

| 1.2

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Pirate Party Germany}}|

| align=left| Gordana Rammert

| align=left| Pirate Party Germany

| 1,206

| 0.9

|-

|

| align=left| Sami Elias

| align=left| Alliance for Innovation and Justice

| 1,204

| 0.9

|-

|

| align=left| Michael Gugat

| align=left| Local Democracy in Bielefeld

| 958

| 0.7

|-

! colspan=3| Valid votes

! 135,765

! 99.4

! 103,049

! 99.4

|-

! colspan=3| Invalid votes

! 812

! 0.6

! 612

! 0.6

|-

! colspan=3| Total

! 136,577

! 100.0

! 103,661

! 100.0

|-

! colspan=3| Electorate/voter turnout

! 254,778

! 53.6

! 254,757

! 40.7

|-

| colspan=7| Source: [https://www.wahlergebnisse.nrw/kommunalwahlen/2020/aktuell/b711000kw2000.shtml State Returning Officer]

|}

File:2020 Bielefeld City Council election.svg

The Bielefeld city council governs the city alongside the mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020. The SPD, the Greens, and the Left made a coalition{{cite web | title=Koalitionsvertrag | website=SPD Bielefeld | url=https://www.spd-bielefeld.de/koalitionsvertrag | language=de | access-date=2025-03-07}} with 35 of the 66 seats in the council. The full results were as follows:

{{election table}}

! colspan=2| Party

! Votes

! %

! +/-

! Seats

! +/-

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}|

| align=left| Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

| 37,503

| 27.7

| {{decrease}} 2.5

| 18

| {{decrease}} 2

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|

| align=left| Social Democratic Party (SPD)

| 33,716

| 24.9

| {{decrease}} 5.9

| 16

| {{decrease}} 4

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|

| align=left| Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)

| 30,166

| 22.3

| {{increase}} 6.4

| 15

| {{increase}} 4

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}|

| align=left| Free Democratic Party (FDP)

| 9,529

| 7.0

| {{increase}} 4.1

| 5

| {{increase}} 3

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|

| align=left| The Left (Die Linke)

| 8,278

| 6.1

| {{decrease}} 1.2

| 4

| {{decrease}} 1

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Alternative for Germany}}|

| align=left| Alternative for Germany (AfD)

| 4,630

| 3.4

| New

| 2

| New

|-

| bgcolor={{party color|Die PARTEI}}|

| align=left| Die PARTEI (PARTEI)

| 3,936

| 2.9

| New

| 2

| New

|-

|

| align=left| League of Free Citizens (BfB)

| 2,161

| 1.6

| {{decrease}} 6.9

| 1

| {{decrease}} 5

|-

|

| align=left| Close to the Citizens (Bürgernähe)

| 1,662

| 1.2

| {{increase}} 0.3

| 1

| ±0

|-

|

| align=left| Alliance for Innovation and Justice (BIG)

| 1,339

| 1.0

| New

| 1

| New

|-

|

| align=left| Local Democracy in Bielefeld (LiB)

| 1,284

| 0.9

| New

| 1

| New

|-

| colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey|

|-

|

| align=left| Independent Citizens' Forum (UBF)

| 505

| 0.4

| New

| 0

| New

|-

|

| align=left| Citizens' Movement for Civil Courage (BBZ)

| 444

| 0.3

| New

| 0

| New

|-

|

| align=left| Independent Jürgen Zilke

| 13

| 0.0

| New

| 0

| New

|-

! colspan=2| Valid votes

! 135,166

! 99.0

!

!

!

|-

! colspan=2| Invalid votes

! 1,319

! 1.0

!

!

!

|-

! colspan=2| Total

! 136,485

! 100.0

!

! 66

! ±0

|-

! colspan=2| Electorate/voter turnout

! 254,778

! 53.6

! {{increase}} 2.6

!

!

|-

| colspan=7| Source: [https://www.wahlergebnisse.nrw/kommunalwahlen/2020/aktuell/a711000kw2000.shtml State Returning Officer]

|}

Two major autobahns, the A 2 and A 33, intersect in the south east of Bielefeld. The Ostwestfalendamm expressway connects the two parts of the city, naturally divided by the Teutoburg Forest. Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof, the main railway station of Bielefeld, is on the Hamm–Minden railway and is part of the German ICE high-speed railroad system. The main station for intercity bus services is Brackwede station.{{cite web|url=http://www.travelinho.com/en/travel/bielefeld|title=Bielefeld: Stations|publisher=Travelinho.com|access-date=21 November 2017|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227150220/http://www.travelinho.com/en/travel/bielefeld|url-status=dead}}

Bielefeld has a small airstrip, Flugplatz Bielefeld,{{cite web|url=http://www.flugplatz-bielefeld.de/ |title=Flugplatz Bielefeld |publisher=Flugplatz-bielefeld.de |access-date=7 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110429011734/http://www.flugplatz-bielefeld.de/| archive-date= 29 April 2011 | url-status= live}} in the Senne district but is mainly served by the three larger airports nearby, Paderborn Lippstadt Airport, Münster Osnabrück Airport and Hannover Airport.

Bielefeld boasts a well-developed public transport system, served mainly by the companies moBiel{{cite web|url=http://www.mobiel.de/|title=Startseite – moBiel.de}} (formerly Stadtwerke Bielefeld – Verkehrsbetriebe) and "BVO".{{cite web|url=http://www.bvo-bielefeld.de/|title=Ostwestfalen-Lippe-Bus|first=Deutsche Bahn AG, Unternehmensbereich Personenverkehr, Marketing|last=eCommerce}} The Bielefeld Stadtbahn has four major lines and regional trains connect different parts of the city with nearby counties. Buses also run throughout the area.

{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2021}}

Sparrenburg Castle is Bielefeld's characteristic landmark. It was built between 1240 and 1250 by Count Ludwig von Ravensberg. The {{convert|37|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} tower and the catacombs of the castle are open to the public.

The Linen Weavers' Monument, with the German name Leineweber-Denkmal, created by the Tyrolean sculptor Perathoner, has been one of Bielefeld's most recognisable symbols for over 100 years. It stands as a reminder of the time when the city gained importance through the production of linen, with the traditional crafts of spinning and weaving, and its high-quality linen became known worldwide, characterised by its own seal of quality.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-23 |title=Leineweber-Denkmal {{!}} Bielefeld.JETZT |url=https://www.bielefeld.jetzt/leineweber-denkmal |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=www.bielefeld.jetzt |language=de}}

The Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus) was built in 1904 and still serves the same function. Its façade reflects the so-called Weserrenaissance and features elements of various architectural styles, including Gothic and Renaissance. Though the mayor still holds office in the Old City Hall, most of the city's administration is housed in the adjacent New City Hall (Neues Rathaus).

File:Sparrenburg innovative sights.JPG

File:Alter-Markt-Bielefeld.JPG

File:Bielefeld Kesselbrink.jpg

The City Theatre (Stadttheater) is part of the same architectural ensemble as the Old City Hall, also built in 1904. It has a notable Jugendstil façade, is Bielefeld's largest theatre and home of the Bielefeld Opera. Another theatre (Theater am Alten Markt) resides in the former town hall building on the Old Market Square (Alter Markt), which also contains a row of restored 16th and 17th-century townhouses with noteworthy late Gothic and Weser Renaissance style façades (Bürgerhäuser am Alten Markt).

The oldest city church is Altstädter Nicolaikirche. It is a Gothic hall church with a height of {{convert|81.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It was founded in 1236 by the Bishop of Paderborn, and enlarged at the beginning of the 14th century. The church was damaged in World War II and later rebuilt. Three times a day, a carillon can be heard. The most valuable treasure of this church is a carved altar from Antwerp, decorated with 250 figures. A small museum housed within illustrates the history of the church up to World War II.

The largest church is the Neustädter Marienkirche, a Gothic hall church dating back to 1293, completed 1512. It stands {{convert|78|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall and has a length of {{convert|52|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Historically speaking, this building is considered to be the most precious possession of the town. It was the starting point of the Protestant Reformation in Bielefeld in 1553. A valuable wing-altar with 13 pictures, known as the Marienaltar is also kept inside. The baroque spires were destroyed in World War II and later replaced by two unusually-shaped "Gothic" clocktowers. The altarpiece of the Bielefeld church Neustädter Marienkirche from around 1400 is among the most prominent masterpieces of artwork of the German Middle Ages. Two of the altarpieces, The Flagellation and The Crucifixion are now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Bielefeld is also the seat of the two largest Protestant social welfare establishments (Diakonie) in Europe, the Bethel Institution and the Evangelisches Johanneswerk.

Other important cultural sights of the region are the art museum (Kunsthalle), the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle concert hall, the city's municipal botanical garden (Botanischer Garten Bielefeld) and the [http://www.bielefeld.de/de/un/tpo/ Olderdissen Heimat-Zoo], a zoological garden based on German wildlife. Bielefeld is home to the widely known Bielefelder Kinderchor, founded in 1932 by Friedrich Oberschelp as the first mixed children's choir in Germany. It became famous for its recordings and concerts of traditional German Christmas carols, filling the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle several times each season. Foreign tours have taken the choir to many European countries, and also the U.S. and Japan.

On Hünenburg there is an observation tower, next to a {{convert|164|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} radio tower.

File:2019-05-25 Radrennbahn Bielefeld.jpg

Bielefeld is home to the professional football team DSC Arminia Bielefeld. Currently a member of 3. Liga in the 2023-24 season,{{cite web |title=CLUB OVERVIEW {{!}} SEASON 2020–2021 |url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/clubs |website=Bundesliga |access-date=15 March 2021}} the club plays at the SchücoArena stadium in the west of the town centre.{{Cite web |title=Stadion |url=https://www.arminia-bielefeld.de/startseite/stadion/ |access-date=15 March 2021 |website=arminia-bielefeld.de |publisher=Arminia Bielefeld |language=de}}

Bielefeld is home to the Radrennbahn Bielefeld bike racing track.{{citation needed|date=March 2021|}}

• Johann Christoph Hoffbauer (1766–1827), philosopher

File:Christian Friedrich Nasse.jpg

• Christian Friedrich Nasse (1778–1851), psychiatrist
• August Krönig (1822–1879), chemist and physicist
• Friedrich von Bodelschwingh, Senior (1831–1910), second boss of the "Evangelischen Heil- und Pflegeanstalt für Epileptische" (Protestant Sanatorium for Epileptics) (1874 renamed into "Bethel")
• Wilhelmine Lohmann (1872-?), German teacher, social worker, and temperance leader
• Friedrich von Bodelschwingh (1877–1946) (named after F. v. Bodelschwingh Senior), Protestant theologian, third boss of the von Bodelschwinghsche Anstalten (later renamed into von Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen)
• Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (1888–1931), German film director

File:Stenner Hermann Museumsberg Flensburg Hans-Christansen-Haus.JPG

• Hermann Stenner (1891–1914), early Expressionist painter

• Erich Consemüller (1902–1957), Bauhaus-trained architect and photographer
• Heinz Klingenberg (1905–1959), actor
• Horst Wessel (1907–1930), SA leader, author of the Horst-Wessel-Song

File:Friedrich von Bodelschwingh.jpg

• Hermann Paul Müller (1909–1975), racing driver
• Veronica Carstens (1923–2012), medical doctor, wife of Karl Carstens
• Hajo Meyer (1924–2014), German-Dutch physicist and author
• Werner Lueg (1931–2014), athlete
• Rüdiger Nehberg (1935–2020), survival expert and activist for human rights
• Christian Tümpel (1937–2009), art historian
• Klaus Hildebrand (born 1941), historian
• Klaus Kobusch (1941–2025), cyclist
• Hannes Wader (born 1942), musician and songwriter
• Bernhard Schlink (born 1944), professor of jurisprudence and author
• Ulrich Wessel (1946–1975), member of the Red Army Faction
• Aleida Assmann (born 1947), anglist, egyptologist and literary and cultural scientist
• Irmgard Möller (born 1947), member of the Red Army faction
• Johannes Friedrich (born 1948), Lutheran Protestant theologian
• Hans-Werner Sinn (born 1948), economist and president of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research

• Richard Oetker (born 1951), entrepreneur Dr. Oetker
• Michael Diekmann (born 1954), chief executive officer of Allianz SE
• Annette Groth (born 1954), politician (The Left)
• Erich Marks (born 1954), educator
• Christina Rau (born 1956), political scientist and widow of the Federal President Johannes Rau
• Klaus Tscheuschner (born 1956), Lord Mayor of the City of Flensburg
• Rolf Kanies (born 1957), film and theater actor
• Karoline Linnert (born 1958), politician (The Greens)
• Ingolf Lück (born 1958), actor, synchronizer, presenter, comedian and director
• Hartmut Ostrowski (born 1958), chief executive officer of Bertelsmann AG
• Ralf Ehrenbrink (born 1960), versatility rider
• Hartmut Schick (born 1960), musicologist
• Olaf Hampel (born 1965), bob driver
• Anja Feldmann (born 1966), computer scientist
• Oliver Welke (born 1966), author, comedian, sports journalist and moderator
• Ruediger Heining (born 1968), agricultural scientist and economist
• Ingo Niermann (born 1969), writer, journalist and artist
• Ingo Oschmann (born 1969), comedian, entertainer and magician
• Nina George (born 1973), writer and journalist
• Florian Panzner (born 1976), actor
• Lisa Middelhauve (born 1980), metal singer
• Lena Goeßling (born 1986), women's association football player for Germany women's national football team and VfL Wolfsburg (women)
• Aylin Tezel (born 1983), German actress
• Jost Kobusch (born 1992), mountaineer and author
• Mieke Kröger (born 1993), cyclist

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}

Bielefeld is twinned with:{{cite web|title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.bielefeld.de/de/rv/partner/|website=bielefeld.de|publisher=Bielefeld|language=de|access-date=10 February 2021|archive-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002232228/http://www.bielefeld.de/de/rv/partner/|url-status=dead}}

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• {{flagicon|FRA}} Concarneau, France

• {{flagicon|NIC}} Estelí, Nicaragua
• {{flagicon|ISR}} Nahariya, Israel
• {{flagicon|ENG}} Rochdale, England, United Kingdom
• {{flagicon|POL}} Rzeszów, Poland
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Veliky Novgorod, Russia

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[http://europepictures.gm/europe/germany/bielefeld/photos Bielefeld, Germany]

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Category:Members of the Hanseatic League

Category:Urban districts of North Rhine-Westphalia

Category:Detmold (region)

Category:Holocaust locations in Germany