Lippstadt is the oldest founded town in Westphalia. Before the actual foundation by Bernhard II of Lippe in 1185, a merchant settlement already existed around the Nicolai Church. The oldest part, the tower, was built in the second half of the 12th century and had a documented predecessor, which burned down in 1177. In the 13th century this settlement, and a further one around the seat of the Lippe noblemen, were  integrated during the first expansion of the fast-growing town into the now four districts called “Hofen” (quarters).

Stadtarchiv Lippstadt, Soeststraße 8, 59555 Lippstadt
tel.: 0049 / 2941 / 980-262; fax: 02941 / 720893
e-mail: stadtarchiv@stadt-lippstadt.de
open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8.30-12.30, Tuesday 14.00-16.00, Thursday 14.00-17.30. Wednesday closed.

The records, with a total length of about 1500 running metres, are from the early 13th century on until now. The “old council archive” from its beginning until 1822 contains about 4500 documents and various single records. The recording becomes marginally more during the 16th century, and then considerably more from the 17th century on. 40 records date from before the year of 1400, and a further 48 are from the 15th century. There are 48 records with a direct link to the Hanse, dated mainly in the 16th century. The archive also has records of earlier dates such as town privileges by the ruling noblemen, documents of town alliances to ensure safeguarding of regional trade, loan contracts, sales of land and other private business deals. Records of various guilds date from 1600 on, documents about the town provisions for the poor date back as far as the 15th century.

As in many other towns, early archive documentation was decimated by fires (as in 1656), but also due to Lippe floods. But documents pertaining to the hanseatic history of Lippstadt can be found in archives of other hanseatic towns, as can be seen in the Hanse Recesses. In the records of Baltic towns such as Riga, Reval and Dorpat Lipper and townspeople of Lippstadt can be found since the time of the campaigns of Bernhard II.

Other important items and documents of the Lippstadt archive are estates left to the archive, and gifts of documents, such as the old photo archive of Walter Nies, especially of the NS-time; deposita like the daily news paper “Der Patriot” from 1848 on, the archive Rose (Mayors and Officials, 17th to early 20th century) or the private archive of the noble family von Schorlemer. Numerous Shooting-and Sports Clubs, Music Corps and Choirs have deposited their records at the municipal archive for safekeeping.

Records up to 1945 are listed in typed find-books and in card file, only the oldest records are documented in handwritten files. The latter are now completely, and the others are in growing number computer filed and can therefore be more easily researched. Online-research is already possible in limited form under www.archive.nrw.de.
A short portrayal of the archive can be found under www.lippstadt.de, Stadtarchiv. A records survey of the year of 1983 is being made at present.
In order to look at micro-filmed archive documents, especially of the local paper “Der Patriot”, a microfilm-reader, an analogue and a digital reader-printer are available at the archive.
The making of black- and white photographs, photocopies, and digital photos of archive records is possible in acceptable amounts.

Wilfried Ehbrecht (Ed.), Lippstadt. Beiträge zur Stadtgeschichte (Quellen und Forschungen zur Geschichte der Stadt Lippstadt 2) 2 voll., Lippstadt 1985

Lippstadt. Die Geschichte einer lebendigen Stadt, Lippstadt, ed. by KWL Kultur und Werbung Lippstadt GmbH, Lippstadt, without date [around 1990]

Hartwig Walberg (Ed.), Quellen zur Zunftgeschichte Lippstadts in der Frühen Neuzeit (Quellen und Forschungen zur Geschichte der Stadt Lippstadt 8) Lippstadt 1993

Hartwig Walberg, Hansische Geschichte Lippstadts, in: Hansische Stadtgeschichten, ed. by  Westfälischer Hansebund 1985

Hartwig Walberg, Einführung in die Geschichte und Bestände des Stadtarchivs Lippstadt, Lippstadt 1983

Lippstädter Spuren, ed. by Heimatbund Lippstadt, e. g.: Leben und Leiden der jüdischen Minderheit in Lippstadt (6/1991), Die Garnison in Lippstadt (7/1991), 750 Jahre höhere Schule in Lippstadt. Von der Lateinschule zum Ostendorf-Gymnasium (12/1997).


The Town Museum of Local History, situated in an imposing 17th century building, shows permanent exhibitis of various epochs of the town history and changing exhibitions of Lippstadt's past.
Lit.: Ulrich Becker, Städtisches Heimatmuseum Lippstadt, illustrated guide, Lippstadt 2003.