Lippe | |
|---|---|
 Kreishaus (District office) | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
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| Coordinates:52°00′N8°55′E / 52.000°N 8.917°E /52.000; 8.917 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Adm. region | Detmold |
| Capital | Detmold |
| Government | |
| • District admin. | Axel Lehmann (SPD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,246.4 km2 (481.2 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2023)[1] | |
• Total | 347,613 |
| • Density | 278.89/km2 (722.33/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | LIP |
| Website | www.lippe.de |
Lippe (German pronunciation:[ˈlɪpə]) is aKreis (district) in the east ofNorth Rhine-Westphalia,Germany. Neighboring districts areHerford,Minden-Lübbecke,Höxter,Paderborn,Gütersloh, and district-freeBielefeld, which forms the regionOstwestfalen-Lippe.
The district of Lippe is named after the Lords of Lippe, who originally lived on the riverLippe and foundedLippstadt there, and theirPrincipality of Lippe. It was a state within theHoly Roman Empire and retained statehood until 1947, when it became a district of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Lippe district nearly covers the same area as the historicCounty of Lippe. The first mention of this country was in 1123; it grew in power slowly in the following centuries. In 1528 it became a county, in 1789 it waselevated to a principality.
Unlike many other countries of theHoly Roman Empire in the area, Lippe kept its independence in theNapoleonic era, and thus wasn't incorporated intoPrussia afterwards. It was one of the smaller member states of the German empire.
After the death ofPrince Woldemar in 1895, the two lines of theHouse of Lippe fought over the regency for over a decade.
The last prince of Lippe was forced to abdicate during theNovember Revolution of 1918 following theCollapse of the Imperial German Army, whilst Germany as a whole became theWeimar Republic. The district became aFreistaat one of the constituent parts of the new republic. In 1932 theFree State of Lippe was subdivided into two districts, Detmold and Lemgo. These continued to exist when in 1947 Lippe lost its status as a state of Germany and by order of theBritish military government was incorporated into the new federal stateNorth Rhine-Westphalia; in 1949 this change was approved by the parliament. In 1969/70 the 168 cities and municipalities were merged to 16; and as the second part of the administrative reform in 1973 the two districts Lemgo and Detmold were merged to the district Lippe.
The Lippe district covers the northern part of theTeutoburg Forest, which also contain the highest elevation of the district, the 496 meter highKöterberg nearLügde. The lowest elevation is at theWeser river with 45.5 m. The main river is theWerre, and at the northern border of the district theWeser. TheLippe River, which shares the district's name, does not flow through Lippe, but has its headwaters right across the district line inBad Lippspringe,Kreis Paderborn. The small territories ofLippstadt, Lipperode, and Cappel that belonged to Lippe until the mid 19th century, do lie in the valley of the river.
The coat of arms shows the traditional symbol of the state of Lippe, the rose, as the district covers nearly the same area as the historic country. In the middle of the rose 16stamens symbolize the 16 cities and municipalities of the district. The coat of arms was granted in 1973.
Despite the relatively small size of Lippe, the Lippish rose is also one of only three symbols included in the coat of arms of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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The most famous dish served in Lippe is thepickert. In the past it was known as a meal for poor people. The main ingredients are potatoes, flour and raisins.
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