Enger

For the surname, see Enger (surname).

Enger (German pronunciation: [ˈɛŋɐ] ^ⓘ) is a town in the Herford district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Enger
Town
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Enger within Herford district
Enger Show map of Germany Enger Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 52°8′N 8°34′E
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Detmold
District	Herford
Subdivisions	9
Government
• Mayor (2020–25)	Thomas Meyer[1] (SPD)
Area
• Total	41.24 km2 (15.92 sq mi)
Elevation	107 m (351 ft)
Population  (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total	20,674
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes	32130
Dialling codes	05224 05225 (most of Westerenger) 05223 (parts of Besenkamp)
Vehicle registration	HF
Website	www.enger.de

Geography

Enger is situated between the Teutoburg Forest and the Wiehen Hills, approx. 6 km west of the town of Herford, the capital of the district.

Neighbouring places

• Spenge
• Bünde
• Hiddenhausen
• Herford
• Bielefeld

Town divisions

Enger consists of the following districts (population as of December 31, 2005):

• Belke-Steinbeck (2,471 inhabitants)
• Besenkamp (1,849 inhabitants)
• Dreyen (1,404 inhabitants)
• Enger (7,809 inhabitants)
• Herringhausen (West) (430 inhabitants)
• Oldinghausen (773 inhabitants)
• Pödinghausen (2,181 inhabitants)
• Siele (122 inhabitants)
• Westerenger (3,797 inhabitants)

History

Lutheran Church St. Dionysius in Enger

The town, first mentioned in 948, calls itself "Widukind's town." The Saxon leader Widukind died about 808. However, there is no evidence that Enger existed in his lifetime.

A legend tells that Widukind founded a church in Enger after his baptism, and that he lived at the place until his death. He was buried in the church of Enger, and his monumental tomb is still there. Despite this, it remains doubtful that the remains of Widukind are actually in the tomb. Analysis shows that the memorial slab dates to the time around the year 1100.

The main current attractions of Enger are Widukind's tomb, the Widukind museum, the Widukind festival ("Timpkenfest"), held annually on January 6 and the "Kirschblütenfest" in April.

Notable people

• Wolfgang Aßbrock (1952–2007), politician and member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Parliament (2005–2007)
• Wilhelm Müller (1875–1957), politician
• Heinrich Vedder (1876–1972), missionary