Münster – Shopping with flair

Sure, the major chains can be found here in Münster, too – as everywhere. So that can’t be what makes Münster such a powerful shopping magnet, attracting people from as far away as the Ruhr Area and even the Netherlands. So what is it then? The flair of the Old Town? Or more the fact that you come across things here that you probably won’t find elsewhere?

Pale sandstone, the distinctive cobbled roadway bordered by gabled houses, elegant shops under romantic arcades – they all go to make the Prinzipalmarkt one of Germany’s loveliest shopping streets. It also reflects Münster’s long tradition as a trading city and a city of the Hansa – a particularly charming expression of which is the Hansa Repast, held each year in May, when the city centre shopkeepers and traders invite citizens and visitors to the city to sit down and eat at long tables set up outdoors. But at the same time, the face of Münster as a shopping city is constantly changing. With sensational new developments such as the “Münster Arkaden“, the “Hansecarré” and the “Stubengasse”, the already outstanding shopping quality has been enhanced still further. And the elegant ensemble of new buildings on Alter Fischmarkt has also given the northern approach to Münster’s Old Town a completely new quality of access and amenities.

On Wednesdays and Saturdays in particular, when one of the loveliest markets in Europe is held on Domplatz, outside the cathedral, the city centre pulsates with life. The Münsteraners love “their” market as a never dwindling source of fresh produce from the region – and also as a perfect place to meet up for a coffee or a lunch snack. Although there are also many organic or “bio” producers here, they also have their own Ecological Farmers’ Market on Friday afternoons, also on the square bordering the cathedral: While smaller than the regular market, it sells only regional organic produce – from vegetables, fruit and meat to “bio” bakery products.

Whether the Prinzipalmarkt, Salz- or Ludgeristraße, Stubengasse, Alter Fischmarkt, Rothenburg, Kiepenkerlviertel, Kuhviertel or Hörsterstraße: the vibrant retail activity in the various shopping quarters, each with its own individual flair, is one of Münster’s distinctive trademarks. Another special feature of the city is that while shoppers can naturally find all the major retail chains and fashion labels, Münster also boasts a large number of owner-managed shops, including many offering original products that are off the mainstream. And dotted among them are small, unconventional shops attracting young buyers, offering independent labels and self-designed items, or biological, recycled and fair-trade products. Or concept stores, whose product range and ambience is targeted specifically at certain lifestyles and preferences. So there is also every chance of finding something genuinely individual and out-of-the-ordinary.

And sometimes, offerings of this kind have made a name for themselves far beyond Münster itself. One such is "Skater Pope" Titus Dittmann, who first made skateboarding popular in Germany and whose label still sets the trend in the scene today. And who would have thought that characters such as Capt’n Sharky, Princess Lillifee or Felix the Hare, who bring delight to children all the world over, have their home in a Münster publishing house – in a converted fire station in the docks area?

Speaking of children: They, too, can have a good time when their parents go shopping, thanks to the supervised play facility in “Maxi-Turm” on Prinzipalmarkt, funded by the city centre shops. And in summer, there’s even more fun for the kids when “Maxi-Sand” opens – a giant sandpit in the city.
Hunters and gatherers, too, have the chance to make a kill: On every third Saturday in the month, from May till September, bargain hunters have their day. From first thing in the morning, the Promenade – from Schlossplatz to the Aasee – turns into one of the biggest and busiest flea markets in Europe.

Some interesting facts & figures (perhaps worth following up some more?)

• Münster was a member of the Hanseatic League from the Middle Ages on; as the “Westphalian Head”, it represented the partner towns in the region right up to the 17th century, and is still a member of the Westphalian Hanseatic League and the new International Hansa of today.
• The “Send”, too, the funfair held three times a year – in spring, summer and autumn – on Schlossplatz has historical roots: Whenever the Prince Bishop of Münster, the soverign lord of the city, held one of his regular synods, the craftsmen, traders and merchants from everywhere round about also came to the city in droves. Among the common people, the word “Synod” became “Send” – and it is still the name today for one of the biggest funfairs in the whole Westphalia region.
• The Stubengasse development, which was inaugurated in 2010, was awarded the German Urban Development Prize; with its unusual, modern architecture, it forms a fascinating contrast to the historic Prinzipalmarktarkt.
• Prominent "brand personalities" from Münster: "Skater Pope" Titus Dittmann, Capt’n Sharky, Felix the Hare and Princess Lillifee.
• The complex on Alter Fischmarkt that stands as a welcoming portal to the Old Town also houses MuKK, Germany’s biggest children’s department store.
• The “Kiepenkerl” statue in Münster is a memorial to the historic peddlers (also known as “Tödden”) who travelled the Münsterland region on foot, selling their wares and providing a link between the country, markets and towns. A number of major (textile) merchant dynasties grew out of this local tradition, especially C&A, but also e.g. Hettlage and Böcker. The name and style of this tradition is also kept alive in the Old Town hostelry by the name of “Töddenhoek” (Tödden’s Corner).

www.stadt-muenster.de/en/tourismus/shopping-and-going-out.html
www.stadt-muenster.de/send
www.flohmarkt-muenster.de