Peace Hall in the historic town hall

Here you go directly to the Peace Hall

Opening hours

International Peace of Westphalia Prize

The International Peace of Westphalia Prize, sponsored by the Wirtschaftliche Gesellschaft für Westfalen und Lippe e. V., has been awarded every two years since 1998.High-ranking personalities such as former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan have been among the recipients of the award, which is endowed with 100,000 euros.

Model ship

Model of an old hanseatic ship, modelled after a Lübecker example, to commemorate Münster's history as a hanseatic city.In 1927, the merchants' association, founded in 1853, presented the city council with a model of an old hanseatic ship on the occasion of a visit by the Hanseatic Business Association. It is displayed in the town hall as a reminder of Münster's 400-year affiliation to the Hanseatic League. The model shows a Kraweel (from Portuguese = caravela), which historically replaced the Hanseatic cog as the merchants' favourite type of ship.

Fabio Chigi

This picture shows the papal mediator Fabio Chigi (1599 - 1667), who was born in SienaHe represented the papal interests during the Congress and also tried to mediate between the Catholic powers. However, he was not allowed to negotiate with Protestants, and when peace was concluded between the Empire, France and Sweden, he protested without success. Chigi, who stayed in the Minorite monastery (now the Church of the Apostles) with his entourage of 15 people, impressed with his excellent education and pleasant nature. He soon became a sought-after dialogue partner in political and scholarly matters. He wrote numerous poems in Latin, which give a vivid impression of life in the city of Münster at that time. After the Congress ended, he took on further diplomatic missions until he was finally appointed to the College of Cardinals in 1651 and elected Pope (Alexander VII) in 1655.He viewed Münster with a mixture of disgust and admiration, which can best be summarised in a quote from one of his letters: "The pointed towers rise up into the clouds, from which the melodic peal of bells rings out for all to hear. Up there are also the three cages in which the bones of the Anabaptists still bear witness to how cruelly the heretics had to atone for their sacrilege. There is often thick dirt on both sides of the street, even piles of dung steaming away. Because everyone lives here under one roof: people, lazy cows, stinking billy goats and pigs..." (Quoted from: Hans Galen (ed.): Münster und Westfalen zur Zeit des Westfälischen Friedens: geschildert durch den päpstlichen Gesandten Fabio Chigi, pp. 35-39).

Portrait gallery of the Peace Hall

Above the panelling and on the back wall of the room hang 37 portraits of the most important envoys and sovereigns who negotiated the end of the Thirty Years' War in Münster and Osnabrück between 1644 and 1648. They were installed by the city council soon after the peace was concluded. The portraits read from top right to left according to the viewing direction from the mayor's table, starting with Emperor Ferdinand III and the two peace negotiators Fabio Chigi and Alvise Contarini. The imperial envoys and those of France, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands follow them. The six electoral envoys can be seen on the chimney side. The narrow side shows the envoys from Basel and Johann von Reumont, the Münster city commander.  

Henri II of Bourbon Orléans

Here you can see the French chief envoy, the Duke of Longueville (1595 - 1663).He arrived in Münster on 30 June 1645 with a large entourage - his kitchen staff alone numbered 40 servants. Together with his wife Anne de Bourbon, who followed a year later, the French delegation, which attached great importance to representation, soon formed the centre of social life in Münster - an example of this is the first ballet performance in our city.To the right of him is a picture of the French King Louis XIV, who ascended the throne as a child in 1643 and later became known as the "Sun King".  

Gaspar de Bracamonte y Guzman

The picture shows the Spanish headmaster envoy, the grandee Gaspar de Bracamonte y Guzman (1596 - 1676).He arrived in Münster in July 1645 - accompanied by an entourage of 112 people. The Spaniards' main negotiating partners were the representatives of the northern Netherlands as well as the French. The latter were accompanied by a delegation of Portuguese and Catalans who were seeking independence from Spain. In contrast to the Spanish-Dutch War, the conflict between Spain and France could not be settled in Münster; this was only achieved in 1659 in the Peace of the Pyrenees.  

Digital information

There is a wide range of digital information on the Peace of Westphalia in the Citizens' Hall of the Historic City Hall. Simply use the touchpads and try it out.

European Heritage Label

In 2015, the European Commission awarded the European Heritage Label to the city halls of Münster and Osnabrück as "Sites of the Peace of Westphalia".The European Heritage Label honours historical sites that set milestones in the development of today's Europe - with the aim of promoting knowledge of European history and conveying the importance and values of Europe.

Send Sword

Historical symbol of the right of “Send”A fair known as the “Send” takes place in Münster three times a year. The word "Send" is derived from the term "synod", an assembly of the city's important representatives and clergy in the Middle Ages. On this occasion, there was general market freedom and many people flocked to Münster. In 1577, the city council enacted a very strict “Send” law that only applied on “Send” days. This is symbolised by the sword that has been pinned to the left corner of the Council House during the fairs ever since. The sword is a replica, the original was stolen in 2000. The sword is also part of the coat of arms of the 1st German-Dutch Corps and symbolises peace in freedom as well as the power and strength of the corps.

Peace flag

Copy of the historic flag that was displayed in front of the town hall in 1648 when the peace treaties were proclaimed.The original silk flag belongs to the Verein für Geschichte und Altertumskunde Westfalens and is now on permanent loan to the LWL Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte. It was probably carried across Prinzipalmarkt for the last time on 24 October 1948, the 300th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia, and is now so fragile that it can no longer be displayed. It shows a green laurel wreath on a blue background, enclosing four symbols: a white dove with a green branch in its beak; the golden imperial crown of Habsburg; two hands in white gloves holding palm branches as symbols of peace and the coat of arms of Münster in the colours gold, red and silver. It thus combines symbols of peace known since antiquity with those of its own time.

Charlemagne (sculpture)

Original statue from the historic city hall that adorned the gable before the Second World War.Charlemagne played an important role in the founding of Münster. He commissioned St Ludgerus to found a monastery on the Horsteberg in 793. After the town hall gable was rebuilt, a new figure was created to adorn the centre section of the gable. The old figure has been on display in the city hall since 1988. It had already been moved to the Westphalian State Museum of Art and Culture (now LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur) in the 19th century.

Mary (sculpture)

This statue of the Virgin Mary adorned the upper pediment of the historic city hall before the Second World War.The crowned figure of the Virgin Mary can be seen together with Jesus Christ, who is also crowned and blessing, under a canopy below the centre four branches of the city hall gable. Today's figures are new creations from the reconstruction. This old figure was moved to the Westfälische Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kultur (now the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur) in the 19th century and has been on display in the Bürgerhalle since 1988.  

Facsimile of the Peace Treaty of Westphalia

Pax Optima Rerum

Latin motto of the Peace of Westphalia: "Peace is the best of all things"Originally coined by the ancient poet Silius Italicus (1st century AD), the saying became the motto of the Peace of Westphalia in the 17th century. For example, the engraver Jonas Suyderhoef changed the signature of Gerard ter Borch's painting "Peace of Münster" to this motto in the top right-hand corner of the picture when he reworked it.

Armor and sword

Arches (court arbour)

The arches in front of the historic city hall were used for court proceedings and the annual council elections.In the last third of the 14th century, the city hall was extended by a porch that protruded four metres into the street, where it was supported by five strong round pillars. Court hearings and the annual election of councillors by the electors of the councils took place here.

Façade (gable)

The historic city hall was built in the 14th century, destroyed in the Second World War, but rebuilt true to the original until 1958.Today's gable largely corresponds to the structural design of the gable in the Middle Ages. However, there have been changes over the centuries with regard to the decoration of the figures and the colouring. On the level of the upper storey, there was a figure of Christ in the centre, next to it a figure of the Virgin Mary and the archangel Michael as dragon slayer. At the corners on this level were the figures of St Lambert and St Ludger. Large parts of the façade were colourfully painted with a depiction of Charlemagne between two knights on each side. This colourful version was removed in 1924.

Alvise Contarini

Venetian mediator between the Catholic and Protestant warring factions (1597 - 1653)He already had a long diplomatic career behind him. As a representative of his home city, he had previously served in The Hague, London, Paris, Rome and Constantinople. Venice had a particular interest in a swift agreement and a quick peace treaty, as it held the island of Crete, one of Europe's peripheral territories, which was increasingly under threat from the Turks at the time. Venice therefore hoped for a unified foreign policy course for the Christian West following a peace settlement. Contarini's diplomatic experience finally paid off - although he did not succeed in shortening the negotiations, his prudent mediation was praised in the text of the final treaty.

Golden Rooster

Cup of honour of the city of MünsterThe Golden Rooster is an ornately chased and gilded silver vessel that was probably created in Nuremberg around 1600. It holds a little more than a bottle of wine and is presented to high-ranking guests of the city as a cup of honour. According to legend, it was donated to commemorate a sonspecific who escaped in panic from a butcher and jumped over the walls of the city of Münster and thereby gave the city's besiegers under Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen the impression that the city still had enough food and that it was therefore pointless to wait for a famine.

North wall

Artistic carvings from the 16th century.The front (north wall) of the room is dominated by the cupboard wall, the judge's table and the mayor's bench. At the back of this bench, a small wall cupboard was build, holding compartments in two rows one above the other, twelve on the left and ten on the right. The accompanying 22 doors with their reliefs are among the few surviving works of 16th century Münster craftsmanship. Thematically, they depict biblical scenes, figures of saints, but also illustrations of human vices, without a particular central theme being recognisable.  

Wood paneling

Masterpieces of the art of carvingThe panelling on the long sides of the hall was created in 1577 according to a uniform concept. The date can be found on the panelling of the entrance door, which is decorated with the figure of the Redeemer Jesus Christ. Hermann tom Ring, the most important Westphalian painter of the 16th century, created the designs.On the west wall, a bench adjoins the entrance door, the rear panelling of which bears the figures of Christ, his twelve apostles and the cathedral's patron saint, St. Paul, who is significant to Münster.

Wood paneling

Masterpieces of the art of carvingThe eastern window wall shows the four evangelists on the centres of the window pillars. Heinrich Aldegrever carves the depictions after engravings from 1549. The northern most niche is decorated with a figure of Moses as a lawgiver, while the other window niches show the seven liberal arts: Grammatica - Dialectica - Arithmetica - Rhetorica - Musica - Geometrica - Astrologica. These figures (like the figure fields on the opposite side) are crowned with ornamented triangular pediments and angel heads. The respective medallion heads amidst the tendrils beneath the triangular pediments are a genre typical of the period.

Emperor Ferdinand III and Maximilian Count von Trautmannsdorff

The Holy Roman Emperor and the Habsburg chief negotiatorOn the right is Emperor Ferdinand III, who came to power in 1637, during the Thirty Years' War. He had already made a name for himself as a general and commander-in-chief, but also had an artistic side that expressed itself in his work as a composer.On the left is Maximilian Count von Trautmannsdorff, the emperor's chief envoy. In addition, a minister and one of the most powerful figures at the imperial court, he played a decisive role in the negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia. Following the rejection of drafts he had prepared, he left the peace congress prematurely in 1647, leaving his role to Count Johann Ludwig von Nassau-Hadamar (to his left).

Johann Rudolf Wettstein

Envoy of the City of BaselDuring the negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia, it was also decided to include an article on the exemption of Basel and the Confederation from the Holy Roman Empire, which ultimately sealed/confirmed the sovereignty of present-day Switzerland.

Adriaan Pauw

The Netherlands' most important envoyAs part of the negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia, the 80-years’ war between Spain and the Spanish Netherlands was also ended. The present-day Netherlands thus gained its sovereignty. Peace was proclaimed here in the Peace Hall on 15 May 1648, which was captured in a painting by the Dutch painter Gerard ter Borch. A copy of the painting can be seen to the left of the fireplace.  

Slipper and human hand

A riddle and a symbolThe slipper is something of a mystery, although its date (1620-1640) is known, neither its origin nor the reason for keeping it is known. It was originally attributed to Elisabeth Wandscherer, who was beheaded by her husband, the Anabaptist king Jan van Leiden, in 1535. Another version sees the shoe as the former property of Anne of Bourbon, Duchess of Longueville (1616-1679). She had accompanied her husband, Henri II d' Orleans, Duke of Longueville, to Münster for the peace negotiations (1643-1648). The hand is a historical emblem. These were severed body parts (such as a hand, foot or ear) from corpses that had fallen victim to murder. At a time when photographs of the crime scene and corpse were not yet available for a court hearing, the body mark (instead of the whole corpse) lay on the judge's table during the trial. The mummified hands preserved to this day are presumably the remains of unsolved cases that were not buried until the offence had been atoned for. Today, they help forensic archaeologists to learn more about medieval court practice and its regional peculiarities.