Münster

Start your dream itinerary in Münster—a city where tradition and the modern age complement one another harmoniously. Münster uses its character and charm to create a link between tradition and modern lifestyles. In the historical core of the city, its long heritage has remained recognizable. The heart of the city and its main eye-catcher is St. Paul’s Cathedral, built over some 40 years on the threshold from Romanesque to Gothic with one of the most lavishly decorated naves in Germany.

As you explore the city, you’ll be delighted by Münster’s Prinzipalmarkt. Lined by houses with pointed roofs and arched pathways, it is one of Europe’s most beautiful inner-city squares. Its gabled houses have been the homes of Münster’s merchants for centuries and are living proof of the wealth of this old Hanseatic League town. The city’s prominence during the Hanseatic era was recognized in 1993 when representatives from other Hanseatic cities presented Münster with bronze-ringed cobblestones in honor of its 625 years as a fellow League member. More than 50 of these cobblestones were laid on the traditional Salzstrasse for visitors to see for many years to come.

The Old Town is indeed 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 one treaty of 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 rather than by domination and defeat.

Even 360 years ago, Münster had already made a name for itself as a place to hold congresses (as it still does today), and it was thus chosen as the place for 150 delegations and their retinues from all over Europe to meet and negotiate a treaty. In addition to its 100,000 inhabitants, Münster had to accommodate and feed almost the same number of guests – in accordance with their social rank. It was an outstanding achievement – especially in a time of war. The effort was worth it, though, as the Treaty of Westphalia was signed in Münster’s town hall (or Rathaus). The “Friedensaal,” or Hall of Peace, is the room where the signatures were made, open to visitors today.

Modern Münster is inseparable from the historic peace treaty signed there in 1648. History brings with it responsibilities, and Münster accordingly feels a responsibility for the present and the future in developing new instruments for avoiding or solving conflicts and for securing peace in crisis areas in today’s world.

Outdoor fans will find plenty to enjoy in Münster, too. Located in the middle of the city, the Promenade and the Aasee Lake offer abundant opportunities. You’ll find the Mühlenhof Open-Air Museum, the All-Weather Zoo, the Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium on the shores of the beautiful lake, and all are easily reached by water bus. You might want to get around by bike, though, considering Münster has been named the most bicycle-friendly city in Germany. Where the city walls once stood, there is now a green belt around the old town. The Promenade, with its double row of lime trees, is car-free and is an important thoroughfare for locals on a stroll or for visitors to soak in the atmosphere.

Other “must-see” attractions include the splendid Baroque buildings by Johann Conrad Schlaun, Westphalia’s great Baroque master builder. His chief work is the Castle (Prince Bishop’s Residence), now part of the University. The Erbdrostenhof and the Church of St. Clemens, reminiscent of the Italian Baroque, are further gems of his creative spirit. Together with the Dominican Church they form the “Baroque Island” in the city center.

Münster’s museums and theaters offer lively culture, kept vibrant through actors, musicians, writers and artists who all contribute to the cultural Münster mixture. The Museum of Pablo Picasso Graphics, the first and only museum solely dedicated to the graphic works of Pablo Picasso, has been situated in an old city palace on the Königstrasse since the year 2000.

The gastronomy in Münster is active day and night, with more than 900 restaurants and bars from student pubs to upscale restaurants. Typical Münster hospitality is found above all in the Kuhviertel (Cow District) with its small, lovingly restored old pubs that Münster’s students have naturally made their favorite haunts. Here young and old sit harmoniously round the scoured wooden tables at which generations of carvers have immortalized themselves, devoting their attention to Münster cuisine and, even more, Münster beer.

Not only the city itself is inviting—its immediate surroundings are equally attractive. Münsterland, known as the “Mediterranean of the North,” presents park landscapes and typical moated castles that make it a favorite destination. In Münsterland, more than 100 castles, fortresses and palaces give clues of a glorious past. Visitors can explore and discover pearls like the romantic Darfeld Castle, the medieval Vischering Fortress and Nordkirchen Palace, known as the Westphalian Versailles.