Porta Westfalica (town)
| Porta Westfalica | ||
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View over Porta Westfalica to the Weser hills
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 Porta Westfalica
Location of Porta Westfalica within Minden-Lübbecke district
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| Coordinates: 52°13′0″N 8°56′0″E / 52.21667°N 8.93333°ECoordinates: 52°13′0″N 8°56′0″E / 52.21667°N 8.93333°E | ||
| Country | Germany | |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
| Admin. region | Detmold | |
| District | Minden-Lübbecke | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Stephan Böhme (SPD) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 105 km2 (41 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 46 - 303 m (−948 ft) | |
| Population (2015-12-31) | ||
| • Total | 35,430 | |
| • Density | 340/km2 (870/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) | |
| Postal codes | 32457 | |
| Dialling codes | 0571, 05706, 05722, 05731, 05751 | |
| Vehicle registration | MI | |
| Website | www.porta-westfalica.de | |
Porta Westfalica is a town in the district of Minden-Lübbecke, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The name "Porta Westfalica" is Latin and means "gate to Westphalia". Coming from the north, the gorge is the entry to the region of Westphalia. The name was coined by scholars of the 19th century.
The town Porta Westfalica was established in 1973 by merging fifteen villages surrounding the gorge. The centre of the modern town is the former village of Hausberge, which was first mentioned in 1096.
The Emperor William Monument was erected near the town by the then Prussian Province of Westphalia between 1892 and 1896 The monument, which is around 88 metres high, is classified as one of Germany’s national monuments.
From March 18, 1944 until April 1, 1945 a concentration camp was established in the Barkhausen quarter. From February 1, 1945 until April 1, 1945 a camp was used in the Hausberge quarter. In the Lerbeck quarter also was a concentration camp in use from October 1, 1944 until April 1, 1945. In the Neesen quarter was a location for the forced labour for some of the inmates. All of these camps were subcamps of the Neuengamme concentration camp.
On 10 January 2015, Belgian footballer Junior Malanda died in a car accident near the town, aged 20.
Porta Westfalica is situated on the right bank of the Weser (except for the Barkhausen quarter), near the Porta Westfalica gorge, where the river runs through the passage between the mountain chains of the Wiehen Hills in the west and the Weser Uplands in the east. The gorge appears like a gate to the region Westphalia, which lies to the south of it. It is overlooked by the Jakobsberg and Wittekindsberg hills.
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Wikipedia