Bigger than Frankfurt am Main
A lively city set in green countryside
Bielefeld, the centre for science, is the economic and cultural capital of the East Westphalia economic area.
With a population of 325,000, Bielefeld is one of the twenty biggest cities in Germany. This lively university city on the edge of the Teutoburg Forest is the economic and cultural capital of East Westphalia-Lippe. The region is Germany’s fifth-biggest economic area and is home to two million people.
Attractive shopping destination
Bielefeld was established in 1214 as a merchant town and its most prominent symbol is Sparrenburg Castle, built about 1240. Trade still plays an important role in the economic life of the city. With more than 2,000 shops and retail outlets, this is a dynamic place to do business and an attractive shopping destination.
The broad mix of sectors that makes up Bielefeld’s economy includes international brands and capital goods manufacturers like Oetker, Seidensticker, Alcina, Carolinen and Gildemeister, Goldbeck or Schüco.
The city’s wide range of educational facilities comprises seven renowned universities and colleges along with more than 100 general and vocational training schools and adult education institutions.
Covering an area of some 260 square kilometres, Bielefeld is Germany’s eighth-largest city and is bigger in area than Frankfurt am Main, for example. Green spaces, parks and forest make up more than 60 per cent of the urban area. That has earned Bielefeld its reputation as a ‘friendly green city’.
Bielefeld is different. And we’re proud of that. The city has always had room for lateral thinkers and those who refuse to fit in the usual mould – and now we're adding even more space. The centre for science continues to develop and so does the city itself. Studying and teaching, living and working in Bielefeld is innovative and questioning, rather than anchored in tradition. Excellent and successful. We are still different – and we’re getting better at it!
Pit Clausen
Mayor of Bielefeld
Bielefeld City Council has been involved in all the University and University of Applied Sciences development concepts, town-planning competitions, development plans and architectural competitions since the early 1960s. The Council and the administration have devoted decades to doing the groundwork to equip Bielefeld with a campus that will rank as one of the most modern anywhere in Germany.
