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The region of Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) lies in the far north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia and covers an area of 6,519 km². A little over 2 million people live in six districts and 70 towns and cities including Bielefeld, Detmold, Gütersloh, Minden, and Paderborn, with a population density of 317 inhabitants/km².
667,915 employees work in 96,785 business enterprises. The 29,802 registered companies make OWL one of the strongest economic locations in Germany. It is distinguished by SMEs – almost 70 percent of the employees in the manufacturing sector work in companies with fewer than 500 employees – and a balanced sector mix. Mechanical engineering, the furniture industry, the health industry, the metal processing and electrical industry, and the food industry are particularly strong. Internationally well-known companies such as Bertelsmann, Melitta, Miele, Dr. Oetker, Claas, Benteler, Gildemeister, Schüco, Gerry Weber, and Wincor Nixdorf are indicative of the productive efficiency of the OWL region. It is therefore fitting that Ostwestfalen-Lippe was officially declared the first model region for the reduction of bureaucracy.
The universities in Bielefeld and Paderborn and 11 other institutions of higher education with over 45,000 students ensure diversity in the education landscape. The special facilities also include private establishments such as the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld which focuses on SMEs. Close links between science and business are provided by the chambers, special transfer points, and five technology centers.
Ostwestfalen-Lippe has an efficient infrastructure. The internationally and nationally important east-west freeway routes A2, A30, and A44 with their respective north-south connections A7 and A1 provide fast connections in all directions. Added to this are waterways (Mittellandkanal, Weser river), ICE and IC rail links, and the regional airport Paderborn-Lippstadt with German domestic and European connections.
In the heart of the charming garden landscape of Ostwestfalen-Lippe lies the most northerly point of North Rhine-Westphalia in Preußisch Ströhen, Rahden in the Minden-Lübbecke district.
