BIELEFELD

city, North RhineWestphalia Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies on the northern edge of the hilly Teutoburg Forest. First mentioned as Bilifelde in the biography of Bishop Meinwerk of Paderborn between 1015 and 1036, the old town was probably founded and chartered in 1214 by Count Hermann of Ravensberg; the new town arose from a religious settlement around the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church, still standing) during the late 13th century. It joined the Hanseatic League in the 14th century, and, along with the county of Ravensberg, it passed to Jlich in 1346 and to Brandenburg in 1647. Heavily damaged in World War II, Bielefeld has since been rebuilt. Sparrenburg Castle, dating from 1250, was rebuilt after a fire in 1877. Other notable medieval buildings include the Altstdter Nicolai Church, the Jodokus Church, and the Gothic Crwell House (1530). The city has a concert hall, opera, and playhouse, farmhouse and playing-card museums, a gallery of modern art, and a university (founded in 1969). Bielefeld is the centre of the Ravensberg linen industry, which became important in the 16th century; the first mechanized mills in Germany were established there in 1851. It also has silk and plush weaving mills. Other products include clothing, sewing machines, bicycles, cash registers, machine tools, pharmaceuticals, paper, and, most recently, electronic equipment. Annexation of several neighbouring cities in 1973 doubled the size of the city. Pop. (1994 est.) 324,674.