1200 years of history come to life in the townscape for those who roam Münster. The square around St. Paul's Cathedral tells of the city's formative years. The medieval Hanseatic city is still readily recognisable at the Prinzipalmarkt with its gabled houses. The castle, the numerous churches and the city palace of the late baroque period give testimony to the prosperity in Münster. Again and again, modern buildings such as the municipal library or the new building of the diocesan library make sure that Münster does not only preserve its history but also sets an architectural course for the future.

The decision to reconstruct the city centre to a large extent, which had been almost entirely destroyed in World War II, was at first sneered at as being conservative. But by now, Münster’s city centre is considered as being exemplary for modern construction in a historical context, because here reconstructed buildings, recreations, post-war new buildings, and contemporary architecture merge into an unmistakable general picture.

You can discover outstanding, innovative, and historically significant objects in Münster at a glance in the Internet guide to the architecture and art of engineering in North Rhine-Westphalia:

• baukunst-nrw
  Guide to architecture and innovative engineering