Welcome toBüren

From 1825 until 1925, the first teacher's seminar in Westphalia was found in the Jesuit
College. As of 1922, it was the location of the
aschove leading to university entrance, which
was followed by the Mauritius Gymnasium
(grammar school) in 1946 after the Second
World War. It was under the direction of the
Jesuits for more than twenty years.
e
m
o
c
l
e
W üren
to B
A Brief History
of Büren
Ein schönes Stück Natur
Niedermühle
P
P
In 1898 the railway from Büren to Paderborn,
Geseke and Brilon was put into operation.
Cement industry got established.
In 1908 Büren received its own power supply
system.
MauritiusGymnasium
P
Jesuitenkirche
P
Mittelmühle
Pfarrkirche
Büren was first mentioned in a document in
1015 as the settlement "Villa Buranon". It was
located on the left bank of the Alme River, and
at this time it presumably consisted of about
5-6 farms. The Gangolf Church, from the
second half of the 9th century, was found not
far from this settlement.
Almeauen
P
P
P
Eulenturm
P
P
Historical Photo of Railway with view of Büren
The population increased after 1945 as many
people from the East settled in Büren in the
course of escape and explusion.
In 1975 Büren lost its position as district seat
through the municipal reorganization in
Nordrhein Westphalia, and became a municipality.
The town of Büren celebrated its 800th anniversary in 1995.
Ein schönes Stück Natur
Tourist Information: Peter Finke
Tel.: 0 29 51 / 970 124 - Fax: 0 29 51 / 970 191
Internet: www.bueren.de
e-mail: [email protected]
Address: Königstr. 16 - 33142 Büren
Imprint: Heimatverein Büren e.V
Address: 33142 Büren - Siddinghäuser Str. 25
Internet: www.heimatverein-bueren.de
Text: H.-J. Dören, J. Kemper & W. Niggemann
Translation: Catherine Gillis, Canada &
Gaby Behrens, Germany
The town was officially founded by Noblemen
Bertold and Detmar in 1195. They built a castle
on the mountain spur found between the Afte
and Alme rivers. The settlement continued
uphill, and was
surrounded by
ditches and entrenchments. The
town received
Lippstadt’s town
charter.
The Nobelmen of Büren’s Castle
The town was extended to the south by "the
novum oppidum" (New Town) until 1220. In
the course of the foundation of the town, the
noblemen erected the St.
Nikolaus Roman parish
church, not far from the
market square, where a
famous Johann Patroklos-Möller organ can be
seen and heard today.
Historical City map
St. Nikolaus Romance Parish
Church with Johann
Patroklos-Möller-Organ(r.)
In 1243 the noblemen founded a Cistercian
monastery in Holthausen, close to Büren,
where for more
than four centuries the gravesites of the Büren
noblemen were
found. It is privately owned toCistercian monastery in
day, and one can
Holthausen
reach it on foot
while walking along the beautiful Alme.
The second new town of Büren and the expansion of the town wall were both mentioned in
documents in 1252. The town
wall featured several towers
and was interrupted by the
main gates. The "Hegensdorfer", or Owl Tower (picture),
and the North-East tower
have remained until today. The population in
Büren increased strongly, and the majority
mainly lived on agriculture, trade, and livestock breeding.
In 1568 a wooden
water pipe was mentioned, which pumped
water into the wells of
the town. A similar
water tap is found
next to the Nikolaus
Church today. today.
In 1661, after the death of
Moritz von Büren, a new
period of history began in
Büren. Moritz von Büren
was the last of the noblemen, and after a law career
(1629-1644 President of
the Empire Supreme Court
in Speyer) he entered the
Jesuit Order, and then handed down all his possessions to the order.
Since then, the Jesuit Order has shaped the
picture and history of the town.
From 1717 until 1728, the castle of the noblemen was torn down, and the Baroque-style
Jesuit College, in a rectangular form with an
open inner courtyard was built.
The Jesuit Church
"Maria Immakulata"
was built between
1754 and 1773. It is
one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Northern
Germany. Especially
worth seeing are the
numerous ceiling and
wall paintings.
Due to the suppression of the Jesuits, all of
the possessions in Büren were passed over to
the Bishop in Paderborn, and during the secularization in 1803, to the Prussian state.
Büren belonged to the French Westphalia
Kingdom of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's
brother Jerome from 1807-1813. In 1816 it
was under Prussian reign, and a rapid population increase began.