Germany's Green City of Peace

After World War II, many German cities sought to rebuild their fallen cities in modern style. The citizens of Münster, however, decided to rebuild their Old Town with its "original" medieval lay-out and architecture. The result is an Old Town that is a marvel for residents and visitors.

Toward the end of World War II, 92 percent of medieval Münster was destroyed. Many cities in the region - like Düsseldorf, Essen and Bochum - decided to create new cities from the rubble. The citizens of Münster, known for being traditional, decided to rebuild their Old Town as it had been, a decision met with derision from outside the city, with jokes about "those conservative Westphalians" and how they wanted to make believe that World War II never happened.

Today, few would doubt the wisdom and perhaps soul of their decision. The Altstadt is a marvel for residents and visitors. It's also a place where peace, tolerance and understanding are celebrated. After all, this is the town where the Peace of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years War and marking a rare time (perhaps the first in Europe) that peace was reached by negotiation and compromise (albeit more than five years of it) rather than by domination and defeat.

The site of the negotiations and ultimate signing is the Friedenssaal, the Hall of Peace in the Gothic Rathaus, where the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia put an end to the extended war.

 

This article appeared in its original form in "Gemuetlichkeit German Travel Newsletter".  www.gemut.com<//a>