Detmold (region)

Detmold () is one of the five Regierungsbezirks of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the north-east of the state. It is congruent with the administratively not existent area of "Ostwestfalen-Lippe" ("OWL") ("East Westphalia-Lippe").
The Regierungsbezirk was created in 1947 when the former state of Lippe was incorporated into North Rhine-Westphalia by merging the former "Regierungsbezirk Minden" with the territory of Lippe-Detmold. The "Regierungsbezirk Minden" dates back to 1815, when the municipality type "Regierungsbezirk" was created initially.
Location.
The Regierungsbezirk Detmold is located in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia and therefore it forms the area where the German low mountains are divided from the North German Plain. As the Regierungsbezirk has an expanse of circa 6,500 km² it is one fifth of the area of North Rhine-Westphalia. North and east of the Regierungsbezirk there is the German state of Lower Saxony, south there is the state of Hessen. At the western border there is the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg and the Regierungsbezirk of Münster.
Administration.
The administration is located in Detmold in the district of Lippe. Since 21 July 2005 Marianne Thomann-Stahl (FDP) is the leader of the administration ("Regierungspräsidentin").
Administrative divisions.
The Regierungsbezirk consists of six districts with 69 municipalities, and of one district-free city.
History.
The Regierungsbezirk Detmold has two historical roots:
Economy.
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 77.7 billion € in 2018, accounting for 2.3% of German economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 34,700 € or 115% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 97% of the EU average.