Travel Guide Minden

100 km south of Bremen. Minden, a town with a population of 80 000 inhabitants located in the borders of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia, is an excellent step in the lower Weser. It has a very beautiful old town typical of the "Weser Renaissance" style in the white half-timbered houses. Its site on the river is picturesque; it is well preserved and has a very original cathedral. In Minden, everything began with a diocese founded by Charlemagne around 800. Situated on a strategic river position, the town-bishopric obtained the big prize in 977 by Emperor Otto II: the rights to beat currency, customs and market. Minden became a major trading city. After the Second World War, the city grew considerably, thanks in particular to the cross of the waterways, that is, the passage of the Mittellandkanal over the Weser.