Herford Abbey

Imperial Abbey of Herford
Reichsfrauenstift Herford
1147–1802
Coat of arms of Herford Abbey
Coat of arms
Former Herford Abbey church, now Herford Minster
Former Herford Abbey church, now Herford Minster
StatusImperial Abbey
Common languagesWest Low German
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Dedicated as Imperial abbey
    under Louis the Pious

832
• Herford gained city rights
973 1147
• Both abbey and city gained
    Imperial immediacy

1147
• City joined Hanseatic Lg.
1342
• City's immediacy confirmed
1631
• City annexed by
    Mgvt Brandenburg

1652
1802
• Annexed by Cty Ravensberg
25 February 1803
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Duchy of Saxony
County of Ravensberg
Today part ofGermany

Herford Abbey (German: Frauenstift Herford) was the oldest women's religious house in the Duchy of Saxony. It was founded as a house of secular canonesses in 789, initially in Müdehorst (near the modern Bielefeld) by a nobleman called Waltger, who moved it in about 800 onto the lands of his estate Herivurth (later Oldenhervorde) which stood at the crossing of a number of important roads and fords over the Aa and the Werre. The present city of Herford grew up on this site around the abbey.


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