Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state district capital. Münster was the location of the Anabaptist rebellion during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

and the site of the signing of the

Treaty of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought ...

ending the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

in 1648. Today it is known as the bicycle capital of Germany. Münster gained the status of a ''Großstadt'' (major city) with more than 100,000 inhabitants in 1915. , there are 300,000 people living in the city, with about 61,500 students, only some of whom are recorded in the official population statistics as having their primary residence in Münster. Münster is a part of the international Euregio region with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants ( Enschede,

Hengelo Hengelo (; Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the international Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service. ...

, Gronau, Osnabrück).

History

Early history

In 793,

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...

sent out Ludger as a missionary to evangelise the Münsterland. In 797, Ludger founded a school that later became the Cathedral School. Gymnasium Paulinum traces its history back to this school. Ludger was ordained as the first

bishop of Münster A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

. The first cathedral was completed by 850. The combination of ford and crossroad, market place, episcopal administrative centre, library and school, established Münster as an important centre. In 1040,

Heinrich III Henry III may refer to: * Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor (1017–1056) * King Henry III of Castile (1379–1406) * King Henry III of England (1207–1272) * King Henry III of France (1551–1589) * King Henry III of Navarre (1553–1610), also King ...

became the first king of Germany to visit Münster.

Middle Ages and early modern period

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the

Prince-Bishopric of Münster The Prince-Bishopric of Münster (german: Fürstbistum Münster; Bistum Münster, Hochstift Münster) was a large ecclesiastical principality in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the northern part of today's North Rhine-Westphalia and western L ...

was a leading member of the Hanseatic League. In 1534, an apocalyptic Anabaptist sect, led by John of Leiden, took power in the Münster rebellion and founded a democratic proto-socialistic state. They claimed all property, burned all books except the Bible, and called it the "New Jerusalem". John of Leiden believed he would lead the elect from Münster to capture the entire world and purify it of evil with the sword in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium. They went so far as to require all citizens to be naked as preparation for the Second Coming. However, the town was recaptured in 1535; the Anabaptists were tortured to death and their corpses were exhibited in metal baskets, which can still be seen hanging from the tower of St. Lambert's Church. Part of the signing of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 was held in Münster. This ended the

and the Eighty Years' War. It also guaranteed the future of the prince-bishop and the diocese; the area was to be exclusively

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

18th, 19th and early 20th centuries

The last outstanding palace of the German baroque period, the Schloss Münster, was created according to plans by Johann Conrad Schlaun. The University of Münster (today called "Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster", WWU) was established in 1780. It is now a major European centre for excellence in education and research with large faculties in the arts, humanities, theology, sciences, business and law. Currently there are about 40,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled. In 1802 Münster was conquered by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

. It was also part of the

Grand Duchy of Berg The Grand Duchy of Berg (german: Großherzogtum Berg), also known as the Grand Duchy of Berg and Cleves, was a territorial grand duchy established in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz (1805) on territories b ...

between 1806 and 1811 and the

Lippe Lippe () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Herford, Minden-Lübbecke, Höxter, Paderborn, Gütersloh, and district-free Bielefeld, which forms the region Ostwestfalen-Lippe. ...

department of the First French Empire between 1811 and 1813, before returning to Prussian rule. It became the capital of the Prussian province of Westphalia. In 1899 the city's harbour started operations when the city was linked to the Dortmund-Ems Canal.

World War II

In the 1940s the Bishop of Münster, Cardinal

Clemens August Graf von Galen Clemens Augustinus Emmanuel Joseph Pius Anthonius Hubertus Marie Graf von Galen (16 March 1878 – 22 March 1946), better known as ''Clemens August Graf von Galen'', was a German count, Bishop of Münster, and cardinal of the Catholic Church ...

, was one of the most prominent critics of the Nazi government. In retaliation for his success (''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described Bishop von Galen as "the most obstinate opponent of the National Socialist anti-Christian program"), Münster was heavily garrisoned during World War II, and five large complexes of barracks are still a feature of the city. Münster was the headquarters (Hauptsitz) for the 6th Military District (Wehrkreis) of the German Wehrmacht, under the command of Infantry General (General der Infanterie)

Gerhard Glokke Gerhard Glokke (26 November 18845 June 1944) was a German general. Life Born in Poznań, Posen, he joined the Prussian Army on 1 March 1903 as a Fahnenjunker in 2 Lower Silesian Infantry Regiment Number 47. He was promoted to lieutenant on 19 Au ...

. Originally made up of Westphalia and the Rhineland, after the Battle of France it was expanded to include the

Eupen Eupen (, ; ; formerly ) is the capital of German-speaking Community of Belgium and is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, from the German border ( Aachen), from the Dutch border ( Maastricht) and from the "High Fen ...

–

Malmedy Malmedy (; german: Malmünd, ; wa, Måmdiy) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Malmedy had a total population of 12,654. The total area is 99.96 km2 which gives a popula ...

district of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. The headquarters controlled military operations in Münster, Essen,

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

, Wuppertal, Bielefeld, Coesfeld, Paderborn, Herford, Minden,

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of t ...

, Lingen, Osnabrück, Recklinghausen, Gelsenkirchen, and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

. Münster was the home station for the VI and XXIII Infantry Corps (Armeekorps), as well as the XXXIII and LVI

Panzerkorps A panzer corps (german: Panzerkorps) was an armoured corps type in Nazi Germany's '' Wehrmacht'' during World War II. The name was introduced in 1941, when the motorised corps (''Armeekorps (mot)'' or ''AK(mot)'') were renamed to panzer corps. ...

. Münster was also the home of the

6th 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second ...

, 16th and 25th Panzer Division; the 16th

Panzergrenadier ''Panzergrenadier'' (), abbreviated as ''PzG'' (WWII) or ''PzGren'' (modern), meaning '' "Armour"-ed fighting vehicle "Grenadier"'', is a German term for mechanized infantry units of armoured forces who specialize in fighting from and in conju ...

Division; and the

, 26th, 69th, 86th, 106th, 126th, 196th, 199th, 211th, 227th, 253rd, 254th, 264th, 306th, 326th, 329th, 336th, 371st, 385th, and 716th Infantry Divisions (Infanterie-division). A secondary target of the Oil Campaign of World War II, Münster was bombed on 25 October 1944 by 34 diverted B-24 Liberator bombers, during a mission to a nearby primary target, the Scholven/ Buer synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. About 91% of the Old City and 63% of the entire city was destroyed by Allied air raids. The US 17th Airborne Division, employed in a standard infantry role and not in a parachute capacity, attacked Münster with the British 6th Guards Tank Brigade on 2 April 1945 in a ground assault and fought its way into the contested city centre, which was cleared in urban combat on the following day.

Postwar period

From 1946 to 1998, there was a Latvian secondary school in Münster, and in 1947, one of the largest of about 93 Latvian libraries in the West was established in Münster. In the 1950s the Old City was rebuilt to match its pre-war state, though many of the surrounding buildings were replaced with cheaper modern structures. It was also for several decades a garrison town for the British forces stationed in West Germany. MuensterPrinzipalmarkt09

Post-reunification

In 2004, Münster won an honourable distinction: the LivCom-Award for the most livable city in the world with a population between 200,000 and 750,000. Münster is famous and liked for its bicycle friendliness and for the student character of the city that is due to the influence of its university, the Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster.

Geography

Geographic position

Münster is situated on the river Aa, approximately south of its confluence with the Ems in the so-called

Westphalian Bight The Westphalian Lowland, also known as the Westphalian Basin is a flat landscape that mainly lies within the German region of Westphalia, although small areas also fall within North Rhine (in the extreme southwest) and in Lower Saxony (on the no ...

, a landscape studded with dispersed settlements and farms – the "Münsterland". The

Wolstonian The Wolstonian Stage is a middle Pleistocene stage of the geological history of Earth from approximately 374,000 until 130,000 years ago. It precedes the Eemian Stage in Europe and follows the Hoxnian Stage in the British Isles. It is also appro ...

sediments Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sa ...

of the mountain ridge called "Münsterländer Kiessandzug" cross the city from north to south. The highest elevation is the Mühlenberg in the northwest of Münster, 97 metres above sea level. The lowest elevation is at the Ems, 44 m above sea level. The city centre is 60 m above sea level, measured at the Prinzipalmarkt in front of the historic city hall. The Dutch city of Enschede lies about northwest of Münster. Other major cities nearby include Osnabrück, about to the north, Dortmund, about to the south, and Bielefeld, about to the east. Münster is one of the 42 agglomeration areas and one of Germany's biggest cities in terms of area. But it includes substantial sparsely-populated rural districts which were formerly separate local government authorities until they were

amalgamated Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...

in 1975. Thus nearly half the city's area is agricultural, resulting in a low population-density of approximately 900 inhabitants per km². ModellMünster

Population density

The city's built-up area is quite extensive. There are no skyscrapers and few high-rise buildings but very many detached houses and mansions. Still the population density reaches about 15,000 inhabitants per km² in the city centre. Calculating the population density based on the actual populated area results in approximately 2890 inhabitants per km². Münster's urban area of is distributed into covered with buildings while are used for maintenance and for traffic areas, for agriculture and recreation, are covered by water, is forested and is used otherwise. The perimeter has a length of , the largest extend of the urban area in north–south direction is , in east–west direction .

Climate

A well-known saying in Münster is ''"Entweder es regnet oder es läuten die Glocken. Und wenn beides zusammen fällt, dann ist Sonntag"'' ("Either it rains or the church bells ring. And if both occur at the same time, it's Sunday."), but in reality the rainfall with approximately per year is close to the average rainfall in Germany. The perception of Münster as a rain-laden city isn't caused by the absolute amount of rainfall but by the above-average number of rainy days with relatively small amounts of rainfall. The average temperature is with approximately 1500 sun hours per year. Consequently, Münster is in the bottom fifth in comparison with other German cities. The winter in Münster is fairly mild and snowfall is unusual. The temperature during summertime meets the average in Germany. The highest daily rainfall was registered on 28 July 2014: One weather station of the MeteoGroup reported a rainfall of the State Environment Agency registered at one of its stations during seven hours. The record rainfall led to severe flooding throughout the city and the nearby Greven.

Adjacent cities and districts

Münster borders on the following cities and municipalities, named clockwise and beginning in the northwest:

Altenberge Altenberge ( Westphalian: ''Ollenbiärg'') is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km south-east of Steinfurt and 15 km north-west of Münster. Economy Th ...

and Greven ( District of Steinfurt), Telgte, Everswinkel, Sendenhorst and Drensteinfurt ( District of Warendorf), as well as

Ascheberg Ascheberg () is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The neighbouring cities, towns and municipalities of Ascheberg are (clockwise, starting in the North) the city Münster, the town Drens ...

, Senden and Havixbeck ( District of Coesfeld).

City boroughs

The city is divided into six administrative districts or

Stadtbezirk A ''Stadtbezirk'' (also called ''Ortsbezirk'' in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate) is an administrative division in Germany, which is part of a larger city. It is translated as " borough". In Germany, ''Stadtbezirke'' usually only exist in a me ...

e: "Mitte" (Middle), "Nord" (North), "Ost" (East), "West", "Süd-Ost" (South-East) and "Hiltrup". Each district is represented by a council of 19 representatives elected in local elections. Heading each council is the district mayor, or ''Bezirksvorsteher''. Every district is subdivided into residential quarters (''Wohnbereiche''). This official term, however, is not used in common speech, as there are no discrete definitions of the individual quarters. The term "Stadtteil" is used instead, mainly referring to the incorporated communities. The districts are also divided into 45 statistical districts. The following list names each district with its residential and additional quarters. These are the official names, which partly differ from the usage in common speech. Muenster's parking building for bicycles

Muenster's parking building for bicycles

* Mitte: **Kernbereich (Centre) *

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

: **Münster-Coerde, Coerde ** Kinderhaus ** Sprakel with Sandrup * Ost: ** Dyckburg, consisting of Mariendorf and Sudmühle ** Gelmer with Gittrup ** Handorf with Kasewinkel, Kreuzbach, Laer, Dorbaum and Verth on the left bank of the Ems and Werse **Mauritz-Ost and Mondstraße, combined better known as St. Mauritz * West: ** Albachten ** Gievenbeck ** Mecklenbeck **

Nienberge Nienberge is a German community. It was independent until 1975 and has been part of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, since, located in the north-west of the town. It houses around 7,000 people. The independent community became part of Münster o ...

with Häger, Schönebeck and Uhlenbrock ** Roxel with Altenroxel and Oberort ** Sentruper Höhe * Süd-Ost: ** Angelmodde with Hofkamp ** Gremmendorf with Loddenheide ** Wolbeck * Hiltrup: ** Amelsbüren with Sudhoff, Loevelingloh and Wilbrenning ** Berg Fidel ** Hiltrup The centre can be subdivided into historically evolved city districts whose borders are not always strictly defined, such as *Aaseestadt *Erphoviertel *Geistviertel *Hansaviertel *Herz-Jesu-Viertel *Kreuzviertel *Kuhviertel *Mauritzviertel *Neutor *Pluggendorf *Rumphorst *Schlossviertel *Südviertel *Uppenberg *Zentrum Nord

Demographics

Münster has approximately 300,000 inhabitants, and more than 10,000 others who have their secondary residence in the city. The city has about 50,000 resident foreigners. The life-expectancy in Münster is 76.3 years for men and 83.1 years for women. The average age of Münster's residents was 40 in 2006. Population development since 1816: Number of largest foreign groups in Münster by nationality:

Politics

Mayor

The current Mayor of Münster is Markus Lewe of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who was elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2015 and 2020. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 September 2020, with a runoff held on 27 September, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Markus Lewe , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 68,817 , 44.6 , 69,705 , 52.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Peter Todeskino , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens , 43,978 , 28.5 , 62,824 , 47.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Jung , align=left,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

, 25,170 , 16.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Ulrich Thoden , align=left, The Left , 5,200 , 3.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jörg Berens , align=left, Free Democratic Party , 4,685 , 3.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Roland Scholle , align=left, Die PARTEI , 2,581 , 1.7 , - , , align=left, Georgios Tsakalidis , align=left, Münster List , 1,975 , 1.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Krapp , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party , 1,139 , 0.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sebastian Kroos , align=left, Pirate Party Germany , 918 , 0.6 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 154,463 ! 99.3 ! 132,529 ! 99.5 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 1,132 ! 0.7 ! 636 ! 0.5 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 155,595 ! 100.0 ! 133,165 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 247,189 ! 62.9 ! 247,097 ! 53.9 , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

City council

The Münster city council governs the city alongside the Mayor. The most recent city council election was held on 13 September 2020, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 50,465 , 32.7 , 2.5 , 22 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 46,696 , 30.3 , 10.1 , 20 , 6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 27,163 , 17.6 , 9.4 , 12 , 7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 7,539 , 4.9 , 0.2 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 7,104 , 4.6 , 1.3 , 3 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Volt Germany (Volt) , 4,032 , 2.6 , New , 2 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alternative for Germany (AfD) , 3,399 , 2.2 , 0.4 , 1 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Die PARTEI (PARTEI) , 3,196 , 2.1 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) , 1,876 , 1.2 , 0.1 , 1 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Munster List (Münsterliste) , 1,848 , 1.2 , New , 1 , New , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Pirate Party Germany (Piraten) , 959 , 0.6 , 1.5 , 0 , 2 , - , , align=left, Modern Social Party (MSP) , 71 , 0.0 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 154,348 ! 99.2 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 1,273 ! 0.8 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 155,621 ! 100.0 ! ! 66 ! 6 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 247,189 ! 63.0 ! 3.3 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
State Returning Officer

Representation

Münster forms its own Electoral district (No. 129) for elections on a national level. Due to Germany's mixture of a direct and a proportional electoral system Münster sends a directly elected member into the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Comm ...

as well as other politicians have the chance to qualify via their party's state-wide list. As for the 2021 German federal election health politician Maria Klein-Schmeink ( The Greens) won the districts seat in the Bundestag with 32.3% of the personal vote. Defeated candidates, former member of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia Stefan Nacke ( CDU/26.2%) and former environment minister Svenja Schulze ( SPD/24.1%) both became members of the 20th Bundestag via their parties' lists. Svenja Schulze enterd the new Scholz cabinet regaining a position as minister, this time in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. On the state level Münster was divided into two constituencies up until the

2017 North Rhine-Westphalia state election The 2017 North Rhine-Westphalia state election was held on 14 May 2017 to elect the members of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. The incumbent coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Greens led by Minister-President ...

. The election system of state elections mirrors that of national elections. During the legislative period of

Laschet cabinet The Laschet cabinet was the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia between 2017 and 2021, sworn in on 30 June 2017 after Armin Laschet was elected as Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia by the members of the Landtag of North Rhine-We ...

redistricting resulted in Münster now being split up into three constituencies, two of which now also include some surrounding

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

. The 2017 election saw both CDU candidates Stefan Nacke and Simone Wendland winning their seat via the constituency. Via party lists Svenja Schulze (SPD) and Josefine Paul (The Greens) entered the Landtag. After Nacke and Schulze both changed into federal politics, Münster is left with only two representatives in the Landtag.

Economy

The city is considered the "creative desk of Westphalia". Greater Münster is home to many industries such as those of public authorities, consulting companies, insurance companies, banks, computer centres, publishing houses, advertising and design. The service sector has created several thousand jobs. Retailers have approximately 1.9 billion euro turnover. The city still has traditional merchants' townhouses as well as modern outlets. The job market situation in Münster is "comparatively good". Of the approximately 130,000 employees subject to social insurance contribution more than 80% work in the tertiary sector, about 17% work in the

secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construc ...

and 1% work in the

primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy ...

Main sights

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gra ...

, built in the 13th century in a mixture of late Romanesque and early Gothic styles. It was completely restored after World War II. It includes an astronomical clock of 1540, adorned with hand-painted zodiac symbols, which traces the movement of the planets, and plays a Glockenspiel tune every noon. * The '' Prinzipalmarkt'', the main shopping street in the city centre with the Gothic city hall (14th century) in which the Peace of Westphalia treaty which put an end to the

was signed in 1648. Immediately north of the ''Prinzipalmarkt'' is the ''Roggenmarkt''. * St Lambert's Church (1375), with three cages hanging from its tower above the clock face. In 1535 these cages were used to display the corpses of Jan van Leiden and other leaders of the Münster Rebellion, who promoted polygamy and renunciation of all property. * Überwasserkirche, a Gothic hall church consecreated in 1340 as church of a Stift which grew to be the University of Münster * The Schloss (palace), built in 1767–87 as residence for the prince-bishops by the Baroque architect Johann Conrad Schlaun and Wilhelm Ferdinand Lipper. Now the administrative centre for the University. * The Botanischer Garten Münster, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

founded in 1803 * The

Zwinger "" () is a German word for outer ward or outer bailey. It represents an open kill zone area between two defensive walls that is used for defensive purposes. s were built in the post-classical and early modern periods to improve the defence ...

fortress built in 1528. Used from the 18th to the 20th century as a prison. During World War II, the Gestapo also used the Zwinger for executions * "Krameramtshaus" (1589), an old guild house, which housed the delegation from the Netherlands during the signing of the Peace of Westphalia * Stadthaus (1773) * Haus Rüschhaus (1743–49), a country estate situated in

, built by Johann Conrad Schlaun for himself * Erbdrostenhof (1749–53), a Baroque palace, also built by Schlaun, residence of

Droste zu Vischering The House of Droste zu Vischering is the name of an old and important Westphalian noble family in the Prince-Bishopric of Münster. Notable family members * Bishop Clemens August Droste zu Vischering (1773–1845), Archbishop of Cologne * Mary ...

noble family and birthplace of Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart. * Clemenskirche (1745–53), a Baroque church, also built by Schlaun * Kreuzkirche, a Gothic-revival church * Signal-Iduna Building (1961), the first high-rise building in Münster * LVM-Building, high-rise building near the Aasee * LBS-Building, location of Münster's first zoo. Some old structures of the former zoo can be found in the park around the office building. Also the "Tuckesburg", the strange-looking house of the zoo's founder, is still intact. * "Münster Arkaden" (2006), new shopping centre between Prinzipalmarkt and the Pablo Picasso Museum of Graphic Art * "Cavete", the oldest academic pub in Münster *

Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History The Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History (''LWL-Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte'') is an arts and cultural museum in Münster, Germany Besides an extensive collection ranging from '' spätgotik'' painting and sculpt ...

* University Bible museum * Buddenturm – a former city water tower built about 1150 as a defence tower and now fitted with windows, is near the largest aggregation of pubs in the city * City Museum ("Stadtmuseum"), exhibition of a large collection showing the political and cultural history of the city from its beginning up to present, housed by a converted former department store * University Mineralogical Museum * Westphalian Horse Museum ("Hippomax") * Mühlenhof open-air museum, depicting a typical Westphalian village as it looked centuries ago * Westphalian Museum for Natural History, state museum and planetarium * Museum of Lacquer Art (founded and operated by the company BASF Coatings) * Pablo Picasso Museum of Graphic Art, the only museum devoted exclusively to the graphic works of Pablo Picasso * Pinkus Müller, the only brewery left in Münster; originally there were more than 150. * Kiepenkerl statue in Kiepenkerl Square

Education

Münster is home to many institutions of higher education, including the University of Münster and University of Applied Sciences. The city also has 92 primary and secondary education schools. The city had 61,441 students in 2015/16.

Transport

Air

Münster Osnabrück International Airport serves the city of Münster. The airport provides flights to European destinations mostly.

Bicycling

Münster claims to be the bicycle capital of Germany. It states that in 2007, vehicle traffic (36.4%) fell below traffic by bicycle (37.6%), even though it is unclear how such a figure is defined. The city maintains an extensive network for bicycles including the popular "Promenade" which encircles Münster's city centre. While motorised vehicles are banned, there are paths for pedestrians. Additional

bicycle paths Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...

link all city districts with the inner city and special traffic lights provide signals for bicyclists. Bicycle stations in Münster offer bicycle rentals.

Train

Münster's Central Station is on the

Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway The Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway is the shortest railway link between the Metropole Ruhr and the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and hence one of the most important railway lines in northwest Germany. The Route runs over the cities Münster (West ...

. The city is connected by Intercity trains to many other major cities in Germany.

Public transportation

Historically, Münster had a historic tramway system, but it closed in 1954. Today, Münster does have some public transportation, which includes bus expresses, sightseeing buses, "waterbuses", Lime scooters and bicycle rentals. It is the largest German city without a U-Bahn or an S-Bahn system.

Sports

The city is home to

Preußen Münster Preußen or Preussen is the German word for Prussia. It also refers to: Ships * ''Preußen'' (ship), windjammer built in 1902 * SMS ''Preußen'' (1873), armored frigate * SMS ''Preußen'' (1903), pre-dreadnought Battleship * , vorpostenboot ...

, which was founded on 30 April 1906. The main section is football, and the team plays at Preußenstadion. Other important sports teams include the USC Münster e.V. volleyball club.

British forces

After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Münster became a major station within Osnabrück Garrison, part of

British Forces Germany British Forces Germany (''BFG'') was the generic name for the three services of the British Armed Forces, made up of service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. It was established following the Secon ...

. Their presence was gradually reduced, yet there are still many active military bases. The last forces left Münster on 4 July 2013.

Twin towns – sister cities

Münster is twinned with: *

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England, United Kingdom (1958) * Orléans, France (1960) *

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...

, Norway (1967) * Monastir, Tunisia (1969) * Rishon LeZion, Israel (1981) * Fresno, United States (1986) * Ryazan, Russia (1989) * Mühlhausen, Germany (1990) * Lublin, Poland (1991) * Enschede, Netherlands (2020)

Notable people

* Johannes Veghe (c. 1435–1504), religious writer * Henry Nicholis (ca.1501 – ca.1580) a German mystic, founded ''

Familia Caritatis The ''Familia Caritatis'', also known as the Familists, was a mystical religious sect founded in the sixteenth century by Henry Nicholis, also known as Niclaes. ''Familia Caritatis'' translates from Latin into "Family of Love", and in other l ...

''. * Christoph Bernhard Verspoell (1743–1818), priest and publisher of an influential hymnal *

Clemens August Droste zu Vischering Baron Clemens August Droste zu Vischering (German: ''Clemens August Freiherr von Droste zu Vischering''; 21 January 1773 – 19 October 1845) was an Archbishop of Cologne. His clashes with the Prussian government personified the conflict relat ...

(1773–1845) Archbishop of Cologne. * Georges Depping (1784–1853), German-French historian * Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), noble and poet. * Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler (1811–1877), theologian and politician, Bishop of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

. * Paul Melchers (1813–1895), Cardinal and Archbishop of

* Joseph Weydemeyer (1818–1866), military officer, journalist, politician and Marxist revolutionary *

Ludwig von Wittich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig von Wittich was a Prussian lieutenant general and a member of the Reichstag. Biography He was the son of the later Prussian Major General Karl August von Wittich (1772–1831) and his wife Christiane Johanna Friederike ...

(1818–1884), Prussian lieutenant general * Max von Forckenbeck (1821–1892), National Liberal politician, mayor of Wroclaw and Berlin *

Bernard Altum Johann Bernard Theodor Altum (31 January 1824, Münster, Province of Westphalia – 1 February 1900, Eberswalde) was a German Catholic priest, zoologist, and forest scientist who also engaged in popularizing his religiously grounded understanding ...

(1824–1900), zoologist, ornithologist and forest scientist *

Elisabet Ney Franzisca Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney (26 January 1833 – 29 June 1907) was a German-American sculptor who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe, producing portraits of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe Gar ...

(1833–1907), sculptor * Alexander von Kluck (1846–1934), German general, World War I * Albert Kopfermann (1846–1914), musicologist and librarian * Mary of the Divine Heart Droste zu Vischering (1863–1899), noble and nun beatified by Pope Paul VI *

Carl Schuhmann Carl August Berthold Schuhmann (12 May 1869 – 24 March 1946) was a German athlete who won four Olympic titles in gymnastics and wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, becoming the most successful athlete at the inaugural Olympics ...

(1869–1946), gymnast and wrestler *

Alfred Flechtheim Alfred Flechtheim (1 April 1878 – 9 March 1937) was a German Jewish art dealer, art collector, journalist and publisher persecuted by the Nazis. Early years Flechtheim was born into a Jewish merchant family; his father, Emil Flechtheim, was a g ...

(1878–1937), art dealer, art collector, journalist and publisher *

(1878–1946), cardinal, Bishop of Münster, beatified by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

Friedrich-Carl Rabe von Pappenheim __NOTOC__ Friedrich-Carl Rabe von Pappenheim (5 October 1894 – 9 June 1977) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Pappenheim surrendered to the Soviet tr ...

(1894–1977), general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany and war criminal * Kurt Gerstein (1905–1945),

SS officer The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe duri ...

* Gunther Plaut (1912–2012), Reform rabbi and author * Moondog (1916–1999), musician, composer, theoretician, poet and inventor of musical instruments *

Stefan Dohr Stefan Dohr (born September 3, 1965 in Münster) is a German horn player and currently the principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Berliner Philharmoniker). Apart from being a sought-after masterclass teacher, he teaches the horn at ...

(born 1965), French horn player, current principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic *

Alfred Dregger Alfred Dregger (10 December 1920 – 29 June 2002) was a German politician and a leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Dregger was born in Münster. After graduating from a school in Werl, he entered the German Wehrmacht in 1 ...

(1920–2002), politician and leader of the CDU * Peter Duesberg (born 1936) virologist who discovered the first retrovirus *

Dieter Sieger Dieter Sieger (born 3 May 1938) is a German architect, shipbuilder, industrial designer, painter and art collector. He is one of Germany's most prominent and distinctive contemporary designers. In the 1980s and 1990s, Sieger made history by maki ...

(born 1938), shipbuilder * Heinz Lukas-Kindermann (born 1939), opera director * Detlev Jöcker (born 1951), composer, singer and songwriter * Götz Alsmann (born 1957), television presenter, musician and singer * Andreas Dombret (born 1960), board member of German central bank Deutsche Bundesbank *

Monika Grütters Monika Grütters (born 9 January 1962) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2013-2021. She has ...

(born 1962), politician * Ute Lemper (born 1963), cabaret singer and actress * Tanita Tikaram (born 1969), British singer-songwriter * Berthold Warnecke (born 1971), dramaturge and opera director * Franka Potente (born 1974), German actress *

Linus Gerdemann Linus Gerdemann (born 16 September 1982) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who won a stage in the 2007 Tour de France and led the general classification for two days, wearing the yellow jersey. After failing to find a contract f ...

(born 1982), cyclist *

Esther Dierkes Esther Dierkes (born 9 February 1990) is a German operatic, concert and lied soprano. Life and career Born in Münster, Dierkes received her first voice lessons at the age of 13. She achieved first prize in the national competition Jugend musi ...

(born 1990), opera singer

Gallery

MuensterRathausSendschwert2800.jpg, Symbolic sword, old city hall Münster - Hauptbahnhof (2).jpg, Hauptbahnhof, Centre Entrance to the underground bicycle station Münster oppsite the railway station.jpg, Entrance bicycle station opposite the old railway station Muenster Promenade 6457.jpg, Promenade in autumn Marienplatz Münster 2013.jpg, Marienplatz Münster Centre Former Apollo cinema Münster.jpg, Old Apollo cinema, Marienplatz Münster's municipal theatre.jpg, Münster's municipal theatre Public library Münster.jpg, Public Library, Centre County Museum Münster.jpg, Landesmuseum Münster LVA Muenster.jpg, LVA (State Social Insurance Board) Münster-Nord Messecentrum Münster.jpg, Trade Fair Centre Münster

References

External links

*
English page of Münster All-Weather Zoo

– Panoramic Views of Münster's Highlights
7Grad.org – Bunkers in Muenster
– History of Muenster's air raid shelters
The Siege of Muenster
– audio discussion from "

In Our Time In Our Time may refer to: * ''In Our Time'' (1944 film), a film starring Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid * ''In Our Time'' (1982 film), a Taiwanese anthology film featuring director Edward Yang; considered the beginning of the "New Taiwan Cinema" * ''In ...

" BBC
Technology Park Münster (Host of technology companies in Münster)

Tourist-Info

(emergency banknotes) depicting the Münster Rebellion with Ian Bockelson, Berndt Knipperdollink, Berntken Krechting, and Jan van Leyden. http://webgerman.com/Notgeld/Directory/M/Muenster.htm * {{DEFAULTSORT:Munster Oil campaign of World War II Members of the Hanseatic League Populated places established in the 8th century 8th-century establishments in Europe