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Westphalia is a region in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, centred on the cities of Bielefeld
Bielefeld

Bielefeld is a district-free town in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at on both the western and eastern slopes of the Teutoburg Forest....
, Bochum
Bochum

Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and surrounded by the cities of Essen, Germany, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen....
, Dortmund
Dortmund

Dortmund is a city in Germany, located in the States of Germany of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 587,830 makes it the largest city in the region, 7th-largest in Germany, and 34th-largest in the European Union....
, Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen

Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c....
, Münster
Münster

M?nster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region and it is also capital of the government region M?nster ....
, and Osnabrück
Osnabrück

Osnabr?ck is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of M?nster, and some 100 km due west of Hannover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehengebirge and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest....
 and included in the states of North Rhine – Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine - Westphalia is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the largest States of Germany of Germany. North Rhine - Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km? ....
 and Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony lies in northern Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. In rural areas Low German is still spoken, but the number of speakers is declining....
.

Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr
Ruhr

The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine....
 River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia" was applied to several different entities in history. For this reason specifications of area and population are greatly differing.






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Westphalia is a region in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, centred on the cities of Bielefeld
Bielefeld

Bielefeld is a district-free town in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at on both the western and eastern slopes of the Teutoburg Forest....
, Bochum
Bochum

Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and surrounded by the cities of Essen, Germany, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen....
, Dortmund
Dortmund

Dortmund is a city in Germany, located in the States of Germany of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 587,830 makes it the largest city in the region, 7th-largest in Germany, and 34th-largest in the European Union....
, Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen

Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c....
, Münster
Münster

M?nster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region and it is also capital of the government region M?nster ....
, and Osnabrück
Osnabrück

Osnabr?ck is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of M?nster, and some 100 km due west of Hannover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehengebirge and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest....
 and included in the states of North Rhine – Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine - Westphalia is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the largest States of Germany of Germany. North Rhine - Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km? ....
 and Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony lies in northern Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. In rural areas Low German is still spoken, but the number of speakers is declining....
.

Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr
Ruhr

The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine....
 River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia" was applied to several different entities in history. For this reason specifications of area and population are greatly differing. They range between in land area, and between 4.3 million and 8 million inhabitants. There is, however, consent that both Münster and Osnabrück as well as Bielefeld and Dortmund are part of Westphalia.

A linguistic definition of Westphalia (see Westphalian language
Westphalian language

Westphalian is one of the major dialect groups of West Low German. Its most salient feature is the diphthongization . For example, we get iEten instead of E?ten for eat....
) includes the former Prussian Province of Westphalia
Province of Westphalia

The Province of Westphalia was a Provinces of Prussia of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815-1946....
 (except Siegen-Wittgenstein
Siegen-Wittgenstein

Siegen-Wittgenstein is a Kreis in the southeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Olpe , Hochsauerland, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill, Westerwaldkreis, Altenkirchen ....
), Lippe
Lippe

This article is about the district Lippe. For the like-named river see Lippe River. For the historic country see Principality of LippeLippe is a Kreis in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, the region around Osnabrück
Osnabrück

Osnabr?ck is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of M?nster, and some 100 km due west of Hannover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehengebirge and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest....
 and the greater area of the Emsland
Emsland

Landkreis Emsland is a districts of Germany in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems . It is bounded by the districts of Leer , Cloppenburg and Osnabr?ck , the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the district of Bentheim and the Netherlands ....
. Present-day common use, however, often restricts the notion to the present part of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine - Westphalia is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the largest States of Germany of Germany. North Rhine - Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km? ....
.

Westphalia is known for the 1648 Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia

The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two Peace treaty of Osnabr?ck and M?nster, signed on May 15 and October 24, 1648, respectively, and written in Latin, that ended both the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Revolt between Spain and the Dutch Republic....
 which ended the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe....
, as the two treaties were signed in Münster and Osnabrück.

Symbols


The traditional symbol of Westphalia is a white horse on a red field (the Westfalenpferd or Sachsenross), representing the Saxons
Saxons

The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic peoples. Their modern-day descendants in Saxony are considered ethnic Germans; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch people; those in north eastern Belgium are considered to be ethnic Flemish people; and those in southern England ethnic English people ....
. This image has been used in the coats of arms
Coat of arms

A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways....
 of Prussian Westphalia and the modern state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The white horse is also the traditional symbol of neighboring Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony lies in northern Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen States of Germany of Germany. In rural areas Low German is still spoken, but the number of speakers is declining....
.

Composed in Iserlohn
Iserlohn

Iserlohn is a city in the M?rkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region....
 in 1886 by Emil Rittershaus, the "Westfalenlied" is an unofficial anthem of Westphalia.

History


Roman Incursion

Around 1 A.D. there were numerous incursions through Westphalia and perhaps even some permanent Roman
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
 or Romanized settlements. The Battle of Teutoburg Forest took place near Osnabrück (as mentioned, it is disputed whether this is in Westphalia) and some of the tribes who fought at this battle came from the area of Westphalia.

The name "Westphalia" probably means "West-Plain". The second word, "Falen", is related to the Germanic words "Field", "Flat", and "Floor" (all of which are related to the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 "planus" through a common Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European language

The Proto-Indo-European language is the unattested, linguistic reconstruction common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans....
 root, *pele, meaning "flat, (to) spread"). With the rise of nationalism
Nationalism

Nationalism refers to an ideology, a feeling, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. While there is significant debate over the historical origins of nations, nearly all Expert accept that nationalism, at least as an ideology and social movement, is a Modernity phenomenon originating in Europe....
 in the 19th and early 20th centuries, mention began to be made of a "Phalian" (fälische) race.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne
Charlemagne

Charlemagne was List of Frankish kings from 768 to his death. He expanded the Franks kingdoms into a Carolingian Empire that incorporated much of Western Europe and Central Europe....
 is thought to have spent considerable time in Paderborn
Paderborn

Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn . The name of the city derives from the river Pader River, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St....
 and nearby parts. His Saxon Wars
Saxon Wars

The Saxon Wars were the campaigns and insurrections of the more than thirty years from 772, when Charlemagne first entered Duchy of Saxony with the intent to conquer, to 804, when the last rebellion of disaffected Germanic peoples was crushed....
 also partly took place in what is thought of as Westphalia today. Popular legends link his adversary Widukind
Widukind

Widukind was a Saxons leader and the chief opponent of Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars. In later times, he became a symbol of Saxon independence and a figure of legend, and was stylized as a prototypical Germanic peoples hero....
 to places near Detmold, Bielefeld, Lemgo, Osnabrück and other places in Westphalia. Widukind was buried in Enger
Enger

Enger is a town in the Herford district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, which is also a subject of a legend.

Middle Ages

Along with Eastphalia
Eastphalia

Eastphalia is a historical region in northern Germany, encompassing the eastern part of the historic Duchy of Saxony, roughly demarcated by the rivers of Leine and Saale....
 and Engern, Westphalia (Westfalahi) was originally a district of the Duchy of Saxony
Duchy of Saxony

The medi?val Duchy of Saxony was a late Early Middle Ages "Carolingian stem duchy" covering the greater part of Northern Germany. It covered the area of the modern German states of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt and most of Schleswig-Holstein....
. In 1180 Westphalia was elevated to the rank of a duchy by Emperor Barbarossa
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick I Barbarossa was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt am Main on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1154, and finally crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155....
. The Duchy of Westphalia
Duchy of Westphalia

The Duchy of Westphalia was a historic territory in the greater region of Westphalia, located in the east of modern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
 comprised only a small area south of the Lippe River
Lippe River

The Lippe is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhine and 255 km in length.The source is located at the edge of the Teutoburg Forest in Bad Lippspringe close to the city of Paderborn....
.

Early modern era


As a result of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe. It is thought to have begun in 1517 with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses and may be considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648....
, there is no dominant religion in Westphalia. Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism
Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century Germans Reformer Martin Luther....
 are on relatively equal footing. Lutheranism is strong in the eastern and northern parts with numerous free churches. Münster and especially Paderborn are thought of as Catholic. Osnabrück is divided almost equally between Catholicism and Protestantism.

Parts of Westphalia came under Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia

Brandenburg-Prussia was a Germany monarchy established by the personal union between the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1618....
n control during the 1600s and 1700s, but most of it remained divided duchies and other feudal areas of power. The Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia

The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two Peace treaty of Osnabr?ck and M?nster, signed on May 15 and October 24, 1648, respectively, and written in Latin, that ended both the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Revolt between Spain and the Dutch Republic....
 of 1648, signed in Münster and Osnabrück, ended the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe....
. The concept of nation-state sovereignty resulting from the treaty became known as "Westphalian sovereignty
Westphalian sovereignty

Westphalian sovereignty is the concept of nation-state sovereignty based on two principles: territoriality and the exclusion of external actors from domestic authority structures....
".

Prussia

Provinz Westfalen 1905
After the defeat of the Prussian Army
Prussian Army

The Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War....
 at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt
Battle of Jena-Auerstedt

The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt were fought on 14 October 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Prussia....
, the Treaty of Tilsit
Treaties of Tilsit

The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by Napoleon I of France in the town of Tilsit in July, 1807 in the aftermath of his Battle of Friedland....
 in 1807 made the Westphalian territories part of the Kingdom of Westphalia
Kingdom of Westphalia

The Kingdom of Westphalia was a historical state that existed from 1807-1813 in parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of France, ruled by Napoleon I of France's brother J?r?me Bonaparte....
 from 1807–13. It was founded by Napoleon
Napoleon I of France

Napoleon Bonaparte later known as Emperor Napoleon I, was a military and political leader of France whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century....
 and was a French
First French Empire

The Empire of the French , also known as the Greater French Empire or First French Empire, but more commonly known as the Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France in France....
 vassal state
Vassal state

The term vassal state commonly refers to any state that was subordinate to another in the pre-modern international system. The vassal in these cases was the ruler, rather than the state itself....
. This state only shared the name with the historical region; it contained only a relatively small part of Westphalia, consisting instead mostly of Hessian
Hesse

Hesse is a States of Germany of Germany with an area of 21,110 km? and just over six million inhabitants. The state capital is Wiesbaden. Hesse's largest city is nearby Frankfurt am Main....
 and Eastphalia
Eastphalia

Eastphalia is a historical region in northern Germany, encompassing the eastern part of the historic Duchy of Saxony, roughly demarcated by the rivers of Leine and Saale....
n regions.

After the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna

The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815....
, the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a Germany monarchy from 1701 to 1918 and, from 1871, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire....
 received a large amount of territory in the Westphalian region and created the province of Westphalia
Province of Westphalia

The Province of Westphalia was a Provinces of Prussia of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815-1946....
 in 1815. The northernmost portions of the former kingdom, including the town of Osnabrück
Osnabrück

Osnabr?ck is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of M?nster, and some 100 km due west of Hannover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehengebirge and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest....
, had become part of the states of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover

The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October of 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III of the United Kingdom to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic wars....
 and Oldenburg
Oldenburg (state)

Oldenburg is a historical state in today's Germany named for its capital, Oldenburg. Oldenburg existed from 1180 until 1918 as a county, duchy and grand duchy....
.

Modern Westphalia


The present state of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine - Westphalia is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the largest States of Germany of Germany. North Rhine - Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km? ....
 was created after World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 from the former Prussian province of Westphalia, the northern half of the former Prussian Rhine Province
Rhine Province

The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia and the Rhineland , was a Provinces of Prussia of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1822-1946....
, and the former Free State of Lippe
Free State of Lippe

The Free State of Lippe was a German state formed after the Principality of Lippe was abolished following the German Revolution of 1918.After the end of World War II, Lippe was restored from Nazi rule....
. For North Rhine-Westphalia is subdivided into five government regions (Regierungsbezirke) one can say that Westphalia is today consisting of the Regierungsbezirke of Münster
Münster (region)

M?nster is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the north of the state, and named after the city of M?nster....
, Detmold
Detmold (region)

The Regierungsbezirk Detmold is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the north-east of the state....
 and Arnsberg
Arnsberg (region)

Arnsberg is one of the five Regierungsbezirke of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the south-east of the country. It covers the Sauerland hills as well as the east part of the Ruhr area....
. People in these areas use to call themselves Westphalians and call their home area Westphalia even though there is no governmental unit by that name.

External links