Paderborn, water and computer capital of Germany

A walk along Paderborn can become a real travel in time. In the centre of the city everything reminds of its rich history which already counts 1200 years! The city was founded in 777 by Karl the Great. It started with a camp and “Assembly of the Reich” where all bishops and earls of the empire would gather. Numerous water resources helped Karl to determine his choice of the place for the future city. After all, the emperor had to choose a place for the assembly of thousands of delegates from all over the empire! The most important factors for him were a spacious plain and abundance of water. This is why the neighbourhood of Paderborn fit his goals the best. During Karl’s reign construction of the first palaces and a church began but they were destroyed in the fire in the 11th century. The newly reconstructed emperor palace Kaiserpfalz in Roman style is located to the north of the cathedral. Here you can see the remains of the palace walls of Karl the Great himself. The palace chapel – St. Bartholomew church (Bartholomäuskapelle) is also preserved. It was constructed in 1017 in an unusual for the northern Europe byzantine style, and its hall is considered the oldest among similar church halls in Germany. In the 19th century Paderborn first became a part of the French Westphalia, and then transferred under rule of Prussia. At that, the Catholic Church lost its authority here, while the Protestants got the possibility to occupy the Abdinghof church – the former Benedictine church of the 11th century.

Local cuisine is defined by the industrial history of North Rhine-Westphalia. Miners and factory workers preferred to see meat, beans, potatoes, kale, crops on their tables. Meat dishes here are mainly cooked with pork or beef, though on special occasions you will also be served doves, rabbit, lamb and goat meat. Find and try the local black sweetish bread Pumpernickel that has been baked in North Rhine-Westphalia for over 500 years. It is traditionally baked from coarse-ground rye flour which is boiled for several hours to become softer. Dough is baked and then steamed for 16-24 hours. As a result, caramelization occurs, giving the bread a sweet flavour. If preserved correctly, Pumpernickel can remain fresh for several months. Also by all means try the famous Westphalia ham that is smoked on juniper and left to season for several weeks. Another popular regional dish is “Heaven and Earth”. Its name speaks about the main ingredients: potatoes come from the earth, while apples for the sauce grow close to the sky. Potatoes and apples can be served as a puree or sliced in cubes. Other ingredients include fried bacon, onions and blood sausages Blutwurst.

Paderborn is convenient for studying architectural styles. In particular, transfer from the Roman style to Gothic is so obvious in the 11th century Paderborn cathedral. Its massive, 92-metres-tall tower was built in Roman style, however windows and openwork arcs already belong to Gothic. Relics of the city patron St. Liborius are kept in the burial vault of the church. He was the bishop of the French Le Mans but in 836 his relics were transferred to Paderborn. This promoted friendly connections between Le Mans and Paderborn that became the first sister-cities in the world. One of the city symbols is the image of three hares running after each other (Drei-Hasen-Fenster) on one of the cathedral windows.

The town hall with three spires and house of Adam and Eve are examples of the Weser Renaissance style. The house is the oldest Fachwerk building (1560) preserved in the city. It earned its name thanks to the scene of banishing of Adam and Eve from Paradise that you can see on the façade. Since 1977 city history museum occupies the building. The former residence of reigning bishops of Paderborn – Neuhaus Castle – is built in the same Renaissance style. It is located 4 km from the city centre, in the place of confluence of three rivers: Pader, Lippe, and Alme. The castle is surrounded with a large garden in Baroque style.

In the 20th century development of Paderborn was greatly influenced by its native resident Heinz Nixdorf. As one of the pioneers of the German computer industry, he established a company in his hometown that in the 1970s was among the four largest world computer manufacturers. Today there are headquarters of many IT companies in the city, while Nixdorf’s HQ was turned into a museum (Heinz Nixdorf Museum). Guinness Book of Records registered a fact: this is the largest computer museum in the world!

Paderborn is known for its large city festival that takes place in the last week of July and lasts for 9 days. Over a million people annually participate in Libori-Fest in honour of the city patron St. Liborius. This is one of the oldest city fairs in Germany. There are concerts, local handicrafts and gastronomical specialties sales in the centre.

Paderborn is full of contrasts and interesting surprises. Here you can see how a river is born, find a window with three hares in the main cathedral, wonder over the first computing machines in the computer museum. It is also convenient to make daily trips from here. For example, to the Renaissance castle of Wewelsburg where you can spend a night in a hostel and visit the museum of Paderborn bishops (Historische Museum des Hochstifts) who used the castle as their second residence. Another option is going for a walk in the Teutoburg Forest where you have to reach the Hermann monument. It reminds of the historical victory of the leader of a Germanic tribe over the Romans in the 9th century A.D. In short, interesting discoveries and pleasant walks here are guaranteed!