Why visit Detmold
Townapedia lists 89 museums and landmarks, 89 parks and trails, 178 places to eat, 13 places to stay and 33 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Landestheater Detmold, Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen, Fürstliches Residenzschloss Detmold and Lippisches Landesmuseum.
Weather in Detmold
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Detmold
Detmold (German pronunciation: [ˈdɛtmɔlt] ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of 74,438. 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 the Regierungsbezirk Detmold. The Church of Lippe has its central administration located in Detmold.
From the Wikipedia article Detmold (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Detmold on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Detmold
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Things to do33
Landestheater Detmold
Cinema and theater
Theatre and opera house in Detmold, Germany
1 Theaterplatz, Detmold
Mo-Fr 09:00-13:00, 14:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-13:00
Bad Lippspringe
Monument and historic site · 17.7 km
Municipality of Germany
Detmolder Sommertheater
Cinema and theater · 1.1 km
Theatre in Detmold, Germany
Bioladen Lohmannshof
Farm and orchard · 2.1 km
30 Erbhofstraße, Detmold
Mo-Fr 09:00-13:00,15:00-18:00; Sa 09:00-13:00
Biolandhof Meiwes
Farm and orchard · 3.4 km
1 Plaßkampweg, Detmold
Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa 08:00-14:00
21 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks89
Fürstliches Residenzschloss Detmold
Monument and historic site
Das Schloss ist zum Teil ein öffentliches Museum, in dem stdl. Führungen stattfinden.
1 Schloßplatz, Detmold
Mo-Su 10:00-16:00; Apr-Oct 10:00-17:00
LWL-Freilichtmuseum Detmold - Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Volkskunde
Museum · 1.8 km
Krummes Haus, Detmold
Apr-Oct Tu-Su 09:00-18:00
Rittergut Hornoldendorf
Monument and historic site · 3.9 km
1 Rittergutsweg, Detmold
Detmold Open-air Museum
Museum · 1.7 km
Open-air museum in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Externsteine
Monument and historic site · 8.3 km
Rock formation in Germany
Hermannsdenkmal
Monument and historic site · 3.8 km
Monument in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
77 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds89
LWL-Museum Hellerlecht Detmold
Sports field and stadium · 2.2 km
Krummes Haus, Detmold
PH,Tu-Su 09:00-18:00
Hasselbach/Schwarzenbrink/Heidemoor am Kupferberg
Hiking and trails · 3.9 km
Freibad Schwarzenbrink
Sports field and stadium · 4.1 km
Mo 13:00-19:30; Tu-Fr 06:00-19:30; Sa-Su 09:00-18:30
77 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes178
Akropolis
Restaurant · Greek · 0.7 km
60 Bachstraße, Detmold
Mo off; Tu-Th 17:30-22:30; Fr 17:30-23:00; Sa...
Cafe Extrablatt
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.6 km
58 Lange Straße, Detmold
Mo-Sa 09:00-00:00; Su 09:30-00:00
Carpaccio
Restaurant · Italian · 2.1 km
21a Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, Detmold
Tu-Fr 16:00-23:00; Sa, Su 12:00-23:00
Dreierkrug
Bar and pub · Burger, Pasta · 2.6 km
Musikkneipe
Mo,We,Th 19:00+, Fr-Sa 19:00-02:00, Su 18:00+
166 more on the map.
History
About 5 kilometres (3 mi) to the southwest of Detmold is the Grotenburg hill with a prehistoric circular rampart and the Hermann monument (German: Hermannsdenkmal). The monument commemorates the so-called Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, a battle in 9 AD which may or may not have been fought close to the present location of Detmold. In this encounter, Germanic tribes led by Hermann (Latin: Arminius) defeated Roman legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus.
Detmold was first mentioned as Theotmalli in 783, the year of a battle between the Saxons and Charlemagne's forces nearby. This was an event in the Saxon Wars. 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.
Read more of the history
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 World War I in 1918, when all princely states in Germany were abolished. Today, Stephan, Prince of Lippe is the owner of Detmold Castle.
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. The Lippische Landes-Zeitung started in 1878 and, in co-operation with other regional papers, is still published today. The competing Lippische Tageszeitung was published in Detmold from 1896 until 1938. During the Nazi years (1933–1945), the Lippische Staatszeitung was the official party and government publication. 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 has been the seat of the district administration of Lippe. With the administrative reform of 1970, 25 nearby villages were incorporated into the city.
From the History section of Detmold on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Detmold
Arts and culture
The highlights in Detmold are the school for music and the Landestheater Detmold.
The town also supports the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie for regular symphony concerts.
From the Wikipedia article Detmold, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Detmold
Frank-Walter SteinmeierGerman politician, president of Germany since 2017Photo: The President's Office, Maldives, CC BY 4.0
Ferdinand FreiligrathGerman poetPhoto: Johann Peter Hasenclever, Public domain
Christian Dietrich GrabbeGerman playwright (1801–1836)Photo: Wilhelm Pero (1808-1862), Public domain
Jürgen StroopGerman SS and police general and convicted war criminal (1895-1952)Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Iris BerbenGerman actressPhoto: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ludger BeerbaumGerman equestrianPhoto: Markus Salzmann, CC BY-SA 3.0
Leopold III, Prince of LippeGerman royal (1821–1875)Photo: Not mentioned, Public domain
Leopold II, Prince of LippeSovereign of the Principality of LippePhoto: Not mentioned, Public domain
Alexander, Prince of Lippeprince of Lippe (1831–1905)Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Leopold I, Prince of LippeGerman princePhoto: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Woldemar, Prince of Lippesovereign of the Principality of Lippe (1824–1895)Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain- Leopold ZunzGerman Reform Rabbi (1794-1886)
Born in Detmold, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay13
Churches and places of worship47
Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Heiligenkirchen
Church · Reformed · 3.2 km
Evangelische-reformierte Kirche Hiddesen
Church · Reformed · 2.5 km
3 Akazienstraße, Detmold
Evangeliums-Christen-Brüdergemeinde
Church · Evangelical · 1.4 km
65 Felix-Fechenbach-Straße, Detmold
Shopping55
Gas and EV charging13
Schools, colleges and libraries42
Grundschule Bildungshaus Weerth-Schule Standort Siegfriedstraße
School · 0.7 km
4 Siegfriedstraße, Detmold
Healthcare15
Map of Detmold
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Flugplatz Bielefeld (BFE) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 23 km away.
- Lage 8 km northwest, about 8 min by car
- Lemgo 10 km north, about 10 min by car
- Augustdorf 10 km west, about 10 min by car
- Oerlinghausen 15 km west, about 15 min by car
- Leopoldshöhe 15 km northwest, about 15 min by car
- Blomberg 15 km east, about 15 min by car
- Schlangen 14 km south, about 14 min by car
- Dörentrup 14 km northeast, about 14 min by car
- Steinheim 17 km southeast, about 17 min by car
- Bad Salzuflen 19 km northwest, about 19 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Detmold
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Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Detmold Christuskirche, Daniel Brockpähler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz - Kriegerdenkmal (1), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold Christuskirche Apsis, Daniel Brockpähler, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz - Lindenallee, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 015 - Christuskirche-Haupteingang, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold Bücherschrank, Mantelmoewe, CC0
- Detmold - 2016-01-01 - Amtsgericht (01), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - 266 - Hauptpost (2), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz - Kriegerdenkmal (3), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz - Kriegerdenkmal (4), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 266 - Hauptpost (1), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz - Pavillon, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 418 - Paulinenstraße 51, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz - Kriegerdenkmal (2), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 404 - Paulinenstraße 49, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Christuskirche Detmold, Jan Mathys 21:17, 13. Feb. 2010 (CET), CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- Detmold - 415 - Paulinenstraße 53, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 420 - Paulinenstraße 55, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- P1000124 Three Dollar Hat @ Kaiserkeller Detmold (41925719741), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1000057 Three Dollar Hat @ Kaiserkeller Detmold (41925718741), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800183 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (27747733480), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800173 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (27414257414), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800144 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (28028172295), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800159 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (28028174445), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800153 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (28028173415), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800150 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (27950504351), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800141 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (27950502591), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800171 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (28028175645), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800114 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (27414251044), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800187 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (27950500161), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- P1800181 Big Band der HfM Detmold im Kaiserkeller (27414363253), Thorsten Krienke from Detmold, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Theater01, Nikater, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bl-rathaus, Photo by Gmoeller, CC BY 1.0
- Ziegelei Lage Ansicht, Axel Hindemith, CC BY 3.0
- Externsteine pano, Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Hochschule für Musik, Detmold, Juni 2008, Maschinenjunge, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Residenzschloss Detmold01, Nikater ( talk · contribs ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sommertheater01, Nikater, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold Freilichtmuseum1, Itti, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hermannsdenkmal 2015, Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- Grotenburg und Bielstein, Tola69, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Berufskolleg Lippe-Detmold 08.09.2020, Spacekid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - Evangelisch-Lutherische Dreifaltigkeitskirche, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Stadtgymnasium Detmold -Ansicht Martin-Luther-Str.4, Jan Mathys, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - Versoehnungskirche, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold-Marktkirche, User:Nikater, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - Evangelische Kirche Hiddesen, Tsungam, CC0
- Detmold - 085 - Kirchweg 20 (neu) (2), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 2015-06-08 - Felix-Fechenbach-Berufskolleg (2), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - 538 - Siegfriedstraße 4, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 308 - Hornsche Straße 48, Leopoldinum, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 650 - Katholische Pfarrkirche Heilig-Kreuz - Schubertplatz 10, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 113 - Lange Strasse 19, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 188 - Willy-Brandt-Platz 1, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - St. Michael Hiddesen (2), Tsungam, CC0
- Klinikum Lippe Detmold, Tsungam, CC0
- Detmold - Lippische Landesbibliothek, Magazin 2 (5), Tsungam, CC0
- Landesmuseum01, Nikater, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 021 - Neustadt (Turbinenhaus), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold Vogel- und Blumenpark, Ub12vow, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz - 55er-Denkmal (3), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 482 - Küster-Meyer-Platz 2, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 033 - Leopoldstrasse 5, Tsungam, CC BY 3.0
- Detmold - 2015-10-27 - Hof-Apotheke, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - Pauluskirche, Tsungam, CC BY 3.0
- Schloss detmold, The original uploader was Ameins at German Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 629 - Rittergutsweg 1, Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 2020-05-10 - NSG Berlebecke (IMG 20200510 135706), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - 2014-05-07 - LIP-024 (11), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 2014-05-05 - NSG LIP-015 (1), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Detmold - 2015-06-06 - LIP-090 Schwarzenbrink (6), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Auenlandschaft am Oetternbach, Otterdiene, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - 2022-04-26 - NSG Tal der kleinen Werre (DSC 6187), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Martin-Luther-Kirche Schülerstraße, Jan Mathys, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detmold - Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Heidenoldendorf (2), Tsungam, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, zuse, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, Schmarvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, czmrtn, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, Schmarvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, czmrtn, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, janmathys, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, changchun1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, janmathys, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, Schmarvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, janmathys, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, changchun1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, Schmarvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, derlipper, CC BY-SA 4.0
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