The Historic City Hall is one of Münster's central landmarks (in the picture above right). Its richly decorated front is unmistakable. It is particularly famous for the negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which ended the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) and the Spanish-Dutch War (1568-1648). In 2015, Münster was recognized for this by the European Commission and awarded the European Heritage Label.

You can enter the so-called "Friedenssaal" (Peace Hall) of the town hall, where the negotiations took place, for an entrance fee of two euros (picture below). There you can see the portraits of the envoys for the peace negotiations and learn all about the negotiations. The hall is also used for official occasions such as receptions or the awarding of the "Preis des Westfälischen Friedens" (Peace of Westphalia Award).

The town hall began in the Middle Ages as a simple half-timbered house on the same square within sight of the cathedral. At that time, meetings and courts of judges and the lay assessors were held there. At the beginning of the 14th century, the building was extended by an assembly building for the citizens. Around 1395 the town hall was again extended by a porch and got its famous front with the show gable.

During the Second World War, the building was hit by several bombs and burned out completely. The front collapsed and fell in full length onto the Prinzipalmarkt. Reconstruction did not begin until 1950 and was financed partly by public funds and partly by donations. Not only citizens donated at that time, but also towns, trade and industry from the surrounding area.

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If you want to visit the Historic Town Hall, you can find all information such as opening hours and entrance fees on the Münster Marketing page about the Town Hall.

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Further information:

• Visitor information Friedenssaal (Münsterland eV) (website only available in German)

• Wikipedia article Peace of Westphalia (English article)