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North European Plain 5 - Germany/Münster 1 - Intro to Germany, Münster and its core
Apr 23, 2021 11:43:47 #
After our first overnight stay of this trip in Groningen, we drove 230 km / 140 mi to our next destination: Münster in Germany/NRW, crossing the country borders of the Netherlands with Germany, which of course are no longer equipped with customs and imigration facilities, as the countries of the European Union have fully open borders - or at least used to have at that time. With the Covid-19 pandemic presently going on, there are restrictions on travel between countries in place, which presumably also manifest themselves with stepped-up border controls. This was a very easy and not particularly scenic drive, the main purpose was to get to the next city.
The following information on Münster is gleaned from Wikipedia and presented in an abbreviated form:
MÜNSTER (from the Greek monastērion, "monastery") is a city located in the northern part of the German state North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and is the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland. Münster was the location of the Anabaptist rebellion during the Protestant Reformation and the site of the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia ending the "Thirty Years' War" in 1648. Today it is known as the bicycle capital of Germany. As of 2014, there are 300,000+ people living in the city, with about 61,500 students.
GEOGRAPHY
Münster is situated on the river Aa (different from the river Aa in Groningen), approximately 15 km (9 mi) south of its confluence with the Ems in the so-called Westphalian Bight, a landscape studded with dispersed settlements and farms - the "Münsterland". The highest elevation is the Mühlenberg in the northwest of Münster, 97 m above sea level, while the lowest is at the Ems, 44 m above sea level. The city centre is 60 m above sea level. Münster is one of Germany's biggest cities in terms of area, but it includes substantial sparsely-populated rural districts which were formerly separate local government authorities until they were amalgamated in 1975. Thus nearly half the city's area is agricultural, resulting in a low population-density of approximately 900 inhabitants per km².
HISTORY - MÜNSTER
~ EARLY HISTORY - In 793, Charlemagne sent out Ludger as a missionary to evangelize the Münsterland. In 797, Ludger founded a school that later became the Cathedral School. Gymnasium Paulinum traces its history back to this school. Ludger was ordained as the first bishop of Münster. The first cathedral was completed by 850. The combination of ford and crossroad, market place, episcopal administrative center, library and school, established Münster as an important center. In 1040, Heinrich III became the first king of Germany to visit Münster.
~ MIDDLE AGES & EARLY MODERN PERIOD - In the Middle Ages, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster was a leading member of the Hanseatic League. In 1534, an apocalyptic Anabaptist sect, led by John of Leiden, took power in the Münster rebellion and founded a democratic proto-socialistic state. They claimed all property, burned all books except the Bible, and called it the "New Jerusalem". John of Leiden believed he would lead the elect from Münster to capture the entire world and purify it of evil with the sword in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium. They went so far as to require all citizens to be naked as preparation for the Second Coming. However, the town was recaptured in 1535; the Anabaptists were tortured to death and their corpses were exhibited in metal baskets, which can still be seen hanging from the tower of St. Lambert's Church. - Later on, part of the signing of the "Peace of Westphalia" of 1648 was held in Münster. This ended the "Thirty Years' War" and the "Eighty Years' War". It also guaranteed the future of the prince-bishop and the diocese; the area was to be exclusively Roman Catholic.
~ WORLD WAR II - In the 1940s the Bishop of Münster, Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, was one of the most prominent critics of the Nazi government. In retaliation for his success (The New York Times described Bishop von Galen as "the most obstinate opponent of the National Socialist anti-Christian program"), Münster was heavily garrisoned during World War II. As a secondary target of the "Oil Campaign of World War II", Münster was bombed on 25 October 1944 by 34 diverted B-24 Liberator bombers, during a mission to a nearby primary target, the synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. About 91% of the Old City and 63% of the entire city was destroyed by Allied air raids.
HISTORY - GENERAL EUROPEAN
I personally have always been quite confused and mystified by the references to a number of European wars in the Middle Ages and following years. To better understand the historical references to a number of wars, I have looked up and recapitulate as follows:
~ THIRTY YEARS' WAR (1618-1648) - This war was fought primarily in what is today modern Germany and Central Europe. It was partially a religious conflict emanating from the early 16th century reformation and partially a contest for political preeminence in Europe between the Austro-Spanish Habsburgs and the French Bourbons. It remains one of the longest and most brutal wars in human history, with more than 8 million casualties resulting from military battles as well as from the famine and disease caused by the conflict. Besides various German parties, it involved as well France and Sweden.
~ EIGHTY YEARS' WAR (1568-1648) - This was a revolt of the "Seventeen Provinces" of what are today the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. It was mainly a Dutch vs Spanish conflict and while Spain initially had the upper hand, the "Peace of Münster Treaty" in 1648 resulted in a definite recognition of the Dutch Republic as an independent country no longer part of the Holy Roman Empire
~ HUNDRED YEARS' WAR (1337-1453) - This was an earlier warring period, involving an intermittent struggle between England and France in the 14th–15th centuries over a series of disputes, including the question of the legitimate succession to the French crown. The struggle involved several generations of English and French claimants to the crown and actually occupied a period of more than 100 years. By convention the war is said to have started on May 24, 1337, with the confiscation of the English-held duchy of Guyenne by French King Philip VI. This confiscation, however, had been preceded by periodic fighting over the question of English fiefs in France going back to the 12th century.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this first set on Germany, I present my customary introductory title/information page and the map of our drive through Northern Germany, including the subsequent return portion after our Poland visit. Using the above geographical and historical facts as a base, we begin our exploration of Münster at its very center, the ancient historic "Principal Market Square" ("Prinzipalmarkt"), shaped by historic buildings with picturesque pediments attached to one another. It extends from St. Lambert's Church (Lambertikirche) in the north to the City Hall Tower (Stadthausturm) in the south and is today home to luxurious shops and cafés. The center of the eastern side is dominated by the historical City Hall of Münster. Having been largely destroyed during WWII, the Principal Market Square was reconstructed from 1947 to 1958, most buildings true to the original. It basically is a wide road functioning as a longish square, practically pedestrianized with a severely restricted vehicle traffic flow.
Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction, maps and information for the entire series. Please use the link below if you would like to review these:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-693834-1.html
EARLIER POSTS of this series: To view, access my topic list on UHH, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order and will be at the top:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105
Thanks for visiting, I recommend viewing the downloads and look forward to your comments and questions.
.
The following information on Münster is gleaned from Wikipedia and presented in an abbreviated form:
MÜNSTER (from the Greek monastērion, "monastery") is a city located in the northern part of the German state North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and is the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland. Münster was the location of the Anabaptist rebellion during the Protestant Reformation and the site of the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia ending the "Thirty Years' War" in 1648. Today it is known as the bicycle capital of Germany. As of 2014, there are 300,000+ people living in the city, with about 61,500 students.
GEOGRAPHY
Münster is situated on the river Aa (different from the river Aa in Groningen), approximately 15 km (9 mi) south of its confluence with the Ems in the so-called Westphalian Bight, a landscape studded with dispersed settlements and farms - the "Münsterland". The highest elevation is the Mühlenberg in the northwest of Münster, 97 m above sea level, while the lowest is at the Ems, 44 m above sea level. The city centre is 60 m above sea level. Münster is one of Germany's biggest cities in terms of area, but it includes substantial sparsely-populated rural districts which were formerly separate local government authorities until they were amalgamated in 1975. Thus nearly half the city's area is agricultural, resulting in a low population-density of approximately 900 inhabitants per km².
HISTORY - MÜNSTER
~ EARLY HISTORY - In 793, Charlemagne sent out Ludger as a missionary to evangelize the Münsterland. In 797, Ludger founded a school that later became the Cathedral School. Gymnasium Paulinum traces its history back to this school. Ludger was ordained as the first bishop of Münster. The first cathedral was completed by 850. The combination of ford and crossroad, market place, episcopal administrative center, library and school, established Münster as an important center. In 1040, Heinrich III became the first king of Germany to visit Münster.
~ MIDDLE AGES & EARLY MODERN PERIOD - In the Middle Ages, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster was a leading member of the Hanseatic League. In 1534, an apocalyptic Anabaptist sect, led by John of Leiden, took power in the Münster rebellion and founded a democratic proto-socialistic state. They claimed all property, burned all books except the Bible, and called it the "New Jerusalem". John of Leiden believed he would lead the elect from Münster to capture the entire world and purify it of evil with the sword in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium. They went so far as to require all citizens to be naked as preparation for the Second Coming. However, the town was recaptured in 1535; the Anabaptists were tortured to death and their corpses were exhibited in metal baskets, which can still be seen hanging from the tower of St. Lambert's Church. - Later on, part of the signing of the "Peace of Westphalia" of 1648 was held in Münster. This ended the "Thirty Years' War" and the "Eighty Years' War". It also guaranteed the future of the prince-bishop and the diocese; the area was to be exclusively Roman Catholic.
~ WORLD WAR II - In the 1940s the Bishop of Münster, Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, was one of the most prominent critics of the Nazi government. In retaliation for his success (The New York Times described Bishop von Galen as "the most obstinate opponent of the National Socialist anti-Christian program"), Münster was heavily garrisoned during World War II. As a secondary target of the "Oil Campaign of World War II", Münster was bombed on 25 October 1944 by 34 diverted B-24 Liberator bombers, during a mission to a nearby primary target, the synthetic oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. About 91% of the Old City and 63% of the entire city was destroyed by Allied air raids.
HISTORY - GENERAL EUROPEAN
I personally have always been quite confused and mystified by the references to a number of European wars in the Middle Ages and following years. To better understand the historical references to a number of wars, I have looked up and recapitulate as follows:
~ THIRTY YEARS' WAR (1618-1648) - This war was fought primarily in what is today modern Germany and Central Europe. It was partially a religious conflict emanating from the early 16th century reformation and partially a contest for political preeminence in Europe between the Austro-Spanish Habsburgs and the French Bourbons. It remains one of the longest and most brutal wars in human history, with more than 8 million casualties resulting from military battles as well as from the famine and disease caused by the conflict. Besides various German parties, it involved as well France and Sweden.
~ EIGHTY YEARS' WAR (1568-1648) - This was a revolt of the "Seventeen Provinces" of what are today the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. It was mainly a Dutch vs Spanish conflict and while Spain initially had the upper hand, the "Peace of Münster Treaty" in 1648 resulted in a definite recognition of the Dutch Republic as an independent country no longer part of the Holy Roman Empire
~ HUNDRED YEARS' WAR (1337-1453) - This was an earlier warring period, involving an intermittent struggle between England and France in the 14th–15th centuries over a series of disputes, including the question of the legitimate succession to the French crown. The struggle involved several generations of English and French claimants to the crown and actually occupied a period of more than 100 years. By convention the war is said to have started on May 24, 1337, with the confiscation of the English-held duchy of Guyenne by French King Philip VI. This confiscation, however, had been preceded by periodic fighting over the question of English fiefs in France going back to the 12th century.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this first set on Germany, I present my customary introductory title/information page and the map of our drive through Northern Germany, including the subsequent return portion after our Poland visit. Using the above geographical and historical facts as a base, we begin our exploration of Münster at its very center, the ancient historic "Principal Market Square" ("Prinzipalmarkt"), shaped by historic buildings with picturesque pediments attached to one another. It extends from St. Lambert's Church (Lambertikirche) in the north to the City Hall Tower (Stadthausturm) in the south and is today home to luxurious shops and cafés. The center of the eastern side is dominated by the historical City Hall of Münster. Having been largely destroyed during WWII, the Principal Market Square was reconstructed from 1947 to 1958, most buildings true to the original. It basically is a wide road functioning as a longish square, practically pedestrianized with a severely restricted vehicle traffic flow.
Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction, maps and information for the entire series. Please use the link below if you would like to review these:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-693834-1.html
EARLIER POSTS of this series: To view, access my topic list on UHH, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order and will be at the top:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105
Thanks for visiting, I recommend viewing the downloads and look forward to your comments and questions.
.
1 - Title page and first information on the Northern Germany segment of the trip on a background view of the Weser river from the Emperor William Monument in Porta Westfalica
(Download)
2 - Map of our drive through Northern Germany, indicating also the return segment from Poland to Bamberg on the way back to Switzerland
(Download)
3 - Title page for Münster with a brief introduction of the city on the background of a scene showing the two major churches in the town
(Download)
4 - Prinzipalmarkt, the major shopping street in the city displaying a historic flair even though many of the buildings had to be reconstructed after WWII
(Download)
5 - Prinzipalmarkt: Taking a local tour on an ancient motorized contraption
(Download)
6 - Gabled houses on Prinzipalmarkt square
(Download)
7 - City hall tower at Prinzipalmarkt square
(Download)
8 - Prinzipalmarkt square with the gothic city hall at left and the city hall tower at right
(Download)
9 - Historical gothic city hall where the "Peace of Münster" concluding the "Thirty Years' War" in Europe was signed in 1648 - it was destroyed during WWII and was rebuilt true to the original from 1950 to 1958
(Download)
10 - Stadtweinhaus: Beautifully porticoed Renaissance building to the left of the city hall (Rathaus) built in 1615 and originally used as a storage area for wine, it now houses a popular restaurant
(Download)
Apr 23, 2021 12:32:50 #
Apr 23, 2021 12:36:05 #
Check out Video for DSLR and Point and Shoot Cameras section of our forum.
Apr 23, 2021 13:13:19 #
Apr 23, 2021 13:52:30 #
NMGal wrote:
Fascinating tour, Joe.
Thank you very much Barbara, happy to hear that you find the tour fascinating! Joe
Apr 23, 2021 13:53:30 #
Apr 23, 2021 13:54:07 #
RichardTaylor wrote:
Another good set.
Thanks Richard - happy to hear that you approve of this set! Joe
Check out Panorama section of our forum.
Apr 23, 2021 13:56:25 #
Apr 23, 2021 14:02:08 #
kpmac wrote:
Beautiful, Joe. One sure learns a lot traveling with you.
Thanks you Ken, happy to hear you like the images. I am sorry, this was a rather very long intro but there was so much interesting stuff to read up on this city of Münster and to convey to set the stage, the following posts will be easier on you viewers/readers!
Apr 23, 2021 16:29:00 #
Apr 23, 2021 16:49:10 #
Cwilson341 wrote:
The architectural shots are amazing.
Thank you very much Carol. The architecture on this entire drive was quite astonishing. Here in Münster we are in a quite large, built up city with taller houses, after Münster we will be visiting some much smaller places, with less grand, but equally very interesting houses. I am glad to hear that you enjoy these architectural images.
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Apr 24, 2021 08:37:04 #
Apr 24, 2021 08:49:07 #
Apr 24, 2021 08:58:55 #
Apr 24, 2021 10:11:49 #
To me, nothing is as beautiful as old world architecture when compared to our cities. Well documented photography and intro, Joe...you're doing a bang-up job!! 
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