Münster: Germany

Münster: Germany
Münster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. Population: 269.105 (30.06.2003), area 302.83 km². In 2003, Münster hosted the Central European Olympiad in Informatics (CEOI).
The University of Münster is fourth biggest and one of the oldest universities in Germany.
History
The name derives from the Latin monasterium (monastery) and refers to the founding of the bishopric of Münster by Charlemagne (793). .In the Middle Ages Münster was a leading member of the Hanseatic League. In 1534 the Anabaptists took power in the Münster Rebellion and founded a democratic proto-socialistic state. The town was recaptured in 1535; the Anabaptists were tortured to death, their dead bodies were exhibited in cages, which hung from St. Lamberti’s steeple.
The signing of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 at Münster and Osnabrück guaranteed the future of the prince-bishop and the diocese; the area was to be exclusively Roman Catholic.
In 1802 Münster was conquered by Prussia during the Napoleonic Wars. It became the capital of the Prussian province of Westphalia.
In World War II Münster was mostly destroyed by Allied air raids, but it was rebuilt after the war in an ancient style. From 1974 onward, the city was the residence of the American artist Moondog, who idolized postwar Germany.
In 2004, Münster won the LivCom-Award for Liveable Communities. See the leaflet (.pdf) and the 10-min.-long DivX-coded film: the 48mb-version or the 87mb-version from the official Münster-homepage
Sights
Prinzipalmarkt, marketplace in the city centre, with the town hall (14th century)
Saint Paulus Cathedral, 13th century, with an astronomical clock of 1540
Saint Lamberti, church (1375); the cages, which once exhibited the bodies of the Anabaptists, still hang from the steeple
Castle, built 1767-87 as residence for the bishop, now the administrative center for the University