The City of Peace

In each October, when hundreds of primary-school children ride their hobby-horses up the steps of the Rathaus (City Hall) and receive a pretzel from the Lord Mayor, they ride in celebration of the Peace Treaty of Westphalia, and this is a very conscious, living sign of peace culture. You can still visit the "Rathaus" to see the Friedenssaal (Hall of Peace) where Osnabrück's Treaty of the Peace of Westphalia was signed in 1648.

The peace-seeking mentality of Osnabrück became widely known to literature lovers through the works of one of its own sons, Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) in the Erich-Maria Remarque Friedenszentrum (Erich-Maria Remarque Peace Center).

Another of the city's natives has a museum dedicated to his artistic works: the Felix Nussbaum Museum. Nussbaum, a Jewish painter, was born in Osnabrück in 1904. The museum honors Nussbaum's legacy by exhibiting 170 of his works.

Art lovers will also appreciate the city's Kunsthalle (Art Gallery) and its unique location, in the 14th century Dominikanerkirche (Dominican Church) in the Old Town. It hosts temporary exhibits of contemporary art from around the world by well-known artists as well as talented but less-known creators. Be sure to visit the city's Dom St. Peter (St. Peter's Cathedral). It includes a museum in rooms above the cloister that exhibit artifacts belonging to the church, some dating to Roman times.

Finished in 1512, the "Rathaus" (City Hall) in late-Gothic style took more than 25 years to build. Just like in neighboring Münster, the Peace of Westphalia was negotiated here, ending the Thirty Years' War (1618-48), as shown by the 42 portraits of the envoys of the peace congress and the rulers of the time, for example: the French "sun king" Louis XIV, the German emperor Ferdinand III and Queen Christina of Sweden. The most valuable pieces in the treasure chamber include the Emperor's Cup, the replica of the Treaty of Westphalia ("Osnabrück Peace Instrument") and the Osnabrück militia's necklace. Also to be seen on the upper floors are a model, which shows Osnabrück in 1633 and the permanent exhibition: "Osnabrück's destruction in the Second World War and the subsequent reconstruction".

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Since its foundation by Charlemagne, the "Dom St. Peter" (St Peter's Cathedral) has been the religious center of the bishopric Osnabrück for more than 1225 years. The current architectural look dates back mainly to the late Romanesque period in the 13th century. Exhibits covering a period of more than one thousand years are preserved in the cathedral. The bronze font (1225), which has been used for christenings for almost eight centuries, the Romanesque triumphant cross and the tranquil cloister are especially worth mentioning.

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The "Marktplatz" (Market Square) is definitely worth a visit: the "Rathaus des Westfälischen Friedens" (City Hall of the Westphalian Peace), the City Weighing House and St Mary's on one side and typical Osnabrück town houses with their characteristic stepped gables on the other. Next to the historical square you will find the "Bürgerbrunnen" (Citizens' Well), illustrating important events in Osnabrück's history.

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The "St. Marien-Kirche" (St Mary's Church) is a Gothic hall church on the "Marktplatz" (Market Square). In 1543 the Reformation in Osnabrück began in this Protestant Lutheran church. It is a place of calm in the center of the city and invites you to services and concerts. The triumphant cross and the crucifixion group (13th century), the passion cycle by Albrecht Dürer (1510), the winged altar (1515), the font (1560), the Schreiter-window (1992), the last supper table (1995) and the predella by Heinz Heiber (1999) are worth seeing.

For a beautiful view over the city which lies in the midst of a national park one should not hesitate to mount the 196 steps to the spire of the "St. Marien-Kirche" (St Mary's Church).

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After more than a year of renovation, the museum area around the Felix-Nussbaum-Museum and the Museum of Cultural History will be presented, from April 2011, in a new form with a common entrance and attractive barrier-free exhibition areas. The Felix-Nussbaum-Museum is named after the artist Felix Nussbaum, who was born in Osnabrück in 1904 and murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. Like no other painter, his impressive works record the stations of his life, from the "happy childhood" in a Jewish merchant family, via initial artistic success in Berlin, to the despair of a persecuted Jew living in Belgian exile. The museum, designed by the New York architect Daniel Libeskind, is home to the internationally renowned Felix Nussbaum collection. Among the 200 works is the main work "Self-portrait with Jewish pass". The creative tension between architecture and painting encourages us never to forget the Holocaust in Europe.

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The area to the left and right of the "Hegerstraße" (Heger Street) is alive during the day with the many arts and crafts shops and is bustling with pub-goers in the evening. The "Willmann Haus" (Willmann House) in the "Krahnstraße" (Krahn Street) and the "Romantik Hotel Walhalla" in the "Bierstraße" (Beer Street) are the last proud reminders of a time when almost all buildings in the town were half-timbered. The "Heger Tor" (Heger Gate), the Bishop's Chancellery and a few buildings from the Rococo and Classicism era remain standing, not forgetting the towers and walls of the city fortifications. The Romanesque vault houses in the Old Town are unique. These monuments from the 13th century with their first floor entrances and small windows were used as safehouses, guarding the people and their wares.

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One of the earliest baroque palaces in Germany, the former residence of the Prince-Bishop was built starting in 1668 by Ernst August I and his wife Sophie. Destroyed in the Second World War, the "Schloss Osnabrück" (Osnabrück Palace) was rebuilt as a modern building with a historic facade. Today the building is occupied by the University of Osnabrück. The stylish palace gardens, the palace's terrace with its statues and the fountains are worth a look.

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The most important civic building in the city consists of the "Palas" (main building) with a tower-staircase and the considerably older and taller Romanesque "Steinwerk" (vault house). The estate once belonged to the influential family Leden. The building's diagonal decoration complies with the historically authentic design. Today the Ledenhof, opposite the "Schloss Osnabrück" (Osnabrück Palace), is home to West Lower Saxony's Literary Bureau and the German Foundation for Peace Research. Many cultural events take place in  the Renaissance hall.

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The "Johanniskirche" (St John's Church) is the first Gothic hall church in Westphalia (1256-91). Highlights are the cloister, the sacrament house (built in sandstone around 1440) and the treasure chamber with four vaults around a central pillar (14th century). Standing in front of the impressive western facade, one cannot fail to notice similarities with St Peter's Cathedral. The double tower construction with the "Saxon Bar" fortification form is particularly reminiscent of the episcopal church.

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Roman Roots: The Battle of Varus.

For nearly four centuries, scholars have debated the actual site of the Battle of Varus, in the year 9. A.D., when Germanic tribes lured Roman legions into an ambush only to mow them down for a long time been subject for debate among scholars.

In 1989, more than 6,000 archaeological finds in the hamlet of Kalkriese near Bramsehe, lying north of Osnabrück, confirmed the location. Evidence shows where, on the northern slope of the Kalkriese mountain, a Roman army was vanquished. Weapons, military equipment, everyday items, human and animal bones and more than 1,300 feet of a manmade earthen wall show signs of an ambush and a massacre.

The Teutoburg Forest Battle is a well-known chapter in European history, and it's being researched and investigated further. In the award-winning "Varussschlacht Museum und Park Kalkriese" (Varus Battle Museum and Park Kalkriese), visitors learn about how the battle in Kalkriese, in front of Osnabrück's city gates, was fought. An exhibition describes the history and research in the museum building, and there are frequent cultural events such a concerts, lectures and light-and-fireworks displays. The extensive park combines the events of that time with the events of today.

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