Bielefeld, situated at an important pass through the hills of the Teutoburg Forest, is the economic and - with a recently founded university, a vocational college, a theater and concert and other halls - also the cultural center of Eastern Westphalia and Lippe. To the south of the old town center with its half-timbered houses is the well planned modern residential district of Sennestadt. For many centuries the manufacture of linen was the mainstay of the town's economy; nowadays the principal industry is engineering, followed by electrical apparatus and appliances, car manufacture, foodstuffs and clothing.
The Farmhouse Museum in the Western District of Bielefeld is an open-air museum with old houses and domestic equipment, a windmill, traditional costumes, etc.
15km/9mi southeast of Bielefeld, at the foot of the Teutoburg Forest, is Oerlinghausen (pop. 16,000), with the Archaeological Open-Air Museum (dwellings and crafts of the prehistoric and early historical period).
The central feature of the old town in Bielefeld is the Alter Markt, on the south side of which stands the Batig-Haus (1680), with a Renaissance gable. Opposite it is the Theater am Alten Markt.
Richard Kaselowsky House in Bielefeld is home to international works of art of the 20th C. Its displays a permanent collection that includes many exemplary pieces of German expressionism, and hosts temporary exhibitions.
Address: Richard Kaselowsky House, Artur-Ladebeckstrasse 5, D-33602 Bielefeld, Germany
The Sparrenburg (c. 1240) in Bielefeld has the old castle of the Counts of Ravensberg (underground defensive works, 37 m/121ft high tower) with a restaurant. The Sparrenburg has a festival with knightly tournaments and medieval plays with music.
Spiegels Hof in Bielefeld is a 16th C. noble mansion with a fine clover-leaf gable. It is occupied at present by the Natural History Museum, for which a new building is planned.
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Oerlinghausen - Open-Air Museum, Germany
Bielefeld
