09/01/2016

Exploring Places XXVIII: Münster, Germany

A new postcard has arrived from MUNSTER!

Aerial view of Munster
WHERE IS MUNSTER?
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland. Münster was the location of the Anabaptist rebellion during the Protestant Reformation and the site of the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia ending the Thirty Years' War in 1648. Today it is known as the bicycle capital of Germany.

Location of Germany

Location of Munster
Münster gained the status of a Großstadt (major city) with more than 100,000 inhabitants in 1915. Currently there are 300,000 people living in the city, with about 55,500 students, only some of whom are recorded in the official population statistics as having their primary residence in Münster.

MUNSTER IS FAMOUS FOR...

...being home to famous German poet and author Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797-1848).

Anette von Droster Hülshoff
...being home to an estimated 500,000 bicycles.

A promenade

 PLACES TO VISIT

The Prinzipalmarkt, Münster’s parlour

The Prinzipalmarkt
Münster’s Prinzipalmarkt is a piece of living town history, telling tales from the Middle Ages, the Hanseatic League, and the ancient merchant families that in part pursue their businesses even today.
The square with its characteristic gabled houses and colonnades is Münster’s economic and political centre, and it's rich in tradition. This is the site of the historical town-hall with its Hall of Peace.


St. Paul's Cathedral

Saint Paul's Cathedral

The cathedral in its present state is essentially a creation of the 13th century. Of particular note is the astronomical clock, a marvel of the late Middle Ages the calendar, which reaches into the year 2071
A few steps away from the clock is the sepulchral chapel of Clemens August Cardinal von Galen, the “Lion of Münster”. Pope John Paul II prayed here in 1987. A memorial stone commemorates this event today.

The Erbdrostenhof 

The Erbdrostenhof
This masterpiece by the baroque architect Johann Conrad Schlaun built between the years 1753 and 1757 forms, together with the Clemens and Dominican churches, the “baroque island” at the Salzstrasse. Another particularity: Münster’s most beautiful nobility court stands diagonally on a rectangular plot of land.

Kuhviertel

Kuhviertel
The entertainment district, steeped in tradition, is a living mix of students’ pubs and cosy, typically Westphalian restaurants - the “Pinkus Müller” for instance, a dark beer brewery where you'll be seated underneath ancient beams painted with aphorisms at long wooden tables where whole generations of guests have immortalised themselves.
But the Kuhviertel has a lot to offer even during the day. It’s probably the most pristine place in Münster. Alleys with nooks and crannies, little shops with owner-operated businesses and restaurants invite you to stroll around.

Carillons

LIFESTYLE

Münster is a multi-faceted city. It is a city of science and learning, the City of Westphalian Peace, the capital city of bicycles and Germany’s Climate Protection Capital. Westphalia’s longstanding regional capital is a young city, not least thanks to its 50,000 students. It is an outstanding place to live, work, learn and research. It is a place where urban culture, municipal diversity and first-class rural recreation intersect and have a mutually enhancing effect.
If you want to find out what Münster has to offer to anyone living there, watch the video below.



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