Bielefeld is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on both the western and eastern slopes of the Teutoburg Forest. Population: 329,000. The current mayor is Eberhard David. The name Bielefeld is derived from the old name bileveld, which means "hilly field". The city separates the two main ridges of the Northern and Southern Teutoburg Forest from each other. The centre of Bielefeld is situated on the eastern side of the Teutoburg Forest, but the modern city incorporates boroughs on the opposite side and on the hilltops.
The Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus) was built in 1904 and still serves the same function. On its facade on can find various architectural styles, including elements of the Gothic style and of the Renaissance. Though the mayor still holds office in the Old City Hall, the most of the city's administration is housed in the adjacent New City Hall (Neues Rathaus). The City Theater (Stadttheater) is part of the same architectural ensemble as the Old City Hall, also built in 1904. It has a notable Jugendstil facade. It is Bielefeld's largest theater. The oldest city church is Altstädter Nicolaikirche. It is a Gothic hall church with a height of 81.5 m (267 ft) and has existed in its current form since 1340. It was founded in 1236 by the Bishop of Paderborn, and enlarged at the beginning of the 14th century. Three times a day, a carillon can be heard. The most valuable treasure of this church is a carved altar from Antwerp, decorated with 250 figures. A small museum housed within illustrates the history of the church up to World War II.
