Source: Presseamt Münster / Angelika Klauser (link image source) (only available in German)

Zwinger

(Sources of information: Wikipedia, Filmlocations Münster, Stadtmuseum Münster) (Sources in German)

The Zwinger is a former defense tower, which is located directly on the Promenade and was built in 1528. It is much more than "just" a defense tower, however: On the one hand, it is a memorial and memorial to the victims of the Second World War and the Nazi regime. On the other hand, it houses a sculpture by the artist Rebecca Horn, who also wants to commemorate the Nazi era with it.

Shortly after its construction, the Zwinger was taken over and used for defense by the so-called "Anabaptists" during their rule in Münster in 1534/35. After the end of the "Anabaptist Empire" it was used for the suppression of revolts. It was in this context that it was officially given the name "Zwinger", which was first mentioned in a document in 1537.

In 1732, Johann Conrad Schlaun was commissioned to convert it into a prison. It was used as such until the end of the 19th century. In mid-August 1900, the Zwinger was classified as a monument and should therefore be preserved. After the First World War, artists used it as a home and studio until 1935.

During the National Socialist era, the Zwinger first served as a cultural home for the Hitler Youth of Münster, and from 1944 as a detention center for the Secret State Police (Gestapo). Among other things, the Gestapo tortured and killed Soviet forced laborers and prisoners of war here.

After the Second World War, the city wanted to transform the Zwinger into a memorial, but this failed due to money problems. Thus it deteriorated more and more over the years until Rebecca Horn brought the Zwinger back into the public memory with her sculpture (picture below: lights as installation part). As a result, the Münster City Council decided to use the site as a memorial against wartime violence and the atrocities committed by the Nazis.

You can visit the Zwinger from April to October on the first Sunday of each month with a guided tour. A tour without a guide is possible every Sunday between 2 and 6 p.m. from June to September. Guided tours with flashlights are offered every third Thursday of the month starting at 8 pm. For groups and school classes, additional dates for guided tours can be arranged - free of charge for the classes, of course.

Further information and prices can be found on the website of the City Museum about the Zwinger (website only available in German).

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Further information:

• Wikipedia article Anabaptist dominion of Münster ("Münster rebellion") (article in English)

• Wikipedia article Johann Conrad Schlaun (full article only available in German)

• Wikipedia article Rebecca Horn (article in English)