Münster, City Hall

(2 photos)
The late-1300s Gothic Rathaus (City Hall) in Münster is certainly different. On the ground level there is a four-arched arcade; on the second level are four additional arches; levels three through seven contain smaller arches; and eight rooftop steeple-like pinnacles are separated by lacy stonework.

Elegant buildings with similar renaissance gables, formerly homes of the wealthy, line the street along with the Rathaus, and here again, the arcades at street level invite the stroller.
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In many of the buildings in the very complete shopping district, the ground floor is recessed so arcades will protect the shopper from the weather. A park with many small lakes surrounds downtown Münster, and is built in the space where the walls, gates, and ramparts of the city fortifications once stood. Our friend Tonia’s apartment was right next to the park, a short walking distance from the shopping area, the cathedral and the city hall.