MÜNSTER 
Sightseeing

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Prinzipalmarkt with old arcades and gabled houses and the Town Hall .

Most of the old gabled houses on Münsters main marquet square were rebuilt after the war. The same goes for the imposing Gothic town hall. The splendid facade still draws many tourists to the city. Some of the furnishing of the main council chamber escaped destruction and were returned to their rightful place after the restoration of the building. It was here that the Treaty of Westphalia was signed in 1648. It marked the ending of the Thirty Year's war in Europe.

St. Paulus cathedral with astronomical clock.

The most impressive church in Münster. Stylewise it represents a transition from late-Romanesque style to early-Gothic style. St. Paul's was built between 1225 and 1265. Later additions are : the northern cloister (14th century) and the passage around the presbytery (16th - 17th century).  Apart from some splendid 13th century sculptures and two 17th century altars, the cathedral is most known for the astronomical clock from 1540. The paintings in the clock are by Ludger tom Ring the elder and the sculptures are by Johann Brabender. At noon, moving figures show the Magi paying tribute to Jesus to the sound of a carillon.

Church of St. Lamberti.

This church has the typical hall-style characteristics of many Westphalian prayerhoues. The main building dates from 1376-1450. A later addition is the openwork finial of the tower, which was constructed in 1887. Rather gruesome are the cages hanging from the tower. They once contained the bodies of the Anabaptists after their commune had been crushed in 1536.

The Überwasserkirche.

The real name of this church is "Church of Our Lady" but the popular name is "Überwasserkirche" (church above the water) because it is located on the banks of the Aa river. This Gothic church dates from 1340-1346 and was constructed on the site of a older church.

Schloss with Schloss Gardens and Botanical Gardens.

Prince-Bishop Maximilian Freidrich had this splendid Baroque residential palace built in 1767-1787. Like the Erbdrostenhof it was designed by the local architect and Baroque master Johann Conrad Schlaun. The beautiful park with its botanical garden was added a little later, in 1803. Bombed in World War II, the castle was restored to its ancient glory and became the seat of the Münster University.

Erbdrostenhof.
This beautiful late-Baroque houses was carefully rebuilt after its destruction in World War II. It was designed by Johann Conrad Schlaun in 1753-1757.

Mühlenhof Open-air Museum.

On the banks of the AA-see (Aa Lake) is the interesting open-air museum of Mühlenhof. Inside the park are some rural houses with their original furnishings, as well as two mills from the 17th and 18th century.