Theatre, cinema, music, museums and events
The daily newspapers and various magazines, including GIG, Ultimo, na dann or nanu, which are available free of charge at many inner city locations, give an overview of music and theatre events, cinema and nightlife.
The city's Press Office also maintains a detailed online event calendar, which contains links and information about cinemas, city tours, further education events and local markets.
Cinemas in Münster
- Cineplex, Albersloher Weg 14
Nine screens and 2,700 seats
Box office open daily from 2 pm – 11:30 pm, Sundays from 10:30 am – 11:30 pm
ph. 02 51 / 98 71 23 33
muenster(at)cineplex.de - www.cineplex.de/muenster/
- Schloßtheater, Melchersstraße 81
Box office open daily 15 minutes before the first until 30 minutes after the last show
ph. 02 51 / 2 25 79
muenster(at)cineplex.de - www.cineplex.de/muenster/infos/das-schlosstheater/1161/
- Repertory cinema Cinema, Warendorfer Straße 45-47
Box office open daily from 3 pm, Sundays from 10:45 am
ph. 02 51 / 3 03 00
info(at)cinema-muenster.de - www.cinema-muenster.de
Theatres (selection)
- Theater Münster: The municipal theatre includes the musical, drama, children’s and youth and dance theatres and the symphony orchestra, and thus unites five disciplines under one roof. Around 25 premières and 550 performances per season make for a demanding programme, which is supplemented by productions by the Low German Theatre, guest performances, readings, lectures and exhibitions. The "Großes Haus", used for major productions, has 955 seats, and the "Kleines Haus", a smaller stage located in the same building, seats 280 theatre-goers.
Neubrückenstraße 63
Box office open daily from Monday to Friday from 10 am – 6 pm, Saturdays from 10 am - 2 pm
ph. 02 51 / 5 90 91 00
theaterkasse(at)stadt-muenster.de - www.theater-muenster.com
- GOP: Modern variety theatre productions are staged by international artists in the GOP-Variety Theatre, directly opposite the main railway station. The emphasis is placed on cultivated live entertainment, combined with creative cuisine.
Bahnhofstraße 20-22
Information and advance ticket sales: ph. 02 51 / 4 90 90 90
info-muenster(at)variete.de - www.variete.de/en/venues/muenster/muenster.html
- Theater im Pumpenhaus: North Rhine-Westphalia's first free theatre was founded in a former sewage pumping station in 1985. The Theater im Pumpenhaus doesn’t have its own company; instead, it offers outstanding national and international artists as well as theatre and dance groups from Münster the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Gartenstraße 123
Ticket reservation: ph. 02 51 / 23 34 43
buero(at)pumpenhaus.de - www.pumpenhaus.de
- Wolfgang Borchert Theatre: The Wolfgang Borchert Theatre by the city harbour is a professional private theatre with its own permanent company, which is complemented by guest performers. It was founded in 1956, and is one of Germany’s oldest private theatres.
Am Mittelhafen 10
ph. 02 51 / 39 90 70
tickets(at)wolfgang-borchert-theater.de - www.wbt-muenster.de
- Boulevard Münster, Königspassage
Information and advance ticket sales: ph. 02 51 / 4 14 04 00
info(at)boulevard-muenster.de - www.boulevard-muenster.de
Museums (selection)
- LWL State Museum of Art and Culture: The collections take the visitor on a journey through 1,000 years of Occidental art and cultural history. The museum stores 500,000 artefacts in its repositories, about 1,300 exhibits are on show in the 51 exhibition spaces. It administers the artistic inheritance of August Macke, one of the most important painters of the Modern Age. The museum reopened in 2014 after a large-scale restructuring and rebuilding, an investment of around 48 million euros.
Domplatz 10
ph. 02 51 / 59 07 01
museumkunstkultur(at)lwl.org - www.lwl.org/LWL/Kultur/museumkunstkultur
- Pablo Picasso Museum of Graphic Arts: The museum's collection unites over 800 prints by Picasso, and includes virtually the entire lithographic oeuvre by the Spanish artist. The collection comprises portraits, still life, turbulent bullfight scenes and ancient mythological creatures, all of which inhabit Picasso’s lithographs. Temporary exhibitions on the life and work of Picasso and his contemporaries make the works of the 20th century genius extremely accessible. The museum is located in a listed building on the Königsstraße.
Picassoplatz 1/ Königsstraße 5
ph. 02 51 / 414 47 10
info(at)picassomuseum.de - www.kunstmuseum-picasso-muenster.de/en/home/home/
- Museum of Lacquer Art: The Museum of Lacquer Art on the Windthorststraße is the only one of its kind in the world. The establishment, which is affiliated to the BASF Coatings AG houses a collection of lacquer arts from East Asia, Europe and the Islamic world. The collection includes 1,000 artefacts from 2,000 years.
Windthorststraße 26
ph. 02 51 / 41 85 10
julia.kroker(at)basf.com - www.museum-fuer-lackkunst.de/en/homepage
- City Museum: The City Museum on the Salzstraße presents the history of the city from its beginnings to the present day. Specific topics and aspects related to Münster’s cultural, artistic and quotidian history are presented during special exhibitions.
Salzstraße 28
ph. 02 51 / 4 92-45 03
museum(at)stadt-muenster.de - www.stadt-muenster.de/museum/info-gbnlf.html
- Archaeological museum: Lovers of Mediterranean and oriental antique culture will find original artefacts, replicas of antique sculptures, models of monuments and sanctuaries and a collection of antique coins.
Fürstenberghaus, Domplatz 20-22
ph. 02 51 / 83 25 412
www.uni-muenster.de/ArchaeologischesMuseum/ - Mühlenhof Open-Air Museum: The Mühlenhof displays four centuries' worth of rural regional culture and craftsmanship over five hectares, and is located in the direct vicinity of the Aasee (Lake Aa) and the "Allwetterzoo" (all-weather zoo). Approximately 30 historic buildings, including a post mill, were either transferred to the museum from their original sites or reconstructed there according to original models.
Theo-Breider-Weg 1
ph. 02 51 / 98 12 00
www.muehlenhof-muenster.org - LWL Natural History Museum: A permanent exhibition at the museum traces Westphalia's development from the mammoth steppe to agrarian countryside. The 16-metre long skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex is a real visitor magnet. Attached to the museum there is also the planetarium.
Sentruper Str. 285
ph. 02 51 / 5 91 05
www.lwl.org/LWL/Kultur/lwl-naturkunde/english - Kunsthalle Münster (Exhibition hall for temporary art): On the top floor of an old warehouse building overlooking the harbour and thriving on the vicinity of young artists' studios, which the municipal administration supports in the same warehouse, it is a laboratory for trends in modern and experimental art.
Hafenweg 28
ph. 02 51 / 6 74 46 75
kulturamt(at)stadt-muenster.de - www.muenster.de/stadt/kunsthalle/
- For more museums please see www.muenster.de/stadt/tourismus/museen.html
Event and concert locations
- Halle Münsterland, Albersloher Weg 32
Advance ticket sales: ph. 02 51 / 1 62 58 17.
Event programme and information: Tel. 02 51 / 6 60 00
info(at)mcc-halle-muensterland.de - www.mcc-halle-muensterland.de/en/
- Jovel Music Hall, Albersloher Weg 54
info(at)ovel.de - www.jovel.de
- Gleis 22, Hafenstraße 34
www.gleis22.de/home.htm - Hot Jazz Club, Hafenweg 26b
ph. 02 51 / 68 66 79 08
Christian(at)hotjazzclub.de - www.hotjazzclub.de
- Various other locations for musical and cultural events can be found under www.muenster.de/kultur_buehnen.html
Some more event highlights
- "Send" fun fair: "Send" takes place three times a year. The Münsterland region's largest fun fair attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. 250 showmen present traditional and modern fair ride sensations on the Schlossplatz in front of Münster's Palace in Spring, Summer and Autumn. A firework display traditionally lights up the evening skies on "Send" Friday.
www.stadt-muenster.de/send/startseite.html - Christmas markets: Visitors have the pick of five different Advent markets surrounded by the Old Town's festive illuminations. Toy stalls and jewellery and arts-and-crafts stands are perfect for browsing, as you savour the scent of toasted almonds, mulled wine and punch.
www.stadt-muenster.de/weihnachtsmarkt/startseite.html - Night of the Museums and Galleries: During the "Schauraum" ("Showroom") festival, which concludes with the "Night of the Museums and Galleries", the city centre showcases art, culture and savoir vivre over three days usually in early September. Over 40 establishments remain open until midnight and no entry fees are charged. Special tours, readings and lectures make for an inspiring night.
www.stadt-muenster.de/kulturamt/nacht-der-museen-und-galerien.html - Shrove Monday procession: Native "Münsterländer", or citizens from the Münsterland region, are by no means as stolid and impassive as the story goes. Their inner flamboyance comes to light at carnival time. The highlight of the crazy carnival season is the Shrove Monday procession, when the Old Town is firmly in the jesters’ hands. About 120 groups, music ensembles and magnificently decorated floats from Münster and the surrounding area parade through the city. Associations from the Netherlands also participate, bringing with them particularly colourful floats and groups.
www.bmk-helau.de - www.muenster.de/kulturell_karneval.html
- Skatenight: In-line skaters meet in front of the Münster Palace from 7 pm every 1st and 3rd Friday from May to September. At 8 pm the procession starts on a 17 to 20 kilometre round course.
www.skatenight-muenster.de