Münster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Country | Germany |
| State | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Administrative region | Münster |
| District | urban district |
| Population | 270,868 source (2005) |
| Area | 302.79 km² |
| Population density | 892 /km² |
| Elevation | 60 m |
| Coordinates | 51°58′ N 7°38′ E |
| Postal code | 48143-48167 |
| Area code | 0251 |
| Licence plate code | MS |
| Mayor | Berthold Tillmann (CDU) |
| Website | muenster.de |
Münster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is most well known as the location of the Anabaptist rebellion during the Protestant Reformation and as the site of the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia ending the Thirty Years' War in 1648. Its bishops held temporary power for many centuries.
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[edit] History
In 793 Charlemagne sent out as missionary the Frisian Liudger (later canonized) to convert the Saxons with whom he had been battling, offering as headquarters his recently demolished Frankish stronghold of Mimigernaford ("ford over the Aa river"), at the crossroads of the road from Cologne and the road to Frisia. Liudger was a product of Utrecht and the York school of Ethelbert, which produced many of the clerics who served in Charlemagne's chancelry. He built his church and cloister on the right bank of the Aa, on the height called the Horsteberg: it was the monastery ("monasterium") from which Münster derives its name. In 805 Liudger travelled to Rome to be ordained the first bishop of Münster, and soon founded a school (The Gymnasium Paulinum is believed to have been founded as the monastery school in 797). The combination of ford and crossroad, marketplace, episcopal administration center, library and school, established Münster as an important center [1].
In the Middle Ages Münster was a leading member of the Hanseatic League. In 1534 the Anabaptists took power in the Münster Rebellion and founded a democratic proto-socialistic state. The town was recaptured in 1535; the Anabaptists were tortured to death, their corpses were exhibited in cages, which can still be seen hanging on the Tower of St. Lamberti's steeple.
The signing of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 at Münster and Osnabrück ended the Thirty Years' War and was one of the foundations upon which modern Europe was built. It also guaranteed the future of the prince-bishop and the diocese; the area was to be exclusively Roman Catholic.
In 1780 the University of Münster (today called "Westphalian Wilhelms-University", WWU) was established, 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 during the Napoleonic Wars. It became the capital of the Prussian province of Westphalia. A century later in 1899 the city's harbour started operations when the city was linked to the Dortmund-Ems Canal. With the spread of radio technology, in 1924 the radio and television organisation Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) was set up in Münster's harbour area.
[edit] World War II
During World War II Münster was maintained as the headquarters (Hauptsitz) for the 6th Military District (Wehrkreis) of the German Wehrmacht, under the command of Infantry General (General der Infanterie) Gerhard Glokke. Originally made up of Westphalia and the Rhineland, after the Battle of France it was expanded to include the Eupen - Malmedy district of Belgium. The headquarters controlled military operations in Münster, Essen, Dusseldorf, Wuppertal, Bielefeld, Coesfeld, Paderborn, Herford, Minden, Detmold, Lingen, Osnabruck, Recklinghausen, Gelsenkirchen, and Cologne.
Münster was the home station for the VI and XXIII Infantry Corps (Armeekorps), as well as the XXXIII and LVI Panzerkorps. Münster was also the home of the 6th, 16th and 25th Panzer Divisions; the 16th Panzergrenadier Division; and the 6th, 26th, 69th, 86th 106th, 126th, 196th, 199th, 211th, 227th, 253rd, 254th, 264th, 306th, 326th, 329th, 336th, 371st, 385th, and 716th Infantry Divisions (Infanterie-division). Thanks to its military presence, Münster was a guaranteed Allied target. About 91% of the Old City and 63% of the entire city was destroyed by Allied air raids. In the 1950's the Old City was rebuilt to match its pre-war state, though many of the surrounding buildings were replaced with cheaper modern structures.
The Bishop of Münster in the 1940's was Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, one of the most prominent critics of the Nazi government. In retaliation for his success, Münster was heavily garrisoned during WWII and five large complexes of barracks are a still resented feature of the city.
[edit] Postwar Period
From 1974 onward, the city was the residence of the American artist Moondog, an eccentric individual who idolized postwar Germany. In 2003, Münster hosted the Central European Olympiad in Informatics. In 2004, Münster won an honorable distinction: the LivCom-Award for the most livable city in the world with a population between 200,000 and 750,000. For more information about the honour, see the leaflet (.pdf) and the 10-minute DivX coded film: the 48mb-version or the 87mb-version from the official Münster-homepage.
[edit] Sights
- St Paul's Cathedral, built in the 13th century in a mixture of late Romanesque and early Gothic styles. It has been completely restored after WWII damage. 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 marketplace in the city centre with the Gothic town hall (14th century) in which the Peace of Westphalia treaty which put an end to the Thirty Years' War was signed in 1648.
- 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 to all property.
- The Schloss (palace), built 1767-87 as residence for the prince-bishops, now the administrative centre for the University.
- "Münster Arkaden" (2006), new shopping centre between Prinzipalmarkt and the Pablo Picasso Museum of Graphic Art.
- The fortress "Zwinger", build 1528. Used from the 18th to the 20th century as a prison. During World War II, the Gestapo used the "Zwinger" also for executions.
- "Krameramtshaus" (1589), an old guild house, which housed the delegation from the Netherlands during the signing of the Peace of Westphalia.
- Signal-Iduna Building (1961), the first high-rise building in Münster.
- LVM-Building, high-rise building near the Aasee.
- LBS-Building, location of Münsters 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-founder, is still intact.
- "Cavete", the oldest academic pub in Münster
- Haus Rüschhaus (1757)
- Stadthaus (1773)
- Erbdrostenhof (1755)
- Wasserschloss Wilkinghege (moated castle)
[edit] Museums
- University Geology and Palaentology Museum, exhibiting several important finds, housed in an old city palace
- Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History
- University bible museum
- 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
- West Prussian State Museum ("Drostenhof Wolbeck")
- 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
[edit] Scientific Education and Research
- University of Münster (Westphalian Wilhelms-University (WWU))
- University of Applied Sciences Münster (Fachhochschule Münster)
- University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration (Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Münster)
- Catholic Polytechnical College Münster (Katholische Fachhochschule Münster)
- Academy of Arts Münster (Kunstakademie Münster)
- Police College (Hochschule der Polizei)
- Army NCO College (Unteroffizierschule des Heeres)
- about 92 Schools of primary and secondary education, many with international partnerships
[edit] City boroughs
- Coerde
- Kinderhaus
- Sprakel
- Handorf
- Gelmer
- Wolbeck
- Gremmendorf
- Angelmodde
- Hiltrup
- Amelsbüren
- Berg Fidel
- Mecklenbeck
- Albachten
- Gievenbeck
- Sentrup
- Roxel
- Nienberge
- Häger
- St. Mauritz
- Mauritz
- Kreuzviertel
- Handorf
[edit] Twin cities
Münster is twinned with the following places:
York, United Kingdom
Fresno, California, USA
Orléans, France
Kristiansand, Norway
Monastir, Tunisia
Rishon LeZion, Israel
Ryazan, Russia
Mühlhausen, Thuringia
Lublin, Poland
[edit] See also
- CeNTech
- Fernmeldeturm
- Technology Park Münster (Host of technology companies in Münster)
- Muenster, Texas (USA)
- Munster Province, Republic Of Ireland
[edit] External links
[edit] Sights
- (German) City's official homepage
- (English) English page of Münster All-Weather Zoo
- (English) Münster Zoo at Zoo-Infos.de
[edit] Images
- (German) Muenster City Panoramas - Panoramic Views of Münster's Highlights
- Pictures from a Muenster visit in April 2004
[edit] History
- (German) 7Grad.org - Bunkers in Muenster - History of Muenster's air raid shelters
[edit] Other
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Urban districts and Districts in the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) |
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Urban |
Aachen | Bergisch Gladbach | Bielefeld | Bochum | Bonn | Bottrop | Dortmund | Duisburg | Düsseldorf | Essen | Gelsenkirchen | Hagen | Hamm | Herne | Köln (Cologne) | Krefeld | Leverkusen | Mönchengladbach | Mülheim | Münster | Oberhausen | Remscheid | Solingen | Wuppertal |
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Districts |
Aachen | Borken | Kleve (Cleves) | Coesfeld | Düren | Ennepe-Ruhr | Euskirchen | Gütersloh | Heinsberg | Herford | Hochsauerland | Höxter | Lippe | Märkischer Kreis | Mettmann | Minden-Lübbecke | Oberbergischer Kreis | Olpe | Paderborn | Recklinghausen | Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis | Rhein-Erft-Kreis | Rhein-Kreis Neuss | Rhein-Sieg-Kreis | Siegen-Wittgenstein | Soest | Steinfurt | Unna | Viersen | Warendorf | Wesel |
