Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Peace of Westphalia

Kloster Hadmersleben (Hadmersleben monastery) was founded in 961 by the (six-year-old) King Otto II. There was quite a row because Bishop Bernhard von Halberstadt had refused to cede Magdeburg to Otto I as an archbishopric, even though the Pope wanted it. The bishop's refusal led to his nickname "Eisenkopf" (ironhead). The nunnery was not a really great success, and so the then bishop of Halberstadt wrote in 1120: "The piety of the nuns of Hadmersleben has not only fallen asleep but has completely died out." Thanks to a capable abbess, the convent soon became successful and in 1160 the building of the chapter house began. Around 1320 the construction of the Gothic monastery church began. But then the convent fell into disrepair again until the nuns joined the Bursfeld congregation. Hadmersleben Abbey is one of the few monasteries in the Archdiocese of Magdeburg that remained Catholic beyond the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 made this possible. In 1809, by decree of the King of Westphalia Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, the dissolution of the monastery was ordered. However, the affiliated parish remained. St. Peter and St. Paul was the monastery church and has been a parish church since the Reformation. Since the 10th century, three construction phases can be identified. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the nave was renovated in early Gothic style in two construction phases, and a large gallery for the nuns was built above the older lower church. During the Thirty Years' War, the church was plundered and partially destroyed. From 1696 to 1710 the interior of the church was made baroque. This Gothic altar was once the center of a winged altar. It is still visible where the wings were connected, but they may have been lost.

Kloster Hadmersleben (Hadmersleben monastery) was founded in 961 by the (six-year-old) King Otto II. There was quite a row because Bishop Bernhard von Halberstadt had refused to cede Magdeburg to Otto I as an archbishopric, even though the Pope wanted it. The bishop's refusal led to his nickname "Eisenkopf" (ironhead). The nunnery was not a really great success, and so the then bishop of Halberstadt wrote in 1120: "The piety of the nuns of Hadmersleben has not only fallen asleep but has completely died out." Thanks to a capable abbess, the convent soon became successful and in 1160 the building of the chapter house began. Around 1320 the construction of the Gothic monastery church began. But then the convent fell into disrepair again until the nuns joined the Bursfeld congregation. Hadmersleben Abbey is one of the few monasteries in the Archdiocese of Magdeburg that remained Catholic beyond the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 made this possible. In 1809, by decree of the King of Westphalia Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, the dissolution of the monastery was ordered. However, the affiliated parish remained. St. Peter and St. Paul was the monastery church and has been a parish church since the Reformation. Since the 10th century, three construction phases can be identified. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the nave was renovated in early Gothic style in two construction phases, and a large gallery for the nuns was built above the older lower church. During the Thirty Years' War, the church was plundered and partially destroyed. From 1696 to 1710 the interior of the church was made baroque. Virgin and Child with Saint Anne / Anna selbdritt

Kloster Hadmersleben (Hadmersleben monastery) was founded in 961 by the (six-year-old) King Otto II. There was quite a row because Bishop Bernhard von Halberstadt had refused to cede Magdeburg to Otto I as an archbishopric, even though the Pope wanted it. The bishop's refusal led to his nickname "Eisenkopf" (ironhead). The nunnery was not a really great success, and so the then bishop of Halberstadt wrote in 1120: "The piety of the nuns of Hadmersleben has not only fallen asleep but has completely died out." Thanks to a capable abbess, the convent soon became successful and in 1160 the building of the chapter house began. Around 1320 the construction of the Gothic monastery church began. But then the convent fell into disrepair again until the nuns joined the Bursfeld congregation. Hadmersleben Abbey is one of the few monasteries in the Archdiocese of Magdeburg that remained Catholic beyond the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 made this possible. In 1809, by decree of the King of Westphalia Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, the dissolution of the monastery was ordered. However, the affiliated parish remained. St. Peter and St. Paul was the monastery church and has been a parish church since the Reformation. Since the 10th century, three construction phases can be identified. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the nave was renovated in early Gothic style in two construction phases, and a large gallery for the nuns was built above the older lower church (PoV). During the Thirty Years' War, the church was plundered and partially destroyed. From 1696 to 1710 the interior of the church was made baroque.

Kloster Hadmersleben (Hadmersleben monastery) was founded in 961 by the (six-year-old) King Otto II. There was quite a row because Bishop Bernhard von Halberstadt had refused to cede Magdeburg to Otto I as an archbishopric, even though the Pope wanted it. The bishop's refusal led to his nickname "Eisenkopf" (ironhead). The nunnery was not a really great success, and so the then bishop of Halberstadt wrote in 1120: "The piety of the nuns of Hadmersleben has not only fallen asleep but has completely died out." Thanks to a capable abbess, the convent soon became successful and in 1160 the building of the chapter house began. Around 1320 the construction of the Gothic monastery church began. But then the convent fell into disrepair again until the nuns joined the Bursfeld congregation. Hadmersleben Abbey is one of the few monasteries in the Archdiocese of Magdeburg that remained Catholic beyond the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 made this possible. In 1809, by decree of the King of Westphalia Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, the dissolution of the monastery was ordered. However, the affiliated parish remained. St. Peter and St. Paul was the monastery church and has been a parish church since the Reformation. Since the 10th century, three construction phases can be identified. This is the oldest part of the church, today the basement of the baroque nuns' choir, with its Ottonian capitals..

Kloster Hadmersleben (Hadmersleben monastery) was founded in 961 by the (six-year-old) King Otto II. There was quite a row because Bishop Bernhard von Halberstadt had refused to cede Magdeburg to Otto I as an archbishopric, even though the Pope wanted it. The bishop's refusal led to his nickname "Eisenkopf" (ironhead). The nunnery was not a really great success, and so the then bishop of Halberstadt wrote in 1120: "The piety of the nuns of Hadmersleben has not only fallen asleep but has completely died out." Thanks to a capable abbess, the convent soon became successful and in 1160 the building of the chapter house began. Around 1320 the construction of the Gothic monastery church began. But then the convent fell into disrepair again until the nuns joined the Bursfeld congregation. Hadmersleben Abbey is one of the few monasteries in the Archdiocese of Magdeburg that remained Catholic beyond the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 made this possible. In 1809, by decree of the King of Westphalia Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, the dissolution of the monastery was ordered. However, the affiliated parish remained. St. Peter and St. Paul was the monastery church and has been a parish church since the Reformation. Since the 10th century, three construction phases can be identified. This is the oldest part of the church, today the basement of the baroque nuns' choir.

Kloster Hadmersleben (Hadmersleben monastery) was founded in 961 by the (six-year-old) King Otto II. There was quite a row because Bishop Bernhard von Halberstadt had refused to cede Magdeburg to Otto I as an archbishopric, even though the Pope wanted it. The bishop's refusal led to his nickname "Eisenkopf" (ironhead). The nunnery was not a really great success, and so the then bishop of Halberstadt wrote in 1120: "The piety of the nuns of Hadmersleben has not only fallen asleep but has completely died out." Thanks to a capable abbess, the convent soon became successful and in 1160 the building of the chapter house began. Around 1320 the construction of the Gothic monastery church began. But then the convent fell into disrepair again until the nuns joined the Bursfeld congregation. Hadmersleben Abbey is one of the few monasteries in the Archdiocese of Magdeburg that remained Catholic beyond the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 made this possible. In 1809, by decree of the King of Westphalia Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, the dissolution of the monastery was ordered. However, the affiliated parish remained. St. Peter und St. Paul was the monastery church and has been a parish church since the Reformation. Three construction phases can be seen since the 10th century.

Kloster Hadmersleben (Hadmersleben monastery) was founded in 961 by the (six-year-old) King Otto II. There was quite a row because Bishop Bernhard von Halberstadt had refused to cede Magdeburg to Otto I as an archbishopric, even though the Pope wanted it. The bishop's refusal led to his nickname "Eisenkopf" (ironhead). The nunnery was not a really great success, and so the then bishop of Halberstadt wrote in 1120: "The piety of the nuns of Hadmersleben has not only fallen asleep but has completely died out." Thanks to a capable abbess, the convent soon became successful and in 1160 the building of the chapter house began. Around 1320 the construction of the Gothic monastery church began. But then the convent fell into disrepair again until the nuns joined the Bursfeld congregation. Hadmersleben Abbey is one of the few monasteries in the Archdiocese of Magdeburg that remained Catholic beyond the Reformation and the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Westphalia of 1648 made this possible. In 1809, by decree of the King of Westphalia Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, the dissolution of the monastery was ordered. However, the affiliated parish remained. As recently as 1965, the 15,000-acre farm was being used to shut down machinery, store grain, and raise horses, cattle, and pigs. In 1981 the restoration began.

To the south St. Marien church faces the market and is an architectural neighbour of the town hall and the weigh house. St. Marien church is a gothic hall church, that was used as a meeting place for the protestant parties during the years of negotiating before the "Peace of Westpahlia" treaties were signed in 1648. Osnabrueck was hit by more than 180.000 bombs during WWII. St. Marien burnt out - and was rebuilt in the 1950s. The northern wall (not facing the market) is covered by carved grafittis. Obviously this wall survived the bombings and kept pretty untouched during the rebuilding. "MB CH" or "MB CR"

To the south St. Marien church faces the market and is an architectural neighbour of the town hall and the weigh house. St. Marien church is a gothic hall church, that was used as a meeting place for the protestant parties during the years of negotiating before the "Peace of Westpahlia" treaties were signed in 1648. Osnabrueck was hit by more than 180.000 bombs during WWII. St. Marien burnt out - and was rebuilt in the 1950s. The northern wall (not facing the market) is covered by carved grafittis. Obviously this wall survived the bombings and kept pretty untouched during the rebuilding. Only the year is clear in the black brick: 1807.

To the south St. Marien church faces the market and is an architectural neighbour of the town hall and the weigh house. St. Marien church is a gothic hall church, that was used as a meeting place for the protestant parties during the years of negotiating before the "Peace of Westpahlia" treaties were signed in 1648. Osnabrueck was hit by more than 180.000 bombs during WWII. St. Marien burnt out - and was rebuilt in the 1950s. The northern wall (not facing the market) is covered by carved grafittis. Obviously this wall survived the bombings and kept pretty untouched during the rebuilding. I read "SCHRODER" in the middle. A pretty common german name. One of the last german chancellors was Mr. Schröder.

1648 a peace treaty was signed in this town hall, a second one was signed in neighboring Muenster. Both forming the "Peace of Westphalia", that ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) between Spain and the Netherlands. The treaties ended as well diplomatic conference, that lasted five years. Muenster housed the catholic parties, Osnabrueck the protestant parties. This "pax universalis" gave orientation to european history upto the french revolution. The building on the right was the public weigh house, built 1532. In the sky on the very right is a gargoyle of the lutherian St. Mary church (used be the swedish delegation during the peace-conference). Like the town hall, the weigh house and most other houses around the market it was bombed and burnt down during WWII. The whole area was rebuilt in the 1950s.

Muenster, the cultural centre of Westphalia, is a city with a population of more than 250.000 of which nearly 50.000 are students at the University of Muenster. This surely helped Muenster to gain the status of the "bicycle capital of Germany". Charlemagne sent out St. Ludger in 792 to evangelise the area, so Ludger founded a school here and later was the first bishop of Muenster. During medieval times Muenster was a leading member of the Hanseatic League. The wealth can still be seen in the gothic architecture of the merchant´s houses. The devasting Thirty Years' War was ended here. Over a period of four years the parties negotiated here and at Osnabrueck (50kms to the north). Finally in 1648 the "Peace of Muenster" was signed in this town hall, part of what became known as the "Peace of Westphalia". Actually the treaty was signed in two places. Here and in the town hall of Osnabrueck. The "Peace of Westphalia" ended as well the "Eighty Years' War" between the Spanish empire - and some provinces of "Habsburg Netherlands". This created the independent "Republic of the Seven United Netherlands", today known as "Kingdom of the Netherlands". Actually most of the town hall was rebuilt after WWII, as not much was left after the bombings. The facade is original, as it had been removed in the 1940s and stored as a puzzle on a safe place. In case you will follow the shots I took in Muenster: This is the place, where the Muenster Rebellion ended, as here stood the scaffold in 1535.