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Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany — Overview, Travel Guide & Visitor Info

Minden, Westfalen, Germany -- [Aeggy [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]]
Minden, Westfalen, Germany — [Aeggy [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]]

Minden (North Rhine-Westphalia) was first mentioned in the year 798 when ‘Karl der Grosse’ (engl. ‘Karl the Great’ or ‘Charles the Great’ or ‘Charlemagne’) held a convention in Minda (the former name). However, Minden the city which is located at the shores of the Weser river, has probably even deeper roots. Early settlements in the region date back more than 500 years earlier.

What makes Minden a place of interest for tourists? The best known sightseeing place is probably the Minden Aqueduct, a water bridge where a canal (the Mittelland Kanal) flows over the Weser river.

The downtown area showcases a wonderful quaint small towm atmosphere and the city and surrounding has still a lot of timber-framed houses.

Only a few kilometers south of Minden you’ll encounter an area called the ‘gate to Westphalia’. It is where the Weser river cuts through the hills. Right there, Porta Westfalica is a small town at the banks of the Weser river. Adjacent in the Wiehen Hills (western side of the river) you can walk trails (or drive) up to the Kaiser Wilhelm I Denkmal (memorial) standing high above the river and offering great views.

If you are a coffee drinker you might know the company MELITTA? Right, their headquarter is in Minden, Germany. However, we have neither found a visitor center there nor do we know about a tour.

Minden Aqueduct, the water bridge

Minden Aqueduct, lock from Mittellandkanal (German for "midland canal") to the Weser. Barge "Egesi" is leaving the lock. [Jochen Teufel [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]]
Minden Aqueduct, lock from Mittellandkanal (German for “midland canal”) to the Weser. Barge “Egesi” is leaving the lock. [Jochen Teufel [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]]
Minden Aqueduct old left and new bridge of the Mittellandkanal right crossing river Weser; North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.[Хрюша [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]]
Minden Aqueduct, view from the new bridge. The Mittellandkanal (German for “midland canal”) on the bridge crosses the Weser, left. [Jochen Teufel [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]]

When in Minden you should visit the second largest (after Magdeburg Aqueduct) water bridge in Europe. In German it is called a “Wasserstraßenkreuz”, meaning two waterways cross. In Minden the Mittelland Canal flows over the Weser River – there are an old and a new bridge for the canal but only the new one is open to commercial ship traffic.
The Aqueduct is located just 1 mile (under 2 km) north-east of downtown Minden.
Website Tripadvisor: Wasserstrassenkreuz Minden

City Tour

Between April – October, every Saturday at 3pm at the ‘Rathauslaube’, Marktplatz 1 (downtown). The tour is a great introduction to the city. If you like this tour and if you are interested in more specific things then ask the tour guide for the detailed history tours like the Prussia tour and others.

Recreation: hiking trails

For hiking the most interesting area is the Wiehengebirge (engl. Wiehen Hills) south of Minden where you can find a couple of trails leading to the most prominent memorial, the Kaiser-Wilhelm Denkmal (German Emperor Wilhelm the Great Memorial) and also the Wittekindsburg (Wittekinds Castle) which is a restaurant today.

Hiking Trails start in Häverstädt (watch out for a street called ‘Im Königsberge’ and consult your map or ask locals how to get to the trail) and Barkhausen.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Denkmal overlooks the Weser river which cuts here through the mountain range which is named Wiehengebirge (Wiehen Hills) to the west and Wesergebirge (Weser Hills) to the east.

Adjacent of the Weser River you find the small city Porta Westfalica which means the ‘gate to westphalia’.
The hiking trails are all considered easy. No special foot wear required because you’ll stay on groomed wide paths.

Other attractions

For the following attractions see our web directory for the web links.

  • Mindener Museum
  • Preußen-Museum
  • Schiffmühle
  • Schachtschleuse (Tripadvisor: Schachtschleuse Minden)
  • Mindener Fahrgastschifffahrt (MIFA)
  • Puppenmuseum
  • Dom Minden (approx. 1200 years old)
  • Stadttheater
  • Wittekindsburg (Wittekind Castle) in Porta Westfalica
  • Kaiser Wilhelm Denkmal in Porta Westfalica

Official web sites of Minden

Average temperatures

Juli/August: up to around 30C / 86 F.
Winter: around freezing point

Best time to travel / Season

In general year-round, however, most tourists prefer the time between Spring and Fall.

Population

Ca. 83.000. Minimal fluctuation.

Stadt Minden (City of Minden)

Web: www.minden.de
Some images: https://www.minden.de/stadt_minden/de/Minden%20erleben/Stadtbilder%20und%20Stadtgeschichte/

Minden Tourism Website: https://www.minden-erleben.de/tourismus/index.php/en/

Airport

The nearest larger airport is: Hannover Airport: https://www.hannover-airport.de/
Please visit their website for further details. See link below.

Public Transportation

Location

Minden is located in the state: North Rhine-Westphalia. Closest bigger city is Hannover.

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