The Historical City Hall of

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

(), located in the centre of

Prinzipalmarkt The ''Prinzipalmarkt'' is the historic principal marketplace of Münster, Germany. It is shaped by historic buildings with picturesque pediments attached to one another. It extends from St. Lambert's Church (''Lambertikirche'') in the north to the ...

10, is a well-known and much-visited landmark of the city of Münster, alongside

Münster Cathedral Münster Cathedral or St.-Paulus-Dom is the cathedral church of the Catholic Diocese of Münster in Germany, and is dedicated to Saint Paul. It is counted among the most significant church buildings in Münster and, along with the Historical ...

, with over 120,000 visitors recorded at the site in 2012. It rose to prominence during the negotiations for the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) 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 peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...

Treaty of 1648, which concluded the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

in Western Europe; and the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

between

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The Gothic structure was heavily damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it was rebuilt true to the original from 1950 to 1958. Though the building is occasionally used for council meetings, since 1907 the official residences of the Lord Mayor and the city administration have moved to nearby properties at Klemensstraße 10, Heinrich-Brünig-Straße and Syndikatsgasse. The monument's contributions to European history were officially recognised on April 15, 2015, when the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

awarded the town halls of Münster and

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. 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 of 168 ...

the European Heritage Seal as "Sites of the Peace of Westphalia".

History

Due to the destruction of all documents housed in the city's archive pertaining to its history during the regime of the

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tra ...

in 1534 and 1535, all information prior to this timeframe is based on documents stored outside of the city and its archives. Thus, the full history of the building cannot be reliably established prior to 1530.

Construction

Münster was granted city status circa 1170. In order to facilitate meetings and court proceedings by members of the city council who acted as judges and lay judges, a simple timber-framed building was constructed directly opposite the Michaelistor to the Domburg, in the vicinity of the episcopal catherdral area near the

. This occurred sometime during the mid

12th century The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar. In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the Golden Age' of the ...

. The

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

half-timbered building, located 12 metres east of the Prinzipalmarkt, was likely substituted before the year 1200. This building was the first recorded assembly place for the judiciary in 1250. The Council Chamber, placed in the lower part of the structure, was known as the ''Hall of Peace.'' At the beginning of the

14th century The 14th century lasted from 1 January 1301 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCCI) to 31 December 1400 (MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in both Euro ...

, the area was extended with the placement of another building situated in front of the existing structure. This extension is believed to have been built around the year 1320 when Johann III. von Deckenbrock was mayor, and is believed to have been created to give locals a forum to congregate in the open, instead of confining themselves to the row of houses present on the Prinzipalmarkt. In circa 1395, the hall was extended by a four-metre-long porch that protruded into the market. The porch was supported by five round pillars directly on the roadside, serving as part of the characteristic archway of Prinzipalmarkt. When the Prinzipalmarkt was first divided, the space for the town hall was likely left free in this location - in agreement with the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, as the ruling authority of the town and state - since on old cadastral maps, a free area with twice the width of other buildings was noted in the position of the town hall. This decision speaks to the citizenry of Münster's self-assurance, notably the elite city nobility who were the so-called heirs to the divisions. In placing the town hall in direct view from the Münster cathedral and the episcopal palace, they demonstrated their drive for freedom and the goal of self-government over the bishop. The addition of the ornate architecture and façade of the town hall in the late-fourteenth century was undoubtedly a provocation for the latter, whose passage to the cathedral was impeded by the structure.

16th century to World War II

Between the sixteenth century and World War II, the Town Hall underwent several renovations. In 1576 and 1577 the roof of the rear part of the building above the council chamber and armoury was rebuilt. The original north-south gable roof was replaced with a new east-west gable roof similar to the front part of the building. The master craftsmen employed for the conversion project marked their work in blue clinker bricks in the east gable. Further extension to the hall was built in 1602, known as the ''Stoveken'', or ''Winter Council Chamber'' and consisted of two floors. The addition was designed due to the difficulty of heating the main council chamber. Despite having a fireplace, members situated furthest from the fire were reportedly freezing whilst those nearest to the fire experienced extreme warmth. Thus the council moved to the smaller chambers during the cold months. In 1892 a third floor was added, however, the structure was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt in the 1950s. This was replaced by a new stair tower.

References

City and town halls in Germany Gothic architecture in Germany Buildings and structures in Münster {{NorthRhineWestphalia-struct-stub