Short history of the town
Paderborn is a young, dynamic city with a history of 1,200 years. The city is proud of its lived traditions and its noteworthy past, which can be discovered in the following.
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777 |
Charlemagne's first Frankish Imperial Assembly held on Saxon ground. In this context, the first documentary mention of Paderborn. |
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799 |
Meeting between Charlemagne and Pope Leo III in Paderborn: foundation of the bishopric and preliminary talks on crowning Charlemagne Emperor. |
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836 |
Transfer of the relics of St. Liborius from Le Mans to Paderborn; foundation of the oldest town twinning in Europe. |
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About 1000 |
Paderborn is awarded town status. |
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1295 |
Paderborn becomes a member of the Hanseatic League. |
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14th century |
Paderborn is made a prince-bishopric. |
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1614 |
Foundation of the Theological University of Paderborn. |
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1802 |
The prince-bishopric Paderborn becomes part of the French "Kingdom of Westphalia". |
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1803 |
F. Sertürner, pharmacist of Schloß Neuhaus, discovers the morphine. |
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1813/14 |
After the fall of Napoleon, the former prince-bishopric Paderborn is handed over to the Kingdom of Prussia as part of the "Province Westphalia" (until 1933). |
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1945 |
Large-scale destruction of the old town due to mass bombing. After the war it was built up again, industry and trade were incorporated. |
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1972 |
Foundation of the University of Paderborn. |
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1975 |
Paderborn becomes a city. |
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1996 |
Visit by Pope John Paul II. |
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1999 |
Festival of the 1200th anniversary of the meeting between Pope Leo III. and Jubilee of the Bishopric. |
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2006 |
Great Exibition "Canossa 1077 - History, Art and Culture of The Romanesque Age" |
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2007 |
Paderborn is host to the "North-Rhine-Westphalia Day" with more than 600,000 visitors. |
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2013 |
Another large and much-visited historical exhibition takes place: "Credo - Christianisation of Europe in the Middle Ages". |
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2015 |
Paderborn welcomes about 30.000 hikers on "Deutscher Wandertag", a hiking festival. |
