Detmold Old Town

Over 700 historical monuments characterize Detmold's cityscape. The city center was largely spared from both world wars and is characterized by three eras:
- the late Middle Ages
- the Biedermeier period (1830-1860) with late neoclassical plaster buildings
- the so-called Gründerzeit (since around 1875)
with its historic residential and commercial buildingsThe center of the old town is the market square with the Donop fountain.Detmold's oldest church, the Church of the Redeemer, and the neoclassical town hall dominate this square. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, the colorful and popular weekly market exudes an almost Mediterranean atmosphere.The small (residential) streets, such as Adolfstrasse, Grabenstrasse, and Auguststrasse, with their cozy half-timbered buildings, are more tranquil than the pedestrian zone with its many shops. The palace gardens, with the Princely Residence Palace, built in the 16th century in the Weser Renaissance style, seem to be an oasis of tranquility in the bustling city center.Very close by is the State Theater, built in 1825 as a court theater and now the largest traveling theater in Europe, with around 600 performances per year. Not far away, along the Ameide River, are the historic buildings of the Lippe State Museum; there you can also learn a great deal about the region's history.South of the old town center, in the beautiful, listed palace gardens, lies the University of Music. Students from all over the world have prepared for successful careers here. The most famous lecturer at the internationally renowned university was Thomas Quasthoff, winner of several Grammy Awards in 2000.Incidentally, a gold medal was awarded in the "Wunderschöne" (Beautiful) category in 1979 for the particularly successful renovation of the old town. The former royal residence city received this award together with Bamberg and Landshut. To further preserve the city center, Detmold is a member of the "Historic City Centers in North Rhine-Westphalia" working group (historische-stadtkerne-nrw.de).detmold.de/startseite/zu-gast-in-detmold/tourismus/sehenswuerdigkeiten/historischer-altstadtkern

In addition to many half-timbered houses, there are also many slate houses here.

Detmold's historic city center, largely spared from both world wars