Herford [key], city, North Rhine–Westphalia, NW Germany, on the Werre River. Its manufactures include cigars, textiles, chocolate, carpets, machinery, and metal products. The city is also a major producer of furniture in Germany. Herford developed around a 13th-century church (still standing) that formerly had been a Benedictine convent (founded in the 9th cent.). It was a member of the Hanseatic League and passed to Brandenburg in 1647. The contemporary art museum (2005) was designed by Frank Gehry.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: German Political Geography
