Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

(''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 betwe ...

. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

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 ...

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 pea ...

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 battle ...

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 A person's primary residence, or main residence is the dwelling where they usually live, typically a house or an apartment. A person can only have one ''primary'' residence at any given time, though they may share the residence with other people. A ...

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. Popu ...

, Gronau,

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

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 ...

sent out Ludger as a missionary to evangelise the Münsterland. In 797, Ludger founded a school that later became the Cathedral School.

Gymnasium Paulinum Gymnasium Paulinum is a Gymnasium (Germany), Gymnasium (secondary) school in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in around 797 and is claimed to be the oldest school in Germany. Early history Gymnasium Paulinum was establish ...

traces its history back to this school. Ludger was ordained as the first bishop of Münster. The first cathedral was completed by 850. The combination of

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and crossroad, market place, episcopal administrative centre, library and school, established Münster as an important centre. In 1040, Heinrich III 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 Lo ...

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 Johann Conrad Schlaun (June 5, 1695 in Nörde now Warburg – October 21, 1773 in Münster) was a German architect. He is an important architect of the Westphalian Baroque architectural style. His designs include the Erbdrostenhof and Schloss Mü ...

. The

University of Münster The University of Münster (german: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of stud ...

(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 ...

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 Fren ...

. It was also part of the Grand Duchy of Berg 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. The ...

department of the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...

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, 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 d ...

'' 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. Originally made up of

and the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

, 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 Fens" ...

– Malmedy 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 th ...

. The headquarters controlled military operations in Münster, Essen,

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

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and tow ...

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

, Coesfeld,

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...

Herford Herford (; nds, Hiarwede) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford. Geography Geographic locat ...

, 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 Lingen (), officially Lingen (Ems), is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. In 2008, its population was 52,353, and in addition there were about 5,000 people who registered the city as their secondary residence. Lingen, specifically "Lingen (Ems)" is ...

, 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. Münster was also the home of the 6th, 16th and

25th Panzer Division The 25th Panzer Division, nicknamed 'Mondschein' (Moonshine), was a tank formation of the German Army during World War II. It was one of the many under strength Panzer divisions formed during the last years of the war. History Organisation a ...

; 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). 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 The 17th Airborne Division, "The Golden Talons", was an airborne infantry division of the United States Army during World War II, commanded by Major General William M. Miley. It was officially activated as an airborne division in April 1 ...

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

, about to the north, Dortmund, about to the south, and

, 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 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 Greven (; Westphalian: ''Graiwen'') is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia and close to the city of Münster. Geography Greven is situated on the river Ems, approx. 25&n ...

Adjacent cities and districts

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

( District of Steinfurt),

Telgte Telgte (German pronunciation: �tɛlktə regionally �tɛlçtə is a town in the Warendorf district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the river Ems 12 km east of Münster and 15 km west of Warendorf. Telgte is famous as a place o ...

, Everswinkel, Sendenhorst and

Drensteinfurt Drensteinfurt (in low German ''Stewwert'') is a town in the district of Warendorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km north of Hamm and 20 km south of Münster. The villages Rinkerode in the north an ...

( 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 Drenste ...

Senden The town of Senden is the second-largest town of the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and is located at the border to Baden-Württemberg. The town belongs to the Donau-Iller-Nahverkehrsverbund. Senden's neighbours are Neu-Ulm in the north, Weiße ...

and Havixbeck ( District of Coesfeld).

City boroughs

The city is divided into six administrative districts or Stadtbezirke: "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: **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 The Werse [] (river no. 32) is a , left-hand tributary of the Ems (river), River Ems in Münsterland, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The Drainage basin, catchment area of the Werse is 762.47 km². Its name may be derived from a pre-Indo- ...

**Mauritz-Ost and Mondstraße, combined better known as St. Mauritz *

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

: ** Albachten ** Gievenbeck ** Mecklenbeck ** Nienberge 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 , 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 (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazi ...

, 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 The Ecological Democratic Party (german: Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei, ÖDP) is a conservative and ecologist minor party in Germany. The ÖDP was founded in 1982. The strongest level of voting support for the ÖDP is in Bavaria, where in ...

, 1,139 , 0.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sebastian Kroos , align=left,

Pirate Party Germany The Pirate Party Germany (german: Piratenpartei Deutschland), commonly known as Pirates (), is a political party in Germany founded in September 2006 at c-base. It states general agreement with the Swedish Piratpartiet as a party of the informa ...

, 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, Social Democratic Party (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 Germany (, mostly known by the abbreviated name Volt) is a social-liberal pro-European, eurofederalist political party in Germany. It is the German branch of Volt Europa, a political movement that operates on a European level. Italian And ...

(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,

(PARTEI) , 3,196 , 2.1 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(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,

(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 Common ...

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 The Greens or Greens may refer to: Current political parties *Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens'' *Greens of Andorra * Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina *Greens of Burkina * Greens (Greece) * Greens of Montenegro *Greens of Serbia *Gree ...

) 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 The Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia is the state parliament (''Landtag'') of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which convenes in the state capital of Düsseldorf, in the eastern part of the district of Hafen. The parliament ...

Stefan Nacke ( CDU/26.2%) and former

environment minister An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...

Svenja Schulze Svenja Schulze (born 29 September 1968) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). She serves as Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development in the cabinet of Olaf Scholz. Schulze has been serving as member of the German ...

( SPD/24.1%) both became members of the

20th Bundestag This is a list of members of the 20th and current Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. The 20th Bundestag was elected in the 2021 German federal election, 26 September 2021 federal election, and was constituted in its first session on 2 ...

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 The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (german: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, ), abbreviated BMZ, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is ...

. On the state level Münster was divided into two constituencies up until the 2017 North Rhine-Westphalia state election. The election system of state elections mirrors that of national elections. During the legislative period of Laschet cabinet redistricting resulted in Münster now being split up into three constituencies, two of which now also include some surrounding municipalities. The 2017 election saw both CDU candidates Stefan Nacke and Simone Wendland winning their seat via the constituency. Via party lists

(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 The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...

, 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 constructi ...

and 1% work in the primary sector.

Main sights

* St. Paul's Cathedral, 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 An astronomical clock, horologium, or orloj is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. Definition ...

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 John of Leiden (born Johan Beukelszoon; 2 February 1509 – 22 January 1536) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader. In 1533 he moved to Münster, capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, where he became an influential prophet, turned the city into ...

and other leaders of the Münster Rebellion, who promoted polygamy and renunciation of all property. *

Überwasserkirche Überwasserkirche () is the common name of a Gothic hall church in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a ''Liebfrauenkirche'' (Church of Our Dear Lady), dedicated to St. Mary. Officially St. Marien Überwasser, it is also called Lieb ...

, a Gothic hall church consecreated in 1340 as church of a Stift which grew to be the University of Münster * The

Schloss ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...

(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 fortress built in 1528. Used from the 18th to the 20th century as a prison. During World War II, the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

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 Nienberge, built by Johann Conrad Schlaun for himself * Erbdrostenhof (1749–53), a Baroque palace, also built by Schlaun, residence of Droste zu Vischering 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 * 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 BASF SE () is a German multinational chemical company and the largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters is located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The BASF Group comprises subsidiaries and joint ventures in more than 80 countries ...

Coatings) * Pablo Picasso Museum of Graphic Art, the only museum devoted exclusively to the graphic works of

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

Pinkus Müller Pinkus Müller is a German brewery based in the Northern Germany town of Münster. The Pinkus-Müller brewery traces its origins to the arrival of Johannes Müller (1792–1870) in Münster from his hometown of Hildebrandshausen in 1816. After m ...

, 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

and

University of Applied Sciences A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

. 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 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 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, 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. 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 Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and 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 Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, United States (1986) *

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Cens ...

, 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''. * Christoph Bernhard Verspoell (1743–1818), priest and publisher of an influential hymnal * Clemens August Droste zu Vischering (1773–1845) Archbishop of Cologne. *

Georges Depping Georges Bernard Depping (11 May 17845 September 1853), also known as Georg Bernhard Depping, was a German-French historian and writer. Biography Depping was born in Münster, Westphalia, and moved to Paris in 1803, where he lived as a teacher and ...

(1784–1853), German-French historian *

Annette von Droste-Hülshoff Baroness Anna Elisabeth Franziska Adolphine Wilhelmine Louise Maria von Droste zu Hülshoff, known as Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (; 10 January 179724 May 1848), was a 19th-century German poet, novelist, and composer of Classical music. She was ...

(1797–1848), noble and poet. *

Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler Baron Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler (25 December 181113 July 1877) was a German theologian and politician who served as Bishop of Mainz. His social teachings became influential during the papacy of Leo XIII and his encyclical ''Rerum novarum''. ...

(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 Joseph Arnold Weydemeyer (February 2, 1818, Münster – August 26, 1866, St. Louis, Missouri) was a military officer in the Kingdom of Prussia and the United States as well as a journalist, politician and Marxist revolutionary. At first a supp ...

(1818–1866), military officer, journalist, politician and Marxist revolutionary * Ludwig von Wittich (1818–1884), Prussian lieutenant general *

Max von Forckenbeck Maximilian (Max) Franz August von Forckenbeck (23 October 1821 – 26 May 1892) was a German lawyer and liberal politician who served as Mayor of Berlin from 1878 until his death. His is considered one of the most important mayors of the city beca ...

(1821–1892), National Liberal politician, mayor of Wroclaw and Berlin * Bernard Altum (1824–1900), zoologist, ornithologist and forest scientist * Elisabet Ney (1833–1907), sculptor *

Alexander von Kluck Alexander Heinrich Rudolph von Kluck (20 May 1846 – 19 October 1934) was a German general during World War I. Early life Kluck was born in Münster, Westphalia on 20 May 1846. He was the son of architect Karl von Kluck and his wife Elisabeth ...

(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 Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

* Carl Schuhmann (1869–1946), gymnast and wrestler * Alfred Flechtheim (1878–1937), art dealer, art collector, journalist and publisher * Clemens August Graf von Galen (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 soverei ...

* Friedrich-Carl Rabe von Pappenheim (1894–1977), general in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

of Nazi Germany and war criminal *

Kurt Gerstein Kurt Gerstein (11 August 1905 – 25 July 1945) was a German SS officer and head of technical disinfection services of the ''Hygiene-Institut der Waffen-SS'' (Institute for Hygiene of the Waffen-SS). After witnessing mass murders in the Belzec a ...

(1905–1945), SS officer *

Gunther Plaut Wolf Gunther Plaut, (November 1, 1912 – February 8, 2012) was an American Reform rabbi and writer who was based in Canada. Plaut was the rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto for several decades and since 1978 was its senior scholar. L ...

(1912–2012), Reform rabbi and author * Moondog (1916–1999), musician, composer, theoretician, poet and inventor of musical instruments * Stefan Dohr (born 1965), French horn player, current principal horn of the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

* Alfred Dregger (1920–2002), politician and leader of the CDU * Peter Duesberg (born 1936) virologist who discovered the first retrovirus * Dieter Sieger (born 1938), shipbuilder * Heinz Lukas-Kindermann (born 1939), opera director * Detlev Jöcker (born 1951), composer, singer and songwriter *

Götz Alsmann Götz Alsmann (born 12 July 1957) is a German musician, singer and former television presenter. Biography Born in Münster, Alsmann studied German studies, music and communication studies at the University of Münster from 1977 to 1985. Fro ...

(born 1957), television presenter, musician and singer * Andreas Dombret (born 1960), board member of German central bank Deutsche Bundesbank * Monika Grütters (born 1962), politician * Ute Lemper (born 1963), cabaret singer and actress *

Tanita Tikaram Tanita Tikaram (born 12 August 1969) is a British pop/ folk singer-songwriter. She achieved chart success with the singles "Twist in My Sobriety" and " Good Tradition" from her 1988 debut album, ''Ancient Heart''. Background Tikaram was born i ...

(born 1969), British singer-songwriter * Berthold Warnecke (born 1971), dramaturge and opera director *

Franka Potente Franka Potente (; born 22 July 1974) is a German actress. She first appeared in the comedy film '' After Five in the Forest Primeval'' (1995), for which she won a Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Actress. Her breakthrough came in 1998, when sh ...

(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 ...

(born 1982), cyclist * Esther Dierkes (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" 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