North Rhine-Westphalia has three parts. In addition to North Rhine and Westphalia, the small Lippe is also part of it. This year there are a number of celebrations. High-ranking visitors come from Berlin on Sunday – and they have a home game.
Detmold (dpa / lnw) – North Rhine-Westphalia’s smallest part of the state celebrates a big anniversary on Sunday (11 a.m.). Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier comes to Detmold for the ceremony. The head of state gives the speech on “900 years of Lippe and 50 years of the Lippe district” in the Landestheater.
For Steinmeier, the appearance is a home game. The Federal President was born in Detmold in 1956 and went to high school in Blomberg, around 20 kilometers away, in the Lippe district. Along with Rhineland and Westphalia, Lippe is the smallest part of North Rhine-Westphalia. After the Second World War, the Lipper decided in 1947 against Lower Saxony and for North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition to the Westphalian horse and the Rhine, the red Lippe rose is part of the NRW state coat of arms. The district of Lippe has existed since the NRW regional reform in 1973. It was formed from the districts of Detmold and Lemgo. Lippe was first mentioned in a document in 1123.
“The ceremony in the State Theater on March 5th is certainly the highlight of the year. Sunday is no coincidence. The document from 1123 is dated March 5th, so it falls exactly on this date,” said Stephan Prinz zur Lippe the celebration of the German Press Agency. He is currently in charge of the Lippe house.
District Administrator Axel Lehmann, Stephan Prinz zur Lippe and the head of the regional association Jörg Düning-Gast invite you to the ceremony together in the Landestheater Detmold. Among others, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) and NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) are expected as guests.
“We are very grateful to the Landestheater. The family is very closely connected to it. My father and grandfather were already enthusiastic about the theatre,” says Stephan Prinz zur Lippe before the ceremony.
“It is a special honor for Lippe that the Federal President, the President of the Bundestag and the Prime Minister are coming. I personally appreciate it very much. It is an honor for the region and a tribute to the history of the region.”
The district, state association and Haus Lippe have announced further events for 2023. A reception and a historical festival (June 15-18) are planned in the castle, and there will be a medieval market in the city center (July 7-9). On September 16, families are invited to a free open-air concert.
Stephan Prinz zur Lippe said about the celebration year 2023: “Of course, as the smallest part of the state, we cannot compete with the dominance of the Ruhr area and the Rhine-Ruhr railway in NRW. But we can draw attention to ourselves with lighthouses in the region”.
