Minden

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Minden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the Weser river below the Porta Westfalica, it is the capital of the district of Minden-L?bbecke. Population: 85,900.

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Minden was first mentioned in 798, when Charlemagne held a convention at the place. In the following centuries Minden became a cultural centre of the region. The marriage of Henry the Lion took place in the cathedral of Minden (1168). Minden was a member of the Hanseatic League and an independent bishopric principality. After the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 the state was annexed by Brandenburg.

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During the Seven Years War, the Battle of Minden was fought nearby.

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Weser: The Weser () is a river in north-western Germany. Formed at Hann. Münden by (the confluence of) the Fulda and Werra, it flows through Lower Saxony, then reaching the historic (Hanseatic League) port city of Bremen before emptying into the North Sea 50 km further north at Bremerhaven, which is a...

Porta Westfalica: The Porta Westfalica is a gorge, where the Weser river runs through the passage between the mountain chains of the Wiehengebirge in the west and the Wesergebirge in the east. It is located in the district of Minden-L?bbecke in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....

Charlemagne: Charlemagne (ca. 742 or 747 – January 28, 814) (or Charles the Great, in German Karl der Gro?e, in Dutch Karel de Grote, in Latin Carolus Magnus, giving rise to the adjective form "Carolingian"), was king of the Franks from 771 to 814, King of the Lombards since 774, and the renewer of the Wes...