Detmold (region) in the context of "Free State of Lippe"

Bielefeld (German pronunciation: [ˈbiːləfɛlt] ) is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 342,952, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) of Detmold and the 18th largest city in Germany.

The historical centre of the city is situated north of the Teutoburg Forest line of hills, but modern Bielefeld also incorporates boroughs on the opposite side and on the hills. The city is situated on the Hermannsweg, a hiking trail which runs for 156 km along the length of the Teutoburg Forest.

Ostwestfalen-Lippe ([ˌɔstvɛstfaːlənˈlɪpə] , literally East(ern) Westphalia-Lippe, abbreviation OWL) is the eastern region of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, congruent with the administrative region of Detmold and containing the eastern part of Westphalia, joined with the Lippe region. The region has a population of about two million inhabitants. The region includes the cities of Bielefeld, Paderborn and Gütersloh, and the major towns of Minden, Detmold and Herford. The highest hill of Ostwestfalen-Lippe is the Totenkopf (498 m).

The Teutoburg Forest and the Egge Hills stretch across the region and form the frontier to the Westphalian Lowland. Eastern Westphalia–Lippe is one of the supposed regions of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in the year 9 AD, where an alliance of Germanic tribes defeated a Roman army. In 1875, a statue was unveiled of the commander Arminius, who led the Germans to victory at the battle. This statue, the Hermannsdenkmal, is one of the best-known sights and landmarks in Ostwestfalen-Lippe.

Minden (German: [ˈmɪndn̩] ) is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (Kreis) of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region of Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) and the administrative region of Detmold. The town extends along both sides of the River Weser, and is crossed by the Mittelland Canal, which is led over the river on the Minden Aqueduct.

In its 1,200-year written history, Minden had functions as diocesan town from 800 CE to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 CE, as capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Minden as imperial territory since the 12th century, afterwards as capital of Prussia's Minden-Ravensberg until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, and as capital of the East-Westphalian region from the Congress of Vienna until 1947. Furthermore, Minden has been of great military importance with fortifications from the 15th to the late 19th century, and is still a garrison town.