Münster (redirected from Muenster, Germany)

Münster, city, Germany

Münster (mün`stər), city (1994 pop. 267,367), North Rhine–Westphalia, W Germany, a port and industrial center on the Dortmund-Ems Canal. Its manufactures include heavy machinery and textiles. The city is also a trade center for the Westphalian cattle market. Münster was founded (c.800) as a Carolingian episcopal see. Its bishops ruled a large part of Westphalia as princes of the Holy Roman Empire from the 12th cent. until 1803, when the bishopric was secularized. From the 14th cent. the city was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League, trading especially with England and Russia. In 1534–35 it was the scene of the Anabaptist experimental government under John of Leiden. In 1648 the Treaty of Münster was signed there (see Westphalia, Peace of). Münster passed to Prussia in 1816 and became the capital of the province of Westphalia. It was severely damaged in World War II but was rebuilt after 1945. Münster still retains some of its medieval character. Its historical buildings include the cathedral (13th cent.), the Lambertikirche (14th–15th cent.), the Liebfrauenkirche (14th cent.), and several other churches, in addition to a baroque palace (1767–73), a Gothic city hall (14th cent.), and several gabled houses. The city is the seat of a university and contains the Westphalian state museum.

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Münster

City (pop., 2002 est.: 267,197), western Germany. Founded in 804 as a bishopric, it was named Münster in 1068 and was chartered in 1137. A member of the Hanseatic League from the 13th century, it was seized by the Anabaptists in 1535. The Peace of Westphalia was signed in Münster in 1648, and in 1815 Münster became the capital of Prussian Westphalia. Although it suffered heavy damage in World War II, most of its historic buildings were restored or rebuilt, including the 13th-century cathedral and 14th-century town hall. It is a centre of Westphalian culture.

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Münster 

a city in the Federal Republic of Germany, in the Land (state) of North Rhine-Westphalia; situated on the Dortmund-Elms Canal and the Aa River. Population, 198,900 (1971).

Commerce and transport are important in the economy of the city. Münster is a major railroad and highway junction, and the port handles 1.4 million tons of freight (1971). The main industries are food-processing (distilleries, breweries, and dairies) and textiles. Agricultural machinery is built and metal goods are produced. Handicrafts are also important. Münster has a university and museums.

The city grew out of a bishopric founded in the late eighth century. In the 12th century it was granted a city charter. From the 12th century, its bishops became princes of the Holy Roman Empire (principes imperii). During the 14th to 16th centuries, Münster was a significant commercial center and was a member of the Hanseatic League. In the mid-15th century, the guilds received representation in the city council on an equal basis with the nobility; later they took complete control of the council. The culmination of an acute social and political struggle was the establishment of the revolutionary Münster Commune by the Anabaptists in 1534–35. In the mid-17th century, urban self-government was abolished by the bishop. In 1803 the Münster bishopric was secularized, and the church lands and the city of Münster became part of Prussia. Münster became the capital of the Prussian province of Westphalia.