Quakenbrück - St. Sylvester

Quakenbrück was founded in 1234 by the bishop of Osnabrück, although the area had been settled previously. When the bishop founded a collegiate chapter, it was probably the bishop's intention to form Quakenbrück as the northernmost bulwark of his diocese. The collegiate church, dedicated to St. Sylvester, was built from 1235 on.

The Reformation, introduced by Hermann Bonnus of Quakenbrück, shaped and changed the town. Bonnus helped determine ecclesiastical developments throughout northern Germany. In Quakenbrück, he met no resistance, as part of the population had already turned to the Protestant side, and the collegiate church could thus be converted into a Protestant church.