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Münster
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Castles
Photo by Bernhard Kils, license: CC BY-SA 3.0
Münster is the cultural capital of Westphalia, a city with a magnificently rebuilt medieval core, an extraordinary concentration of churches and one of the highest rates of bicycle use of any city in Europe. The city's Prinzipalmarkt, a Gothic arcade of merchant houses surrounding the City Hall where the 1648 Peace of Westphalia was signed, is one of Germany's finest urban spaces. At the edge of the city, Hotel Schloss Wilkinghege occupies a historic moated castle in a landscape park, offering a peaceful base close to the centre. Münster is also the gateway to the Münsterland, a landscape of wide skies, windmills and an extraordinary concentration of moated castles — over 100 in total. The Mühlenhof open-air museum and the LWL Museum of Natural History add further depth.
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Things to Do
- •Stay at Hotel Schloss Wilkinghege, a moated baroque castle hotel set in a park on the edge of Münster
- •Walk the Prinzipalmarkt arcade and visit the City Hall where the 1648 Peace of Westphalia was signed
- •Cycle the Münsterland castle routes — a network of signed routes linking over 100 moated castles in the surrounding landscape
- •Visit the St. Paulus Cathedral and its famous astronomical clock, which performs daily at noon
- •Explore the Mühlenhof Open-Air Museum, a heritage site recreating Westphalian rural life from past centuries
- •Visit Burg Lüdinghausen and Burg Hülshoff, two of the finest moated castles in the Münsterland, a short cycle from the city
Nearby Attractions
- Burg Hülshoff — the birthplace of poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, a romantic moated castle 15 km west of Münster
- Burg Vischering — one of the best-preserved medieval moated castles in Westphalia in Lüdinghausen, 25 km south
- Wasserburg Anholt — a privately owned baroque castle with magnificent art collections in Isselburg, 60 km west
- Osnabrück — a city co-host of the Peace of Westphalia with a beautiful old town, 55 km north
- Xanten — a Roman archaeological park with a reconstructed amphitheatre and Gothic cathedral town, 90 km southwest
Monthly Weather
January
4°/0°
Least crowded
65mm
Cool and damp. The city is lively year-round despite the grey weather.
Cool and damp but the city is lively year-round.
February
5°/0°
Least crowded
55mm
Still cool. Some brighter days begin.
Still cool. Good for museums and cathedral visits.
March
9°/2°
60mm
Early spring. Cyclists begin to reappear on the streets.
Early spring. The cycling season begins.
April
13°/5°
65mm
Fresh spring weather. The city and castle routes come alive.
Fresh and green. The Münsterland castle routes are opening up.
May
17°/8°
Best weather
70mm
Warm and lush. One of the best months for Münster.
Excellent. Warm and ideal for cycling.
June
20°/11°
Best weather
75mm
Warm and pleasant. The castle cycling routes are at their most enjoyable.
One of the best months. Warm with long evenings.
July
23°/13°
80mm
Warmest month. The city squares and parks are lively.
Warmest and most lively.
August
22°/13°
80mm
Warm and sometimes rainy. Still very enjoyable.
Good despite some rain. The city is buzzing.
September
18°/10°
Best weather
70mm
Mild and clear. An excellent month for the Münsterland cycle routes.
Ideal. Mild, clear and excellent for cycling.
October
13°/6°
65mm
Cooling down. Autumn colour on the castle parks.
Autumn colour. Good for castle visits.
November
7°/2°
Least crowded
70mm
Grey and damp. The city's indoor culture comes into its own.
Damp but the city's culture is thriving.
December
4°/0°
65mm
Cool and damp. The Christmas market on the Prinzipalmarkt is charming.
Cool with a fine Christmas market on the Prinzipalmarkt.
Best weatherLeast crowded