Münster

This city was the center of a radical group of Reformists known by the more mainstream Protestants as Anabaptists for their adherence to adult baptism. They staged the Anabaptist Rebellion in 1534, attempting to establish a theocracy in the city, and held it through 1535. The radicals had planned to expand an empire from Münster, but their leader was soon beheaded. His successor, perhaps equally overzealous, legalized polygamy in the city and took 16 wives for himself, personally beheading one of them in the marketplace. He and several key followers were, in turn, soon beheaded and their bodies placed in iron cages hung from the steeple of Lampertikirche (St. Lampert’s Church) to make an example for the populace. The cages still hang there today, though the bones have been long since removed.

But not to worry, there are no longer beheadings in Münster, no matter how unpopular your ideas. There is much to see in this city beyond the turmoil of radical Reformists. Toward the end of World War II, 92% of medieval Münster was destroyed. Many cities in the region decided to create modern metropolises from the rubble. But the citizens of Münster, known for being traditional, decided to rebuild their Altstadt (Old Town) with its original medieval lay-out and architecture.

Today, the Altstadt is 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 the Treaty of Westphalia was signed in 1648, ending the Thirty Years War and marking a rare time (perhaps the first in Europe) that peace was reached by negotiation and compromise (albeit more than five years of it) rather than by domination and defeat. The site of the negotiations and ultimate signing is the Friedenssaal (Hall of Peace) in the Rathaus.

The Rathaus (Town Hall) is one of the most important achievements of Gothic profane architecture and has been reconstructed in full historic detail. The building from the middle of the 14th century was reconstructed in the 1950s, true to the original. The original was seized during the initial takeover by the Anabaptists in 1534. It is in the heart of the Altstadt, on the Prinzipalmarkt, part of the medieval street lined by buildings that form a thick, high ring-wall around the earliest town center.

Since the Middle Ages, the Prinzipalmarkt has been Münster’s main shopping street. The tall, narrow houses with their steep gables and arched arcades on massive columns were originally built by wealthy investors. Generations of merchants have established their businesses along this remarkable street since the late 12th century. The Gothic gables of the Rathaus and the Renaissance façade of the Stadtweinhaus (City Wine House) are almost exactly as they were during medieval times.

In St. Paul’s Cathedral, you’ll find superb examples of a 13th century church making the transition from Romanesque to Gothic during the 40 years it was under construction. A marvel of the late medieval times, its astronomical clock features a calendar extending to the year 2071. The Servatii Church, built around 1230, is the smallest and most original of the city churches. It displays late Romanesque and early Gothic elements and appears somewhat submerged since it still stands on original medieval ground level while the city built “up,” literally, around it.

Where city walls once stood, the Promenade has encircled the city center since the 18th century. Bicycle is the way to go in this two-wheel-friendly city, and the 4.5 km (3 mile)-long, tree-lined Promenade serves as a car-free expressway for pedestrians.

There is also much to be discovered in the countryside surrounding this intriguing city. More than 100 moated castles dot the scenery of Münsterland. The city’s nobility lived in these stately residences during the summer months and returned to their mansions in the city in wintertime. An excellent example that is open to the public is Burg Vischering.

After seeing how the upper-crust lived, visit Mühlenhof Open-Air Museum to see what daily life on the farm was like for everyone else. More than 30 farm houses and other structures—a windmill, bake house, smithy, smoke house, horse-driven grinding mill, village store, storage sheds, bee hives and barns— have been transported from their original locations throughout Westphalia to this village-style, open-air museum on the shores of the Aasee.