Stadthausturm Münster (Town Hall Tower), Munster

The Stadthausturm (Town Hall Tower) is the only remaining part of the former Stadthaus (Town Hall) of Münster that was once located at the southern end of Prinzipalmarkt (Main Market) Street. Unlike the Town Hall building itself, the tower is not a medieval structure and was created only in the early 20th century. It was designed by the German architect Alfred Hensen, featuring Neo-Renaissance style, and built between 1902 and 1907.

Prior to that, this site was occupied by a pharmacy (Löwenapotheke) and a couple of 16th-century warehouses – the Stadtlegge (for linen) and the Stadtkeller (for hop beers), which were purposely demolished to clear space for the tower construction. Back in the early days of the tower, for a while, its basement was used as a mechanical telephone exchange.

The Town Hall building was destroyed on October 28, 1944, in an allied bombing raid during World War II, but the tower miraculously survived almost unscathed.

In 2001, an automatic bell ringing system (glockenspiel) was installed in the tower, co-funded by the Münster Savings Bank, the Münster City Council, and the Nonhoff family. The bell rings three times a day – at 11 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm – playing, depending on the season, either the “Keine schöner Land” tune (from June to August) or some Christmas carols, like “Now rejoice, you Christians”, from November 27th to January 6th.