City of the Peace of Westphalia — more bikes than people and Europe's finest bicycle culture
Münster is Germany's most cycle-friendly city (there are genuinely more registered bicycles than human residents) and the historic centre of one of the most important diplomatic events in European history — the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 was negotiated and signed in the Friedenssaal (Peace Hall) of the historic town hall, ending the Thirty Years' War and establishing the modern principles of national sovereignty. The old city was largely destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt stone-for-stone using historic photographs.
Münster was the seat of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster for over 700 years and one of the leading cities of the Hanseatic League. In 1534–35 it was briefly taken over by Anabaptists who established a millenarian kingdom; the city's prince-bishop recaptured it and the leaders were tortured to death in iron cages still hanging on the steeple of St. Lambert's church. The Peace of Westphalia congress met simultaneously in Münster (Catholic powers) and Osnabrück (Protestant powers) 1643–1648 — the combination effectively ended religious war in Europe and is considered the foundation of modern inte…