Historical City Hall of Münster

[1] Though the building is occasionally used for council meetings, since 1907 the official residences of the Lord Mayor and the city administration have moved to nearby properties at Klemensstraße 10, Heinrich-Brünig-Straße and Syndikatsgasse.

von Deckenbrock was mayor, and is believed to have been created to give locals a forum to congregate in the open, instead of confining themselves to the row of houses present on the Prinzipalmarkt.

This decision speaks to the citizenry of Münster's self-assurance, notably the elite city nobility who were the so-called heirs to the divisions.

In placing the town hall in direct view from the Münster cathedral and the episcopal palace, they demonstrated their drive for freedom and the goal of self-government over the bishop.

[3] The addition of the ornate architecture and façade of the town hall in the late-fourteenth century was undoubtedly a provocation for the latter, whose passage to the cathedral was impeded by the structure.

The master craftsmen employed for the conversion project marked their work in blue clinker bricks in the east gable.