Visitors to Münster are often surprised by the amount of Baroque architecture, since the style rarely made it this far north. Fortunately for Münster, one of its prime architects, Johann Konrad von Schlaun, was quite taken with Baroque styles and visited Italy often to learn innovation and technique. Three outstanding structures make up the so-called Baroque Island: the Erbrostenhof palace, the Clemenskirche and the Dominikanerkirche.

 

Münster also offers an eclectic range of museums: Picasso, Carnival, Bible, Organ, Lacquer Art, Geology-Paleontology, Railway and Leper.

 

Although the Altstadt was rebuilt as faithfully as possible, much of the architecture lacks the decorative elements of the original. For example, although a roof, gable or façade may follow the original architectural design, it may not display the former detailed carvings—“simplified reconstruction,” locals call it. But building owners don’t hide the fact and proudly show two dates on their buildings: the date of original construction and the date the rebuilt structure was finished.

 

Münster is neither static nor stunted by nostalgia. Its buildings have a purpose, and its shoppers, office workers, residents and visitors keep the city alive and vibrant. It certainly doesn’t hurt that half of the city’s residents are under 25, and a full 20 percent are students. The city encourages change and is by no means a city of absolutes. It celebrates both the past and the future. The City Theater, for example, integrated modern architecture with the single remaining wall from the bombed-out only standing wall of the former Romberger Hof Palace.