In this video, we take a short trip to Münster, a mid-size city in Western Germany that’s known as Germany’s biking capital. In addition to being a great place to start your next biking adventure, Münster also offers great historical sights, museums, churches, and excellent shopping.
VIDEO CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
0:27 Brief History
1:29 Main Attractions
4:36 Biking Capital
5:44 Conclusion
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Today we’re
going to explore another mid-sized city, this time in western Germany. Welcome to Münster. This city is known
as the biking capital of Germany. It’s also home to the University of Münster
and many museums and historical sites. Let’s have a look around and see what
all this lovely city has to offer. Los geht’s. Münster,
which was founded in the eighth century, is located
in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has a population of around
300,000 people, 60,000 of which are students. The city is known as the location
for the signing of the peace treaty in 1648,
that marked the end of the 30 Years War. Münster was also part
of the medieval commercial network of cities
known as the Hanseatic League. Just like another city
we looked at recently, Lübeck. With its proximity to the Netherlands, Münster has a feel similar
to typical Dutch cities. The University of Münster,
which dates back to the 18th century, is a major research university sitting
just outside the historic old town center. I should also note that Münster is not the home of Muenster cheese,
which actually comes from Munster, France, a small town
that is about 600km south of here. Okay, now let’s check out some of the main attractions
in Münster. Let’s begin with the beautiful churches
that are scattered throughout the historic Old Town. The largest and most prominent of these
is Saint Paul’s Cathedral. It’s located in the center of the old town
and dates back to the 12th century. Right next to the cathedral,
you’ll find the Domplatz, a large plaza with some shaded seating areas
and a big open space. This is where the weekly market is held
every Wednesday and Saturday. The next prominent church
is Saint Lambert’s. This one’s not too far away
from Saint Paul’s, and it can be seen from the Domplatz. Saint Lambert’s was completed
in the 15th century, and it stands at the end of Münster’s main shopping
street, called the Prinzipalmarkt. An interesting feature of this
church is the artwork you can see here on its steeple
and within the church. These pieces were installed in 2022 and are called the “Himmelsleiter”,
or ladders to Heaven. The ladder on the steeple
looks particularly beautiful when it’s fully lit up at night. The third and final church
I want to mention is the Überwasserkirche. This one stands near Saint Paul’s
Cathedral and dates back to the 14th century. Just between these two churches lies
the town hall, where the peace treaty
I mentioned earlier was signed. This is located
right on the Prinzipalmarkt shopping street,
which has lots of nice stores, many of which can be found within cute
arcades like this. Around the Prinzipalmarkt
there are also many smaller shopping streets,
some of which are fully pedestrianized, making the whole area
a very pleasant place for strolling. Just to the west of the old town is the historic
Schloss Münster, a castle originally built for the first
and only prince bishop of Münster in the 18th century. Since 1954, the castle has been used by the University of Münster
for its administrative offices. Right next to the Schloss is a park and a beautiful botanical garden
that’s a great spot to walk around, to relax
and enjoy the wide variety of plants. An interesting feature of this park is the star-shaped moat around
it called the Schlossgraben. There are two more major sites
I want to mention back in the old town. First there’s the Picasso Museum,
which sits on this lovely little plaza. And here’s what it looks like from above. Finally, there’s the Kiepenkerl Memorial, a famous statue of a traveling merchant
located in this little plaza. Kiepenkerl were poor
farmers who became the first traveling salesman carrying
their goods in baskets called kiepe They were originally known here
for their important role in spreading news along with their goods. Today, the Kiepenkerl have come
to symbolize survival and resilience and remain
an important presence in the city. Now that we’ve had a look at the history
and many of the top sites here, I just want to end by taking a closer
look at biking in Münster. As I mentioned earlier, Münster is known
as Germany’s biking capital and earned this title
by having more bicycle commuters than any other German city, with around
40% of trips here made by bike. Munster also has the only bicycle
ring road in Europe. This is known as the Promenade
and it goes around the entire Old Town. You can access many trails
from the Promenade, including hundreds of kilometers of
rides throughout the region. One route in particular that I recommend is close to the downtown,
and it goes around the scenic lake Aasee. Finally, right next to the city’s
main train station is the largest cycle station in Germany.,
known as the Radstation. The Radstation includes
3500 bike parking spaces, bike rental, a bike workshop,
and a bike washing facility. So if you’re into biking,
Münster is a great place to start your next biking adventure. I hope you enjoyed our little trip
to Münster. Thanks for joining me. Be sure to subscribe to my channel and like this video
if you want to see more videos like this. I’ll see you again soon with more videos
about expat life in Germany. Tschüß. Bis später.