It was on the Rathaus steps that the Peace of Westphalia was proclaimed on 25 October 1648, ending the Thirty Years' War. The preceding peace negotiations were conducted partly in Münster, about 60km south, and partly in the Rathaus' Friedenssaal (Peace Hall). On the left as you enter the Rathaus are portraits of the negotiators. Also look around the Schatzkammer (Treasure Chamber) opposite, especially for the 13th-century Kaiserpokal (Kaiser goblet).
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.17 MILES
Osnabrück-born Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum (1904–44), who emigrated to Belgium and was murdered at Auschwitz, hauntingly documented life, exile,…
LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur
28.11 MILES
After a harmonious fusion of the 1908 neo-Renaissance original with an airy postmodern wing, Münster's main museum for art and culture now has the proper…
28.02 MILES
The two massive towers of Münster’s cathedral match the proportions of this 110m-long structure and the vast square it overlooks. It’s a three-nave…
Varusschlacht Museum & Park Kalkriese
9.67 MILES
You don't need to be a history buff (or even a fan of Russell Crowe in Gladiator) to come to this museum and park, although by the time you leave you'll…
27.95 MILES
One of Münster’s finest churches, the late-Gothic St Lambertikirche was built in 1450. It's filled with wonderful treasures but the most fascinating…
0.17 MILES
The unbalanced towers are just one of the idiosyncratic architectural features that make Osnabrück's cathedral an intriguing place. Parts date to 1100,…
28.18 MILES
A treat for fans of Pablo Picasso, one of the 20th century's seminal artists, in this 18th-century neoclassical mansion whose changing exhibits are drawn…
Historisches Rathaus & Friedenssaal
28.01 MILES
Dominating Prinzipalmarkt, Münster's city hall played a key role in ending the calamitous Thirty Years' War when an important sub-treaty of the Peace of…
Nearby Cologne & Northern Rhineland attractions
1. Erich Maria Remarque Friedenszentrum
0.03 MILES
The novelist Erich Maria Remarque, whose most famous work All Quiet on the Western Front deals with the horrors of WWI, was born in Osnabrück in 1898…
0.04 MILES
It took two centuries to complete this beautiful Gothic hall church whose four gables overlook the market square. Rebuilt after burning down during WWII,…
3. Domschatzkammer & Diözesanmuseum
0.14 MILES
For a century (as of 2018), the cathedral treasury has showcased paintings, sculptures, reliquaries and textiles dating from the 11th to the 18th…
0.17 MILES
Osnabrück-born Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum (1904–44), who emigrated to Belgium and was murdered at Auschwitz, hauntingly documented life, exile,…
0.17 MILES
The unbalanced towers are just one of the idiosyncratic architectural features that make Osnabrück's cathedral an intriguing place. Parts date to 1100,…
6. Varusschlacht Museum & Park Kalkriese
9.67 MILES
You don't need to be a history buff (or even a fan of Russell Crowe in Gladiator) to come to this museum and park, although by the time you leave you'll…
27.95 MILES
One of Münster’s finest churches, the late-Gothic St Lambertikirche was built in 1450. It's filled with wonderful treasures but the most fascinating…
27.95 MILES
This sometimes engaging chronicle of 1200 years of Münster milestones includes a room on the Anabaptist rebellion where you can see the once-red-hot tongs…