84-498: SC Preußen Münster (English: Prussia Münster) is a German sports club based in Münster , North Rhine-Westphalia which is mostly recognised for its football section. The football team currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga which is the second tier in German football. Preußen Münster also fields teams in tennis , athletics , futsal , handball , fistball , darts and esports . The club
168-505: A midfielder in Germany's amateur regional leagues, where he began his managerial career before joining SC Paderborn 07 of the 2. Bundesliga in 2011 and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga in 2014. He won the league and cup double with Red Bull Salzburg in 2014, as well as cups with Beijing Sinobo Guoan in 2018 and PSV in 2022 . With Benfica, he became the first German to win
252-472: A 2–0 victory over Unterhaching , securing a second-place finish and promotion to the 2. Bundesliga for the first time since 1991. The club's honours: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The recent season-by-season performance of
336-413: A design with several former club legends on it. On September 16th 2024 the city announced that the building company Hellmich was awarded the contract to rebuild the stands in the west, east and north. The rebuilding is planned to be finished at the end of 2027 with some outer works till spring of 2028.The final capacity will be 19.156. The club also plans to erect two new buildings to have more space for
420-549: A framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. The two main parties are, as on the federal level, the centre-right Christian Democratic Union and the centre-left Social Democratic Party . From 1966 to 2005, North Rhine-Westphalia was continuously governed by the Social Democrats or SPD-led governments. The state's legislative body is the Landtag ("state parliament house"). It may pass laws within
504-439: A front five dubbed by the press as the "Hundred-Thousand-Mark Line", even though that much money never did change hands. Rachuba is still Münsters most successful first tier striker of all times with 97 goals in 238 games. The investment paid dividends as the club appeared in the 1951 national final in front of 107,000 spectators at Berlin's Olympic Stadium against 1. FC Kaiserslautern . Preußen striker Gerritzen scored first but
588-531: A general election to elect at least 181 members of the Landtag. Only parties who win at least 5% of the votes cast may be represented in parliament. The Landtag, the parliamentary parties and groups consisting of at least 7 members of parliament have the right to table legal proposals to the Landtag for deliberation. The law that is passed by the Landtag is delivered to the Minister-President, who, together with
672-541: A next-to-last 15th-place finish. Preußen Münster played out in the 1960s and 1970s as a second division side in the Regionalliga West and 2. Bundesliga Nord. In the 1970s the Preußen made several attempts to return to Bundesliga . Under club president Günter Wellerdieck (from 1970 to 1978) the club took a considerable financial risk to achieve the promotion to first tier. Preußen failed to do so by finishing on 5th place in
756-475: A two-and-a-half-year contract. He won the Chinese FA Cup in 2018 . On 31 July 2019, he was sacked. Hundreds of fans came to the airport for an emotional farewell when he left. Schmidt became the new head coach of PSV on 11 March 2020, on a contract until 2022. His team came second, 16 points behind Ajax in his first season , but beat Ajax in the 2021 Johan Cruyff Shield 4–0 on 7 August. PSV won
840-443: Is also the most densely populated state in Germany. Covering an area of 34,084 km (13,160 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest German state by size. North Rhine-Westphalia features 30 of the 81 German municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants, including Cologne (over 1 million), the state capital Düsseldorf (630,000), Dortmund and Essen (about 590,000 inhabitants each) and other cities predominantly located in
924-626: Is hosted in Cologne . It is the largest video game convention in Europe. North Rhine-Westphalia has always been Germany's powerhouse with the largest economy among the German states by GDP figures . In the 1950s and 1960s, Westphalia was known as Land von Kohle und Stahl ( Land of Coal and Steel ). In the post-World War II recovery, the Ruhr was one of the most important industrial regions in Europe, and contributed to
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#17328589735211008-601: Is not a uniform area; there are significant differences, especially in traditional customs, between the Rhineland region on the one hand and the regions of Westphalia and Lippe on the other. Its economy is the largest among German states by GRDP but is below the national average in GRDP per capita . The state of North Rhine-Westphalia was established by the British military administration 's "Operation Marriage" on 23 August 1946 by merging
1092-656: Is situated near Selfkant close to the Dutch border, the easternmost near Höxter on the Weser . The southernmost point lies near Hellenthal in the Eifel region. The northernmost point is the NRW-Nordpunkt near Rahden in the northeast of the state. The Nordpunkt has located the only 100 km to the south of the North Sea coast. The deepest natural dip is arranged in the district Zyfflich in
1176-665: Is strong in the eastern and northern parts with numerous free churches. Münster and especially Paderborn are thought of as Catholic. Osnabrück is divided almost equally between Catholicism and Protestantism. After the defeat of the Prussian Army at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt , the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 made the Westphalian territories part of the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807 to 1813. It
1260-431: The 2022 KNVB Cup Final , beating Ajax again, 2–1 on 17 April. Schmidt left PSV at the end of his contract. On 18 May 2022, Schmidt signed a two-year deal with Primeira Liga club Benfica . He became the second German to be appointed as manager of the club, after Jupp Heynckes . Benfica began the 2022–23 season by winning their first 13 matches across Liga and Champions League (qualifying and group stages), marking
1344-750: The Duchy of Cleves and about a century later Upper Guelders and Moers also became Prussian. At the peace of Basel in 1795, the whole of the left bank of the Rhine was resigned to France, and in 1806, the Rhenish princes all joined the Confederation of the Rhine . After the Congress of Vienna, Prussia was awarded the entire Rhineland , which included the Grand Duchy of Berg , the ecclesiastic electorates of Trier and Cologne ,
1428-719: The Ems , the Lippe , and the Weser . The Rhine is by far the most important river in North Rhine-Westphalia: it enters the state as Middle Rhine near Bad Honnef, where still being part of the Mittelrhein wine region . It changes into the Lower Rhine near Bad Godesberg and leaves North Rhine-Westphalia near Emmerich at a width of 730 metres. Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands,
1512-554: The Germanic tribes who fought at this battle came from the area of Westphalia. Charlemagne is thought to have spent considerable time in Paderborn and nearby parts. His Saxon Wars also partly took place in what is thought of as Westphalia today. Popular legends link his adversary Widukind to places near Detmold , Bielefeld , Lemgo , Osnabrück, and other places in Westphalia. Widukind
1596-750: The Moselle and Lower Lorraine on the Meuse. The Ottonian dynasty had both Saxon and Frankish ancestry. As the central power of the Holy Roman Emperor weakened, the Rhineland split into numerous small, independent, separate vicissitudes and special chronicles. The old Lotharingian divisions became obsolete, although the name survives for example in Lorraine in France, and throughout the Middle Ages and even into modern times,
1680-482: The Oberliga , he retired from playing but stayed on for one further year solely as manager. Having to balance the commitments of his marriage and young children, as well as his engineering profession, Schmidt only wanted to manage for one season but stayed for three. He decided to leave football for good, but was drawn back by interest from fellow Oberliga team SC Preußen Münster , for whom he quit his engineering job. He
1764-664: The Prussian provinces of Westphalia and the northern part of Rhine Province ( North Rhine ), and the Free State of Lippe by the British military administration in Allied-occupied Germany and became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. The city of Bonn served as the federal capital until the reunification of Germany in 1990 and as the seat of government until 1999. Culturally, North Rhine-Westphalia
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#17328589735211848-826: The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area , the largest urban area in Germany and the fourth-largest on the European continent . The location of the Rhine-Ruhr at the heart of the European Blue Banana makes it well connected to other major European cities and metropolitan areas like the Randstad , the Flemish Diamond and the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region . North Rhine-Westphalia was established in 1946 after World War II from
1932-959: The Stemmer Berge . The terrain rises towards the south and in the east of the state into parts of Germany's Central Uplands . These hill ranges are the Weser Uplands – including the Egge Hills , the Wiehen Hills , the Wesergebirge and the Teutoburg Forest in the east, the Sauerland , the Bergisches Land , the Siegerland and the Siebengebirge in the south, as well as the left-Rhenish Eifel in
2016-599: The UEFA Champions League second qualifying round by Luxembourg's F91 Dudelange in July, on the away goals rule after a 4–4 aggregate draw. Domestically, they came runners-up five points behind FK Austria Wien , and lost 2–1 in the Austrian Cup semi-finals to shock overall winners third-tier FC Pasching . In 2013–14, Schmidt led Salzburg to the double , with an 18-point league advantage over SK Rapid Wien sealing
2100-570: The league title with eight games remaining. The team won 4–2 in the cup final over SKN St. Pölten . Bayer Leverkusen hired Schmidt on 25 April 2014, replacing the sacked Sami Hyypiä . His two-year contract was effective from the start of the 2014–15 season . On Schmidt's debut, the team won 6–0 away to SV Alemannia Waldalgesheim in the first round of the cup with five goals from Stefan Kießling on 15 August; eight days later he won 2–0 at neighbours Borussia Dortmund on his Bundesliga bow. He finished his first season in fourth, lost
2184-534: The province of Westphalia and the northern parts of the Rhine Province , both being political divisions of the former state of Prussia within the German Reich . On 21 January 1947, the former state of Lippe was merged with North Rhine-Westphalia. The constitution of North Rhine-Westphalia was then ratified through a referendum . The first written account of the area was by its conqueror, Julius Caesar ,
2268-646: The 17th and 18th centuries, but most of it remained divided duchies and other feudal areas of power. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648, signed in Münster and Osnabrück, ended the Thirty Years' War . The concept of nation-state sovereignty resulting from the treaty became known as " Westphalian sovereignty ". As a result of the Protestant Reformation , there is no dominant religion in Westphalia. Catholicism and Lutheranism are on relatively equal footing. Lutheranism
2352-508: The 1973–74 season and on 3rd place in the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons. After Wellerdieck and other staff of the club's management resigned due to financial difficulties and accusations of tax fraud in 1978, the decline of Preußen Münster continued. They slipped to the Amateur Oberliga Westfalen (III) in the 1981–82 season, and except for a short adventure in the 2. Bundesliga in the 1990 and 1991 seasons, played third-tier football in
2436-433: The 2014–15 season, the club had a promising start, and was even at the top of the league during winter. Unfortunately, the team was not able to keep up the good results and finished 8th. The season 2015–16 also started with good results, but again the team lost ground in the long run and finished ninth. During the season the club switched managers, from Ralf Loose to Horst Steffen . The following season brought big changes in
2520-606: The Championship a second time and also took on their current name. In 1933, Preußen advanced to the Gauliga Westfalen , one of sixteen top-flight leagues established through the re-organization of German football under the Third Reich . They earned only mediocre results there and were relegated twice. Their second demotion in 1941 left them out of first division football until after World War II. The team played three seasons in
2604-654: The Eagles won their first game against FC Osnabrück with 5–0. After successfully applying for the Western German League system, the team initially competed in the second tier. In 1908 the Eagles were promoted to the first league and in 1914 they won the Westphalian Championship. Between 1916 and 1926 the club played on Münstermannplatz, which was close to the current ground, the Preußenstadion . In 1921, they won
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2688-492: The German Wirtschaftswunder . As of the late 1960s, repeated crises led to contractions of these industrial branches. On the other hand, producing sectors, particularly in mechanical engineering and metal and iron working industry, experienced substantial growth. Despite this structural change and an economic growth which was under national average, the 2018 GDP of 705 billion euro (1/4 of the total German GDP) made NRW
2772-555: The Landesliga Westfalen Gr. 2 (II) before returning to the top-flight in the Oberliga West in the 1948–49 season. That arrival was accompanied by some notoriety, as Preußen Münster became the first German football club to build a team by buying players, something previously unheard of in a country committed to the ideal of amateurism. Siegfried Rachuba, Adolf Preissler, Rudolf Schulz, Felix Gerritzen , and Josef Lammers formed
2856-600: The Münster-area. Furthermore, the Fanprojekt offers a radio during matches for people not present, Radio Mottekstrehle . North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia , commonly shortened to NRW , is a state ( Land ) in Western Germany . With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the most populous state in Germany. Apart from the city-states ( Berlin , Hamburg and Bremen ), it
2940-533: The Primeira Liga . Born in Kierspe , North Rhine-Westphalia , Schmidt played as a midfielder for clubs in the region's leagues. He combined his career with studying Mechanical Engineering at Paderborn University , and then working for Benteler International . In 2004, Schmidt was made player-manager of Delbrücker SC in the fifth-tier Verbandsliga . Two years later, with the team now one division up into
3024-685: The Regionalliga West/Sudwest (1993–2000) and Regionalliga Nord until 2006. During this period, they captured the German Amateur Championship in 1994 with a 1–0 win over Kickers Offenbach . In 2006, the club was relegated to the Oberliga Westfalen , now a fourth-tier circuit. Management subsequently invested significant financial resources into a high-profile team of experienced second- and third-tier players in pursuit of immediate re-promotion. The attempt ended in failure and
3108-571: The Rhine splits into many branches. The Pader , which flows entirely within the city of Paderborn , is considered Germany's shortest river. For many, North Rhine-Westphalia is synonymous with industrial areas and urban agglomerations. However, the largest part of the state is used for agriculture (almost 52%) and forests (25%). The state consists of five government regions ( Regierungsbezirke ), divided into 31 districts ( Kreise ) and 23 urban districts ( kreisfreie Städte ). In total, North Rhine-Westphalia has 396 municipalities (1997), including
3192-497: The Rhine, and by the end of the fifth century had conquered all the lands that had formerly been under Roman influence. By the eighth century, the Frankish dominion was firmly established in western Germany and northern Gaul, but at the same time, to the north, Westphalia was being taken over by Saxons pushing south. The Merovingian and Carolingian Franks eventually built an empire which controlled first their Ripuarian kin, and then
3276-703: The Rhine, but the Romans never succeeded in gaining a firm footing on the right bank, where the Sugambri neighboured several other tribes including the Tencteri and Usipetes . North of the Sigambri and the Rhine region were the Bructeri . As the power of the Roman empire declined, many of these tribes came to be seen collectively as Ripuarian Franks and they pushed forward along both banks of
3360-409: The Saxons. On the division of the Carolingian Empire at the Treaty of Verdun , the part of the province to the east of the river fell to East Francia , while that to the west remained with the kingdom of Lotharingia . By the time of Otto I (d. 973), both banks of the Rhine had become part of the Holy Roman Empire , and the Rhenish territory was divided between the duchies of Upper Lorraine on
3444-506: The West Group of the Regionalliga in the 2010–11 season. The manager of that time was Marc Fascher . Preußen were defeated by another Bundesliga team in the German cup, VfL Wolfsburg (1–2). The first season 2011–12 in the third tier of German football after five years ended with a 12th place. In the following seasons the team finished significantly better and even had chances to get promoted again to 2. Bundesliga . In season 2012–13 they almost succeeded and ended in fourth place. In that season
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3528-560: The average attendance. In the 2022–23 season, which ended in the promotion of the Eagles, the club had an average attendance of 8,752 in fourth tier which comes close to the highest number in third tier in 2012–13. In the 2023–24 season the number went up to 10,773. [2] Due to the high ticket demand after being promoted to 2. Bundesliga the club capped the amount of season tickets for the 2023–24 season to 8.000. [3] The fans of Münster have rivalries especially with supporters of Arminia Bielefeld and VfL Osnabrück . The close proximity between
3612-410: The average crowd never exceeded 4,500 fans, with the exception of the 2010–11 season, during which the club was promoted, with an average attendance of 5,628. In the following years the average crowd grew from 7,025 people in 2011–12 season to 8,986 people in season 2012–13. In season 2013–14 there was a decrease to 7,958 people. The 2020s marked a new spike in the popularity of the club which showed in
3696-413: The bottom, along with the club's usual Prussian eagle surrounded by a wreath. The club also gave away 111 litres of free beer to fans at the stadium. At the end of the 2019–20 season, despite a switch of managers from Sven Hübscher to Sascha Hildmann in the winter break, the club was relegated to Regionalliga West again. Following the relegation Malte Metzelder resigned as director of football and
3780-403: The city of Kranenburg with 9.2 m above sea level in the northwest of the state. Though, the deepest point overground results from mining. The open-pit Hambach reaches at Niederzier a deep of 293 m below sea level. At the same time, this is the deepest human-made dip in Germany. The most important rivers flowing at least partially through North Rhine-Westphalia include: the Rhine , the Ruhr ,
3864-502: The club administration. After changing the coach from Horst Steffen to the former SCP-player Benno Möhlmann several high-ranking positions in the club were also manned with new personalities. To serve as chairman Preußen Münster could win over Christoph Strässer, a former politician of the German Bundestag . Among others, the board of directors now contains Walther Seinsch who is well known in German football for his work with then fourth tier club Augsburg . Furthermore, with Friedrich Lucas
3948-447: The club qualified for the DFB-Pokal the first time since season 1997–98 (where they were defeated by 1.FSV Mainz 05 ). The opponent was VfL Bochum which competed in Bundesliga at that time. After a penalty shootout Preußen lost 5–6. In the following year the Eagles were defeated in the extra time against another first tier team, Hertha BSC . The match ended 1–3. They were finally promoted to 3. Liga after finishing as champions of
4032-430: The club re-built itself with young players in place of expensive veterans and also put in place a young and relatively unknown coach, Roger Schmidt . The re-worked side finished in first place in the 2007–08 season, and so qualified for the new Regionalliga West which replaced the Oberliga in the league system. They ended the season in fourth place in the Regionalliga in 2008–09, and in sixth in 2009–10. For season 2008–09
4116-425: The club's best start to a season in 39 years. On 21 October, Schmidt won his first O Clássico , ending Benfica's nine-match winless run against rivals Porto . Benfica's form made the team unbeatable for 29 matches, before a 3–0 away defeat to Braga on 30 December. In Europe, Benfica's Champions League campaign amassed several records: they surpassed the Portuguese record for consecutive matches without losing in
4200-431: The club's board now has a fans' representative for the first time in the history of Preußen Münster. In April 2017, Malte Metzelder manned the position of director of football. He is also a former player of the Eagles. In 2017, Preußen Münster celebrated the club's 111th anniversary. In celebration, the club used a special anniversary logo in 2017. The logo contained the text "111 Jahre" (111 years) on top and "1906–2017" on
4284-427: The club: The club plays at the Preußenstadion , which was built in 1926. Once considered one of the most modern stadiums in Germany, the arena slowly fell into disrepair which resulted in reducing the capacity from 40,000 in the 1950s to 15,000, and, after removing one stand, to the current 12,754. Construction of a new facility was considered in the 80s, but the idea was abandoned in December 2000. In spring 2008 it
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#17328589735214368-434: The competency of the state, e.g. cultural matters, the education system, matters of internal security, i.e. the police, building supervision, health supervision and the media; as opposed to matters that are reserved to Federal law. North Rhine-Westphalia uses the same electoral system as the Federal level in Germany: " Personalized proportional representation ". Every five years the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia vote in
4452-465: The cup semi-final on penalties to Bayern Munich , and was eliminated from the last 16 of the Champions League on the same method against Atlético Madrid . After his first season, Schmidt signed a new contract until 2019. On 21 February 2016, he was sent off by referee Felix Zwayer in a game against Dortmund after disputing a free kick that led to the opponents scoring the only goal of the match. He initially refused to leave, causing Zwayer to suspend
4536-411: The development plan of the stadium area by the local administration. In December 2018 the local administration granted 40 million Euros to modernize the stadium, which was extended to 60 million in November 2022 and to 88 Million in 2024. [1] As a first step the western was torn down at the end of season 2021–22 to check the filling material underneath. It has been replaced by a noise barrier that shows
4620-404: The economically strongest state of Germany by GRP figures , as well as one of the most important economical areas in the world. Of Germany's top 100 corporations, 37 are based in North Rhine-Westphalia. On a per capita base, however, North Rhine-Westphalia remains one of the weaker among the Western German states. North Rhine-Westphalia attracts companies from both Germany and abroad. In 2009,
4704-407: The former kingdom, including the town of Osnabrück , had become part of the states of Hanover and Oldenburg . The flag of North Rhine-Westphalia is green-white-red with the combined coats of arms of the Rhineland (white line before green background, symbolizing the river Rhine), Westfalen (the white horse) and Lippe (the red rose). After the establishment of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946,
4788-511: The four cities which are located within a 65-kilometer radius led the press to the name of the Bermuda Triangle of Münster, Osnabrück and Bielefeld in 3. Liga . Another minor rival of Preußen Münster supporters is Rot Weiss Essen . Preußen Münster has currently 6,500 members ( in June 2024 ). [4] Part of the club is the Fangemeinschaft Preußen Münster e. V. which serves as a voice for supporters to club management. It also arranges bus tours to matches and events to support charity organizations in
4872-659: The free cities of Aachen and Cologne, and nearly a hundred small lordships and abbeys. The Prussian Rhine province was formed in 1822 and Prussia had the tact to leave the lower Rhenish districts in undisturbed possession of the liberal institutions to which they had become accustomed under the republican rule of the French. In 1920, the districts of Eupen and Malmedy were transferred to Belgium (see German-speaking Community of Belgium ). Around AD 1, numerous incursions occurred through Westphalia and perhaps even some permanent Roman or Romanized settlements. The Battle of Teutoburg Forest took place near Osnabrück and some of
4956-441: The game and lead the players off the field, culminating in an eight-minute delay before the match resumed without Schmidt on the field. The 2015–16 season ended in third with Champions League qualification. On 5 March 2017, Schmidt was sacked by sporting director Rudi Völler following a 6–2 loss at Dortmund which left Leverkusen in 9th place. In June 2017, Schmidt joined Chinese Super League side Beijing Sinobo Guoan on
5040-501: The interior ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia reported that the number of mosques with a Salafist influence had risen from 3 to 9, which indicated both an actual increase and improved reporting. According to German authorities, Salafism is incompatible with the principles codified in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany , in particular: democracy , the rule of law , and political order based on human rights . The politics of North Rhine-Westphalia takes place within
5124-410: The largest city of Dortmund and the Rhenish cities of Bonn , Cologne and Düsseldorf . 30 of the 80 largest cities in Germany are located within North Rhine-Westphalia. The state's capital is Düsseldorf; the state's largest city is Cologne. In 2022, there were 164,496 births and 234,176 deaths. The following table shows the ten largest cities of North Rhine-Westphalia: The following table shows
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#17328589735215208-658: The ministers involved, is required to sign it and announce it in the Law and Ordinance Gazette. These are the minister-presidents of North Rhine-Westphalia : For the current state government, see Wüst cabinet . The state has Aachen Cathedral , the Cologne Cathedral , the Zeche Zollverein in Essen , the Augustusburg Palace in Brühl and the Imperial Abbey of Corvey in Höxter which are all World Heritage Sites . North Rhine-Westphalia hosts film festivals in Cologne , Bonn, Dortmund , Duisburg , Münster , Oberhausen and Lünen . Other large festivals include Rhenish carnivals , Ruhrtriennale . Every year Gamescom
5292-425: The nobility of these areas often sought to preserve the idea of a preeminent duke within Lotharingia, something claimed by the Dukes of Limburg , and the Dukes of Brabant . Such struggles as the War of the Limburg Succession therefore continued to create military and political links between what is now Rhineland-Westphalia and neighbouring Belgium and the Netherlands . In spite of its dismembered condition and
5376-401: The north and northeast, Rhineland-Palatinate to the south and Hesse to the southeast. Approximately half of the state is located in the relative low-lying terrain of the Westphalian Lowland and the Rhineland , both extending broadly into the North German Plain . A few isolated hill ranges are located within these lowlands, among them the Hohe Mark, the Beckum Hills , the Baumberge and
5460-420: The plains of the Lower Rhine region and parts of the Central Uplands ( die Mittelgebirge ) up to the gorge of Porta Westfalica . The state covers an area of 34,083 km (13,160 sq mi) and shares borders with Belgium ( Wallonia ) in the southwest and the Netherlands ( Limburg , Gelderland and Overijssel ) in the west and northwest. It has borders with the German states of Lower Saxony to
5544-555: The population of the state since 1930. The values until 1960 are the average of the yearly population, from 1965 the population at year end is used. Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes Und der Länder As of 2020 , 50% of the population of the state adhered to the Roman Catholic Church , 25% to the Protestant Church in Germany , and 28% of the population is irreligious or adheres to other denominations or religions. North Rhine-Westphalia ranks first in population among German states for both Roman Catholics and Protestants. In 2016,
5628-454: The southwest of the state. The Rothaargebirge in the border region with Hesse rises to height of about 800 m above sea level. The highest of these mountains are the Langenberg , at 843.2 m above sea level, the Kahler Asten (840.7 m) and the Clemensberg (839.2 m). The planimetrically determined centre of North Rhine-Westphalia is located in the south of Dortmund- Aplerbeck in the Aplerbecker Mark (51° 28' N, 7° 33' Ö). Its westernmost point
5712-452: The state had the most foreign direct investments ( FDI ) anywhere in Germany. Around 13,100 foreign companies from the most important investment countries control their German or European operations from bases in North Rhine-Westphalia. Roger Schmidt (football manager) Roger Schmidt ( German pronunciation: [ˈʁoːɡɐ ˈʃmɪt] ; born 13 March 1967) is a German professional football manager and former player. He played as
5796-410: The state's borders is 1,645 km. The following countries and states have a border with North Rhine-Westphalia: North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of approximately 18.1 million inhabitants (more than the entire former East Germany , and slightly more than the Netherlands ) and is centred around the polycentric Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region , which includes the industrial Ruhr region with
5880-411: The sufferings it underwent at the hands of its French neighbours in various periods of warfare, the Rhenish territory prospered greatly and stood in the foremost rank of German culture and progress. Aachen was the place of coronation of the German emperors, and the ecclesiastical principalities of the Rhine bulked largely in German history. Prussia first set foot on the Rhine in 1609 by the occupation of
5964-426: The team lost after two goals from Ottmar Walter . Their results as a mid-table side in the tough Oberliga West in the ten years prior to the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 were good enough to earn Preußen Münster the admission as one of the five teams from that league to earn a place in Germany's new sixteen-team professional circuit. The club made only a cameo appearance in the Bundesliga, being relegated after
6048-514: The team was also able to defeat the Bundesliga team Werder Bremen in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, 4–2 after extra time. In the second round, the club lost against Augsburg . In season 2013–14 they ended in sixth place. Again the club managed to win against a team from a higher league in the DFB-Pokal, St. Pauli from 2. Bundesliga. In the next round Preußen was defeated again by FC Augsburg. In
6132-612: The team won 2–1 at Hansa Rostock . On 30 July, the team won 10–0 in the first round of the DFB-Pokal away to Rot Weiss Ahlen , though the second round was a 4–0 loss at SpVgg Greuther Fürth . His sole league season at the Benteler-Arena ended in 5th place. On 24 June 2012, Schmidt was announced as the new manager of Austrian Football Bundesliga reigning champions Red Bull Salzburg , after Ricardo Moniz . His assistant manager became Oliver Glasner . The team were eliminated from
6216-625: The territories west of the Rhine were occupied by the Eburones and east of the Rhine he reported the Ubii (across from Cologne) and the Sugambri to their north. The Ubii and some other Germanic tribes such as the Cugerni were later settled on the west side of the Rhine in the Roman province of Germania Inferior . Julius Caesar conquered the tribes on the left bank, and Augustus established numerous fortified posts on
6300-440: The tricolor was first introduced in 1948, but was not formally adopted until 1953. The plain variant of the tricolor is considered the civil flag and state ensign, while government authorities use the state flag ( Landesdienstflagge ) which is defaced with the state's coat of arms . The state ensign can easily be mistaken for a distressed flag of Hungary , as well as the former national flag of Iran (1964–1980). The same flag
6384-516: The urban districts, which are municipalities by themselves. The government regions have an assembly elected by the districts and municipalities, while the Landschaftsverband has a directly elected assembly. The five government regions of North Rhine-Westphalia each belong to one of the two Landschaftsverbände : The state's area covers a maximum distance of 291 km from north to south, and 266 km from east to west. The total length of
6468-400: The youth teams and the neighboring basketball club Uni Baskets and volleyball club USC Münster . Some improvements in the training facilities have already been made. In 2023 two new training pitches have been completed. Due to the club's promotion from Regionalliga West to 3. Liga , average attendance significantly increased. During its years in fourth tier of the German league system,
6552-454: Was appointed manager in May 2007, effective 1 July, and was sacked on 21 March 2010. Schmidt's contract stated that the club would find him an engineering job in the city of Münster should he be dismissed, but by that stage he was ready to commit solely to football management. Schmidt became manager of 2. Bundesliga club SC Paderborn 07 on 1 July 2011. On his professional debut 16 days later,
6636-511: Was buried in Enger , which is also a subject of a legend. Along with Eastphalia and Engern , Westphalia ( Westfalahi ) was originally a district of the Duchy of Saxony . In 1180, Westphalia was elevated to the rank of a duchy by Emperor Barbarossa . The Duchy of Westphalia comprised only a small area south of the Lippe River . Parts of Westphalia came under Brandenburg-Prussian control during
6720-458: Was decided to renovate the Preußenstadion, to make the stadium more attractive and fitting to modern standards. The seating area was replaced by a new one including 2,931 seats and VIP lounges. Some of the terraces which were still uncovered got a roof. The works finished in May 2009. Further plans have been brought up to continue to modernize the stadium and actions were taken in 2014 to change
6804-503: Was founded as FC Preußen on 30 April 1906 and has its roots in a group formed at the Johann-Conrad-Schlaun Grammar School. Historians consider patriotic reasons for naming the club after Prussia. At first the club did not have its own ground and was playing at a parade ground of the army at Loddenheide. General Baron von Bissing gave permission only if the goals would be taken down again after training. On 24 June 1907,
6888-494: Was founded by Napoleon and was a French vassal state . This state only shared the name with the historical region; it contained only a relatively small part of Westphalia, consisting instead mostly of Hessian and Eastphalian regions. After the Congress of Vienna , the Kingdom of Prussia received a large amount of territory in the Westphalian region and created the province of Westphalia in 1815. The northernmost portions of
6972-431: Was replaced by former Bundesliga player Peter Niemeyer . In the following three seasons the club rebuild itself. After a third place in season 2020–21 the Eagles came second in the 2021–22 season and were only three goals short of promotion. Finally in the following season they dominated the league and at the end of the season were promoted to return to 3. Liga . On the final matchday of the 2023–24 season , they achieved
7056-677: Was used by the Rhenish Republic (1923–1924) as a symbol of independence and freedom. The horse on the coat of arms is a reference to the Saxon Steed , a heraldic motif associated with both Westphalia and Lower Saxony . The horse first featured in the 15th century coat of arms of the Duchy of Westphalia, before being inherited by the Prussian province of Westphalia and finally the modern state of North Rhine-Westphalia. North Rhine-Westphalia encompasses
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