The Westphalian Lowland, also known as the Westphalian Basin is a flat landscape that mainly lies within the German region of

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

, although small areas also fall within

North Rhine The Province of North Rhine (german: Provinz Nordrhein), also called North Rhine Province (''Nordrhein-Provinz'' or ''Nord-Rheinprovinz''), was a short-lived administrative region in the British occupation zone of Germany, which was formed from t ...

(in the extreme southwest) and in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

(on the northern periphery). Together with the neighbouring Lower Rhine Plain to the west, it represents the second most southerly region of the

North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Balt ...

, after the Cologne Bight. It is variously known in German as the ''Westfälische Bucht'' (Westphalian Bay), the ''Münsterländer'' or ''Westfälische Tieflands-'' or ''Flachlandsbucht'' (Münsterland or Westphalian Lowland or Plain). The Westphalian Lowland consists of the individual regions of Münsterland, the Emscherland in the (western) south, and regions even further south that flank the Sauerland around the

Hellweg In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders through which the Hellweg pas ...

. The Westphalian Lowland is classified as a major unit group within the

natural regions of Germany This division of Germany into major natural regions takes account primarily of geomorphological, geological, hydrological, and pedological criteria in order to divide the country into large, physical units with a common geographical basis. Polit ...

and is number ''54'' in the ''Handbook of the Natural Regional Divisions of Germany'' (''Handbuch der naturräumlichen Gliederung Deutschlands'') and region ''D34'' in the

BfN The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (german: Bundesamt für Naturschutz, ''BfN'') is the German government's scientific authority with responsibility for national and international nature conservation. BfN is one of the government' ...

system; both using the same boundaries.

Natural region divisions

From a natural region perspective the Westphalian Lowland major unit group is sub-divided into the following three-figure ''major units'':E. Meynen and J. Schmithüsen: Handbuch der naturräumlichen Gliederung Deutschlands - Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, 6th edition, Remagen 1959 (9 editions in 8 books, 1953-1962, updated 1960 1:1,000,000 map with major units)Bundesamt für Naturschutz: Naturräumliche Haupteinheiten Deutschlands
(pdf online, 1.22 MB) *''(to

'') ''(

Norddeutsches Tiefland The North German Plain or Northern Lowland (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Balti ...

)'' **54 (=D34) Westphalian Basin (Westfälische Bucht) *** 540 East Münsterland (''Ostmünsterland'') *** 541

Kernmünsterland The Kernmünsterland is a major landscape unit in western Germany. It covers an area of about 2700 km² and lies at the heart of the Westphalian Basin and the historic region of Münsterland in the north of Westphalia. It is bounded to the west, ...

*** 542

Hellweg Börde The Hellweg Börde (German: ''Hellwegbörde'') is a ''börde'' landscape and natural region on the southern edge of the Westphalian Lowland in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which embraces the old Hellweg trading route cities and tow ...

(''Hellwegbörden'') *** 543 Emscherland *** 544

West Münsterland West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

(''Westmünsterland'') *** 545 West Hellweg (''Westenhellweg'')

Location

The Westphalian Lowland has the character of a basin because it is bounded by ridges of the

Lower Saxon Hills The Lower Saxon Hills (german: Niedersächsisches Bergland) are one of the 73 natural regions in Germany defined by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN). Geographically it covers roughly the same area as the Weser Uplands (german: Weserb ...

from the northeast to east and by the northern part of the

Süder Uplands The Süder UplandsRheine southeastwards along the southern edge of the

Teutoburg Forest The Teutoburg Forest ( ; german: Teutoburger Wald ) is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Until the 17th century, the official name of the hill ridge was Osning. It was first renamed th ...

, from southwest of Osnabrück heading southwest of Bielefeld to the point where the Teutoburg Forest meets the

Eggegebirge The Egge Hills (german: Eggegebirge, ), or just the Egge (''die Egge'') is a range of forested hills, up to , in the east of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Geography The Egge extends from the southern tip of the Teutoburg Forest ra ...

. From here the boundary runs to the

Paderborn Plateau The Paderborn Plateau (german: Paderborner Hochfläche) in central Germany is, geologically speaking, the southeastern element of the Westphalian Bight and, at the same time, the largest limestone and karst landscape in Westphalia. In the west t ...

in front of the Egge heading south-southwest via

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...

and Büren. From east of

Rüthen Rüthen () is a town in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Rüthen is situated at the northeastern border of the natural preserve Arnsberger Wald between the Haarstrang and the valley of the river Möhne, appro ...

its boundary with the

North Sauerland Oberland North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

(including the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park) runs in a westerly direction, passing the

Möhnesee Möhnesee is a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography The Möhnesee municipality is situated around the Möhne Reservoir (hence the name), approx. 10 km south of Soest. History On the night of ...

immediately south of the

Haarstrang The Haar () or Haarstrang is a ridge of hills on the southern edge of the Westphalian Basin in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. From a natural region perspective it is the southern, submontane part of the Hellweg Börde, which stand ...

and then runs south of the

to the edge of the Lower Sauerland to south of Dortmund, from where its course takes it further west, north of the

Ardey Hills The Ardey Hills (german: Ardeygebirge or ''Ardey'') are a range of wooded hills, up to , in the territory of the city of Dortmund and the districts of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis and Kreis Unna, Unna in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The hil ...

and the adjoining parts of the Lower Berg-Mark Hills (''Niederbergisch-Märkisches Hügelland'') heading south of Bochum and Essen to the vicinity of

Mülheim Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many compa ...

. From east of Mülheim its unremarkable boundary with the Lower Rhine Plain runs northwards via

Bottrop Bottrop () is a city in west-central Germany, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck, and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail cent ...

Dorsten Dorsten (; Westphalian: ''Dössen'') is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and has a population of about 75,000. Dorsten is situated on the western rim of Westphalia bordering the Rhineland. Its histor ...

, Borken and finally along the state border with the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, to Gronau.

Towns and cities

The largest centres of population in the Westphalian Lowland are the cities of the central and eastern

Ruhrgebiet The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

north of the River Ruhr in the southwest of the region and the cities of Münster in the centre, Gütersloh in the north and Paderborn on the eastern periphery. The city of Bielefeld itself lies outside the region over the other side of the Teutoburg Forest, however parts of the borough lies within the northern part of the basin (Brackwede, Senne, Sennestadt). The most populous cities in the Westphalian Lowland are (in brackets their population in thousands): * Dortmund (less the south - 581) * Essen (less the south - 576) * Bochum (less the south - 376) *

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

(only

Sennestadt Sennestadt is a district in the South-East of the German city of Bielefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia. With some 21,000 residents, it is renowned as a remarkable feat of urban planning. The satellite town of Sennestadt was created in the 1950s, in ...

- i.e. only 21 of 323) *

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

(276) * Gelsenkirchen (260) * Oberhausen (only minimal parts in the east - small elements of 214) * Hamm (182) * Herne (166) *

(only the northwest - small elements of 167) *

(only northeastern part - parts of 145) * Recklinghausen (119) *

(apart from the extreme west - 117) *

Witten Witten () is a city with almost 100,000 inhabitants in the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis (district) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Witten is situated in the Ruhr valley, in the southern Ruhr area. Bordering municipalities * Bochum * Dortmun ...

(only the northern half - part of 99) *

Gütersloh Gütersloh () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a district of the same name and has a population of 100,194 peo ...

(96)

Rivers

The most important river systems are: * Münsterland: the (upper) Ems and

Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The ...

* Emscherland: the almost entirely underground or canalised

Emscher The Emscher () is a river, a tributary of the Rhine, that flows through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its overall length is with an mean outflow near the mouth into the lower Rhine of . Description The Emscher h ...

that gives the region its name. * Right tributaries of the

Möhne The Möhne () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Ruhr. The Möhne passes the towns of Brilon, Rüthen and Warstein. There is a large artificial lake near the mouth of the river, the Möhne Reservoir, us ...

and the lower reaches of the Ruhr play a rather small role in the extreme south by the

Meaning

The area is occasionally called in German, the ''Münsterländische Bucht'' (Münsterland Bay), because a large part of this low-lying plain lies in central and eastern Münsterland. It is therefore used ''

pars pro toto ''Pars pro toto'' (, ), , is a figure of speech where the name of a ''portion'' of an object, place, or concept is used or taken to represent its entirety. It is distinct from a merism, which is a reference to a whole by an enumeration of parts; ...

'' for the whole region. The use of the term ''Bucht'' ("bay" or "bight") stems from the geological origin of the region which is half surrounded by the ridges of the

Central Uplands The Central UplandsDickinson (1964), p.18 ff. (german: die MittelgebirgeN.B. In German die ''Mittelgebirge'' (plural) refers to the Central Uplands; das ''Mittelgebirge'' refers to a low mountain range or upland region (''Mittel'' = "medium" and ...

. At one time it formed a bay in the coastline of the Cretaceous Sea the shape of which can be discerned from the topography.

Population

The majority of the population of the Westphalian Lowland live in the area bordering the southern perimeter, in the region of the historic

east-west trade route through Germany, and especially in the northern Ruhr.

Palaeontology

At various sites in the Westphalian Lowland giant ammonites have been found in Cretaceous layers of rock below the surface, for example when the underground railway network was being built in Dortmund. These cephalopods, with a shell diameter of more than two metres are the largest known

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

References

External links

Natural region maps
from the individual 1:200,000 map series of the Federal Institute for Regional Geography (''Bundesinstituts für Landeskunde'') - relevant natural units are those on map sheets beginning with "54": **''Sheet 83/84 - Osnabrück/Bentheim'' **''Sheet 85 - Minden'' (west) **''Sheet 95/96 - Kleve/Wesel'' (east) **''Sheet 97 - Münster'' **''Sheet 98 - Detmold'' **''Sheet 108/109 - Düsseldorf-Erkelenz'' (east) **''Sheet 110 - Arnsberg'' (west)

* ttp://www3.lanuv.nrw.de/static/infosysteme/rlpflges/a_gl0003.htm LANUV information page – natural landscape map {{Authority control Landforms of North Rhine-Westphalia Plains of Germany North German Plain