© Münsterland e.V./Long-Nong Huang
Welcome to Münster!
Münster scores as the "capital" of Westphalia with an attractive mix of tradition, modern culture, the GOOD LIFE and a very special flair. Many people have already fallen in love with the cycling city and have been infected with the "Münster feeling", which numerous inhabitants proudly carry to the outside world. Around 300,000 people live here. A warm welcome!
Livable and lovable
The Westphalian metropolis has apopulation of around 300,000 and was voted the most liveable city in the world back in 2004 - and it has lost none of its appeal to this day.
This is certainly also due to the exciting contrasts in the rather small city centre: Westphalian customs and traditions go hand in hand here with great cosmopolitanism, tolerance and a great deal of civic commitment. The more than 65,000 students also characterise the diverse cultural, music and start-up scene. The historic Prinzipalmarkt - one of the filming locations for the popular Münster crime series - is just as impressive as the Promenade, a green belt around the entire old town, where cyclists can ride freely under large lime trees. The theatre, the Christmas market, the Aasee lake and the 30 or so churches that can be found in the city centre alone are also impressive. Numerous well-known personalities are also associated with Münster, Götz Alsmann being just one of them. The lively alternative café and pub culture, the internationally renowned Skulptur Projekte, the Vainstream and Dockland festivals, the large independent cultural scene and Gleis 22, one of the oldest and most active clubs for concerts by alternative bands, are also impressive.
In the north of the Münsterland
Münster is located in the west of Germany and in the north of North Rhine-Westphalia, south-west of Osnabrück. Warendorf and Gütersloh lie to the east, the Ruhr region beckons to the south and Dülmen, Coesfeld and Ahaus join the Westphalian metropolis before the Dutch border. As you can see, Münster and the Münsterland are growing ever closer together. You can quickly reach the countryside as well as the smaller towns in the surrounding area - and vice versa.
Münster-Osnabrück Airport (FMO) is only 25 minutes away by car, and Düsseldorf Airport is just over an hour away. By train, you can reach Düsseldorf almost as quickly and - depending on the connection - you can even travel through. Dortmund is only 30 minutes away by Intercity, and 55 minutes by car. Osnabrück is about 50 minutes away, and the shopping city of Enschede is about an hour away by car or train. Bielefeld is best reached by train in one hour and 15 minutes - and Hamburg and Berlin are also very well connected: It takes just over two hours by train to get to the northern Hanseatic city, and about three and a half hours to the capital.
By the way, cycling is not only a good way to get around Münster. There is also a well-developed network of cycle paths to neighbouring municipalities. Find out more about the cycle routes here .
Masematte is a regional sociolect that used to be spoken in the slums of the city and dates back to about 1870. The dialect is now almost extinct and is used very little in everyday speech - but some words have survived to this day. Especially native Münster residents like to use them.
Probably the best known of these is "Leeze", the affectionate term of endearment for the bicycle. Other words include "jovel" and "schovel", which translate as "good" and "bad". In summer, people from Münster also like to go "plümpsen", or swimming. Also important in connection with water: "meimeln". This means "to rain". And before going to the weekly market, the city dwellers always put on their "plinte" first and tuck in their "Patte": Pants on - and don't forget your wallet!
