a German principality, bounded E. and N.E. by Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, and Lippe-Schaumburg, and on the other sides by Prussian Westphalia, is situated between N. Lat. 51° 45' and 52° 10', E. Long. 8° 34' and 9° 20'; area 438 square miles. It is mountainous and well wooded, interspersed with fertile valleys; an extensive chain of forests called the Teutoburger Wald passes through it, and in the S.W. lies the Senner Heath. The country derives its name from the River Lippe, which rises in the Teutoburger Wald, and joins the Rhine at Wesel. The Weser, which is its most important river, has for its tributaries the Emmer, Exter, Kalle, Bega, and Werra. The Ems passes through the Senner Heath and enters Westphalia. The climate in winter is cold, but in summer... it is mild, although somewhat misty and wet. In a country so thickly wooded, the value of the timber, which consists principally of oak and beech, is very great. Of the other natural productions, flax is the most important, but corn, rapeseed, and hemp are also produced in large quantities. The horses bred in the Senner Heath are much prized; horned cattle and sheep are reared in large numbers, and there is a considerable trade in honey. Limestone, gypsum, and iron are the principal mineral products. There are also several saline springs, one of which is said to yield 36,000 bushels of salt annually. There is, on the whole, little manufacturing industry; but in some places there are paper and saw mills, glass-works, and weaving establishments. The principal exports are timber, flax, thread, linen, and wool. The government is a constitutional monarchy; the diet, which consists of the prince and a representative body, meets once in two years; and whilst the states vote in two separate assemblies on questions in general, they vote in one assembly on the question of taxation. Lippe-Detmold furnishes about 700 men to the federal army. The most of the inhabitants belong to the Reformed Church. Pop. (1855) 105,490.

Bernard VIII., who died in 1563, was the first of the ancient house of Lippe who took the title of Count of Lippe. His son, Simon VI., became sole lord of all the lands of Lippe, and it is from him that the present reigning family has descended.