Münster

General information on Münster

Its reputation preceeds the city: Münster is known to be „the main biking city in Germany“ and this reputation is completely justified.

Each of Münster’s 300.000 inhabitants statistacally owns two bikes so that the image of Münster is shaped by its 600.000 „Leezen“ as the Münsteraner call them in their secret language „Masematte“. You can see bikes wherever you go. And you can hardly move one metre without meeting young and old, careful bikers and those that move at a high speed. There are those who move around in casual outfits and equally those who are dressed up in fancy suits or –even when it is not Carnival- nuns in their frocks.

Out of the 300.000 inhabitants of Münster, 45.000 are students at the Universityof Münster and the various universities of applied sciences. This means that Münster stays useful and fresh: There are new students coming to Münster every semester – and those students naturally want to experience new things! Be it the cafés, the bars or the clubs, bei t the theatre, the museum or one of the several coincerts: There is always something going on in Münster and there are many culinary and cultural offers to be discovered.

Culture

The St. Paul’s Cathedral is known to be the town’s landmark and it attracts many visitors due to things such as its astronomical clock. Every Wednesday and Saturday there is a market in front of the cathedral where visitors can choose from a mix of flowers, vegetables, delicatessen and the best fried fish in batter that you will find.

When walking through the city you will constantly be confronted with living history. In the guildhall, the Peace of Wesfalia was signed in 1648 and as for the Lamberti church, the cages of the executed Anabaptists are still attached to it.

The Landesmuseum of Westfalia offers high-carat exhibitions and for fans of Picasso the Graphic Museum is a must. The museum of natural history next to the Aasee shows interesting changing exhibitions and you get a lively insight into the agricultural life of passed times in the open-air exhibition.

Nature

The Aasee, the Dortmund-Ems-Kanal, the castle grounds with the botanical garden. In close proximity to the city centre the city visitor will find a great variety of everything and recreation. During the summer there are barbecues, people are playing music, laying in the sun and swimming in the canal.

The flat area of the „Münsterland“ can be very well discovered by bike. A popular destination is the typical Castle Hülshoff which is surrounded by moats. The castle used to be the home of the famous poet Annette von Droste Hülshoff. If you follow the route to the west you will encounter the „Baumberge“. The Longinusturm offers a great view of the fields and forests of the Münsterland and also includes a little café.

Another route leads away from Münster along the Dortmund-Ems-Kanal and to a magical bird sanctuary, the Rieselfelder.

On the former sewage farms of the city of Münster many endangered bird species find refuge nowadays.