I’ve just returned home from a trip to Germany, where I’d been for a girlfriend therapy week. It wasn’t on schedule to visit CeBit that took place in Hannover, but it was Maria’s idea and undoubtedly a great chance to see the world’s largest computer expo. The idea was soon abandoned in favor of a visit to one of Germany’s most elegant and historical cities: Münster.



The city is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region and it is also capital of the Münster (region) called Münsterland. It is most well known as the location of the Anabaptist rebellion during the Protestant Reformation and as the site of the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia ending the Thirty Years’ War in 1648.


Among the main sights I visited were St. Paul’s Cathedral, built in the 13th century, the Palace, built between 1767 and 1787 as residence for the prince-bishops, the Marketplace or Prinzipalmarkt in the city center, St Lambert’s Church (1375) and the Gothic town hall (14th century). The university’s main building was pretty impressive. It was established back in 1780, now considered as a major European center for excellence in education and research.


Bicycles everywhere. It looked pretty strange when a company of well-dressed girls passed us by, riding their shiny bikes in the late afternoon. There were almost no motorcycles and only a few cars in the city center. Later on I discovered with pleasure that Münster is known as the “Bicycle Capital” of Germany. Some statistics: each day over 100,000 Münster residents ride their bikes. In fact, with around 500,000 bikes in Münster, the number of cycles is nearly double the number of residents. Wow! Remove the last three zeros and you’ll get the corresponding numbers for Thessaloniki, the city I chose to ride a bike.



I won’t write any more, as the photos pretty much speak for themselves.

References: Wikipedia’s article | MünsterMarketing | Own personal experience

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