Münster

Last Sunday, we took a day trip to Münster, named for its monastery built in the early 800's during Charlemagne's missional expansion of his empire. This church was consecrated as St. Paul's Cathedral in 1264, and its architecture represents the transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic.


Our (only) American friends here, Neil and Megan, accompanied us on this trip. We have a tradition of getting together every Sunday, and this trip was perfect because we could all travel together on a group ticket. This photo is from our very German lunch in the city center.


Münster was 90% destroyed during World War II and quickly restored in the 1950's. The tall facades and the pointed arches on the fronts of buildings are very charming. This particular image shows the Town Hall in the Prinzipalmarkt, where in 1648 the Peace of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years' War.


Another interesting part of Münster's history involves a short-lived (1534-1535) Anabaptist theocracy, led by John of Leiden. Adult baptism is still a main tenet of the denomination, but this was a radical group. They called the city New Jerusalem, burned all books except the Bible, proclaimed shared ownership of all property and goods, and practiced polygamy. The leaders of the Anabaptists were tortured and killed when the city was reclaimed, and their bodies were displayed in cages hung from a church tower. While the bones were later removed, the cages still hang today and it was startling to see them in person.


The city is known for its bicycles and its large university(3rd largest in the country with over 40,000 students). An old palace has been converted into part of the university, and there is a botanical garden in the back where we let Daisy run around and play. We are needing to do that more and more on our travels!