Münster at its best

Preliminary remarks from the author As the first edition of my book went out of print, I was incredibly happy to undertake a new edition. After all, because there are many ways to experience a city, there are new impressive motifs to discover. And as inevitable the force of change is, Münster changes too. Many cities carelessly place new buildings wherever without showing much consideration for the past. Yet in Münster, modern buildings are carefully incorporated within the historical fabric, which provides an attractive balance between tradition and modernity. And it is exactly this desire to preserve this balance which makes Münster unique. Münster — university city, city of churches, city of science, civil servant & student city, episcopal city, city of art and culture, city of the Anabaptist Movement, birthplace of the Peace of Westphalia, bicycle capital . . . and most livable city. In the recent past as well as throughout the centuries Münster has been given numerous titles and hallmarks, admiration and praise, yet also its share of criticisms, for example: elegant and classy | impressive and steeped in tradition | stubborn and conservative | historical and picturesque | alive and friendly | provincial and expensive | lovably old and excitingly young | home of rain | city of eternal bell ringing | the most beautiful among Germany’s beautiful cities. Nevertheless the beautiful attributes outweigh the criticisms by far. After all, there have been good reasons indeed for honouring Münster as the world’s most livable city in 2004 and North Rhine-Westphalia’s most beautiful city in 2011. Quiet recently in 2015 the Historical Town Hall, one of our most beautiful buildings, was awarded the European Heritage Label. I hope that my photo series, which capture various colorful scenes in Münster, can provide you the look, the feel, and the atmosphere that make our city so wonderfully unique and worth living in. Gösta Clemens Peter An enthusiastic Münsteran