Münster - Clemenskirche

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".

The Clemenskirche was built between 1745 and 1753 according to plans by Johann Conrad Schlaun for the Order of the Barmherzigen Brüder (Merciful Brothers), whose members are primarily involved in nursing and caring for the elderly.

The formerly adjacent Clemens Hospital and the church date back to a foundation established by Clemens August I, Prince-Bishop of Münster.

During the air raids on Münster in World War II, St. Clement's Church and Clemens Hospital were destroyed except for the surrounding walls. From 1956 to 1959, the exterior of the church was rebuilt, but without the associated hospital buildings. This meant that the sides and substructure of the now free-standing campanile, which had previously been concealed by the hospital buildings, had to be redesigned in the spirit of Schlaun.

Clemenshospital, which originally started with 16 beds, was rebuilt after the war in a different location and today offers space for over 400 patients.