Münster (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Münster is well known for its beautiful city center and the large number of bicycles and students. Founded in 793, Münster ranks among the historical cities of Germany. The Prinzipalmarkt with the Lamberti Church and the City Hall housing the Treaty of Westphalia, as well as the Cathedral and the Market Square are just a few of the internationally significant architectural monuments from the last 800 years. The city has about 300,000 residents. About 55,000 students shape the face of Münster. The unique atmosphere of the city makes Münster one of the most liveable cities in the world, a title that was officially given to Münster by the international LivCom-Award in 2004.
Münster is also most well known as the location of the Anabaptist rebellion during the Protestant Reformation, as the site of the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia ending the Thirty Years' War in 1648.
Learn more about Münster.
University of Münster
The University of Münster is one of the leading research universities in Germany. With about 45,000 students it is also one of the largest universities in Germany. The university has strong international links which include partnership agreements with in excess of 400 universities from around the world.
Arriving by Plane
The third largest German airport in Düsseldorf (after Frankfurt and Munich) is located 100km southwest of Münster and has an own railway station with frequent connections to Münster (approx. 1:37h). The railway station can be reached in about 10 minutes using the skytrain. For most participants, Düsseldorf is the most recommendable airport due to its direct connections to all major airports in Europe and many airports all over the world. The SchöneFahrtTicket NRW costs 19 Euro and it is valid for two hours. It includes the Skytrain, regional trains in NRW (including trains from Düsseldorf airport to Münster), and buses in Münster.
The Cologne Bonn Airport is 120km south of Münster and serves as a hub for the low cost carriers Eurowings and Germanwings. There are frequent connections to Münster by train (approx. 2:18h). However, you have to change trains at Köln Messe/Deutz station.
The airport Münster-Osnabrück (airport code: FMO) is located about 25 km in the north of Münster and offers national and a few international connections (e.g. Istanbul, London, and Zurich). In particular, there exist good connecting flights to Frankfurt and Munich. Bus service (S50 express bus, D50 direct bus, and R51 regional bus) to Münster main railway station is available in front of the airport building which costs about 7 Euros (approx. 0:45h).
Arriving by Train
Münster is well connected by train to important European urban centers and all major German cities. Please check the time table of Deutsche Bahn (German Railways). This website also indicates bus connections and combined train / bus connections. Buses 11, 12, 13 or 14 can bring you in 15 minutes from the main train station to the conference location (bus stop Jongeblodtplatz) and the hotel vis-à-vis.
Important: You should specifiy the destination by "Muenster" or "Münster". Please do not use the name "Munster", since there are several German cities named Munster, which are in no way related to the conference city Münster. The main railway station in Münster is officially named as "Münster (Westfalen) Hauptbahnhof" (Hauptbahnhof = main station) and is often shortened as "Münster (Westf) Hbf".
