Back Roads Germany (Dk Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

93

8 Münster
North Rhine-Westphalia; 48143

Steeped in centuries of learning, the capital of Westphalia is the

university city par excellence. World War II saw 90 per cent of the old

town laid to ruins, but most of it has now been rebuilt. In 2004, the

UN Environmental Programme hailed Münster as the world’s most

livable city. For visitors, its shops and fine cuisine add to its appeal

and complement the impressive monuments and museums.

vestibule illustrating the labors of the

months. Opposite the cathedral, the

Landesmuseum 5 (closed Mon) dis-

plays art and sculp ture from the

medi eval to the modern ages. It

includes reli gious sculptures by

Münster’s Heinrich Brabender that sur -

vived the Anabaptist purges. Walk

across Domplatz to Prinzipalmarkt, a

former merchants’ street that now has

some of the finest shops. Ahead is

the gabled Gothic Rathaus

6 (closed Mon) where the

Catholic fac tion brokered a

peace deal to end the Thirty

Years’ War. Walk down the

main street to the 15th-cen-

tury Lambertikirche 7. The

three iron cages attached to

its spire were used to display

the exe cuted Anabaptist

revo lu tionaries. Turn right

in front of the church to

stroll down Salzstrasse. Go past the

Stadtmuseum 8 (closed Mon) at

No. 28, which has Anabaptist exhibits,

to the Promenadenring park land that

circles the city. A stroll along the pro-

me nade leads back to the parking lot.

VISITING MÜNSTER

Parking

The city’s largest parking areas are at

the Schloss on Hindenburgplatz.

Central park ing lots on Königstrasse

and Heinrich-Brüning-Strasse are busy

at weekends.

Tourist Information

Heinrich-Brüning-Strasse 9, 48143;

0251 492 27 10; http://www.tourismus.

muenster.de; closed Sun

Above Thirteenth-century twin-spired Dom

St. Paul, Münster

A 90-minute walking tour
The parking lot is located in the

forecourt of Schloss Münster 1 ,
the palace of Münster’s Prince-Bishop
rulers. Designed by the court’s master-
architect Johann Conrad Schlaun, the
Baroque residence is now the main
university building. From the parking
lot, cross the road into Frauenstrasse.
Turn left into Jüdefelderstrasse to the
Kuhviertel 2 , a cozy nest of lanes full
of student drinking dens. Walk
back to Frauenstrasse and
turn left to the Gothic
Liebfrauenkirche, the Church
of Our Lady, popu larly called

Überwasserkirche 3 , or
church over water, after
the Aa river behind it.
Continue down the road
and cross the Aa to reach
a cobbled lane framed by
the twin spires of the Dom
St. Paul 4 , built in the 13th century
to replace the mon astery that gave
Münster its name. Inside is a beauti-
fully painted 16th-century astrono-
mical clock by painter Ludger Tom
Ring and a frieze in the Romanesque

DRIVE 8: Palaces and Castles of Münsterland

EAT AND DRINK IN MÜNSTER

Café Kleimann inexpensive

Located opposite the Lambertikirche,

Café Kleimann is an acclaimed

Konditorei (cake shop).

Prinzipalmarkt 48, 48143; 0251 430 64;

http://www.konditorkleimann.de; closed Sun

Pinkus Müller inexpensive

In the Kuhviertel is Münster’s last

surviving and oldest micro-brewery

specializing in draft beers and regional

cuisine such as veal ragout Töttchen.

Kreuzstrasse 4–10, 48143; 0251 451 51;

http://www.pinkus-mueller.de; closed Sun

Kleiner Kiepenkerl moderate

This upmarket, family-run inn serves

regional fare such as sausage-platters.

Tables are set on a terrace in summer.

Spiekerhof 47, 48143; 0251 434 16;

http://www.kleiner-kiepenkerl.de; closed Mon

Kleines Restaurant im Oer’schen

Hof expensive

Housed in a historic building,

this hotel serves exquisite modern

European cuisine.

Königstrasse 42, 48143; 0251 484

10 83; http://www.kleines-restaurant-im-

oerschenhof.de; closed Sun

0 meters

0 yards

200

200

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under €20; moderate, €20–€40; expensive, over €40

Detail on the door of

the Schloss Münster

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