Historical City Hall of Münster

The Münster town hall was first built in the second half of the 12th century as a half-timbered building, which was replaced in 1200 by a Traufständige stone. This forms the core of today’s council chamber, which in turn around 1320 to the Prinzipalmarkt out a gable hall was prefixed.
In the middle of the 14th century the town hall arbor and the facade were erected. In 1576, a common pitched roof was pulled over the two components, the rear side was rebuilt and the council chamber partially re-equipped. In the Council Chamber, which has since been called the Peace Hall, the Peace of Westphalia was proclaimed in 1648.
After the destruction in the Second World War, the city hall of Münster was programmatically rebuilt as a symbol for the permanence of cityscape and history 1948-58. The Gothic facade was reconstructed, but deviating from the original state, which was also due to renewal in the 19th century. The town hall front is considered one of the most important facades of Gothic secular building in Germany. The pedimented pediment was the first and highest of its kind in Münster.
As a place of city administration and representation, the Münster town hall is centrally located on the medieval Prinzipalmarkt. The arbor on the ground floor continues in the neighboring gabled houses. The archway with four pointed arches rests on massive circular pillars, the upper floor is followed by four tracery windows.
The quadruple-stepped gable is divided into seven axes, which are separated by outgoing in piers profiles. The gable opens in six small, pointed-arched windows with tracery. In the uppermost part, a royal figure stands on a console above the imperial and city coat of arms, crowned by a representation of Mary and Christ under a canopy. The gable is decorated with rich ornamental architecture: openwork tracery with eyelashes and pinnacles, which are filled with figures of angels and prophets.
The hall and the hall are located in the front part of the town hall Münster, in the back the peace hall and above the armory. In the Council Chamber, the original equipment is largely preserved, as it was outsourced during the Second World War. These include the wall paneling, the mayor’s bank and the judge’s table.
The north wall was decorated with a richly carved cabinet wall and wainscoting from 1520/30, which is decorated with architectural and ornamental decorations as well as Old Testament and profane picture programs. In addition, a richly decorated, mannerist fireplace of 1621 made of sandstone with figurative program was set up in the council chamber. There are also portraits of those involved in the peace negotiations that ended the Thirty Years’ War, including Emperor Ferdinand II, Philip IV and Louis XIV.