The City of Münster as a Royal Prussian Garrison 1813 - 1918

On November 7, 1813 Russian troops occupied the city of Münster in the course of the Wars of Liberation, thus ending the French intermezzo. A Prussian military government was installed and, in the course of the reorganization of Europe after the Napoleonic Wars, Münster became in 1815 the capital of the new Prussian Province of Westphalia. Münster also became the seat of the General Command of the VII Army Corps and remained a garrison town with a large military presence.

In 1817 Münster had a total of 15,000 civilian and approximately 2,000 military inhabitants; in 1873 there were 21,500 inhabitants and 3,250 military personnel; and in 1900 60,000 inhabitants and 3,700 military personnel. Finally, by 1913 the city of Münster counted 96,000 civilian and 5,250 military inhabitants.

The proportion of the military population amounted to 13.2% in 1816 and 11.2% in 1840.

However, due to later incorporations and the marked growth of the civilian population, the share of inhabitants from the military context in relation to Münster's total population declined.

The General Command founded in 1815 in the Duchy of Westphalia was called from 1816 the General Command of Westphalia.

From 1820 it bore the designation General Command of the 7th Army Corps.

At the head of an army corps there was always a commanding general. He resided in Münster.

The generals who commanded in Münster over time were the following:

Lieutenant General Levin Karl v. Heister (from 1815)

Lieutenant General Johann Adolf v. Tielmann (from 1815)

Lieutenant General Heinrich Wilhelm v. Horn (from 1820)

Lieutenant General Friedrich Karl Ferdinand Frhr. v. Müffling (from 1829)

General Ernst Adolph Heinrich v. Pfuel (from 1838)

Lieutenant General Karl Graf v. d. Gröben (from 1848)

General of the Cavalry Ludwig Frhr. Roth v. Schreckenstein (from 1853)

General of the Infantry Karl Anton Fürst v. Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (from 1858)

Lieutenant General Eduard v. Bonin (from 1858)

Lieutenant General Henrich Georg Eduard v. Schlegell (from 1858)

General of the Infantry Eberhard Herwarth v. Bittenfeld (from 1860)

General of the Infantry Eduard Vogel v. Falkenstein (from 1865)

General Heinrich Adolf v. Zastrow (from 1866)

General of the Cavalry Wilhelm Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode (from 1871)

General of the Cavalry Karl Friedrich Wilhelm v. Witzendorf (from 1882)

General of the Cavalry Emil Heinrich Ludwig v. Albedyll (from 1888)

General of the Infantry Max Robert v. Goetze (from 1893)

General of the Infantry Kajetan Viktor Hugo v. Mikusch-Buchberg (from 1897)

Lieutenant General Frhr. Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm v. Bülow (from 1900)

General of the Cavalry Frhr. Moritz Ferdinand v. Bissing (from 1901)

General of the Cavalry Friedrich v. Bernhardi (from 1907)

General of the Cavalry Karl v. Einem gen. v. Rothmaler (from 1909)

General of the Infantry v. Claer (from 1914)

General of the Infantry v. Francois (from 1915)

Lieutenant General v. Woyna (from 1918)

The short biographies of the commanding generals follow.

The later Lieutenant General Levin Karl von Heister was born on 22.05.1757 in Homberg.

He belonged to the Hessian branch of the noble family von Heister.

In 1798 he entered Prussian service, namely as squadron commander in the Dragoon Regiment von Voß.

Previously v. Heister had served in the Hessian cavalry.

In 1810 he was appointed Military Governor for the Rhine and Weser region. In that year Heister had also been promoted to Major General.

In 1815 he was promoted to the first Commanding General in Westphalia, but had to hand over the official duties to his successor already the following year due to illness.

He died on 02.07.1816 in Karlsbad.

In 1815 Lieutenant General Johann Adolf v. Tielmann succeeded him as Commanding General.

He had been born in April 1765 in Dresden and initially served (from 1780) in the Saxon Army and then (from 1813) in the Russian Army.

On 09.04.1815 v. Tielmann transferred to Prussian service and fought successfully at Ligny (16.06.1815) and Wavre (18.06. to 19.06.1815) against the French Northern Army.

On 30.10.1815 he was appointed Commanding General of the VII Army Corps (seat in Münster).

Lieutenant General v. Tielmann (ultimately General of the Cavalry) died on 10.10.1824 in Koblenz.

Already in 1820 Lieutenant General Heinrich Wilhelm v. Horn took over the position of Commanding General in Münster.

Heinrich Wilhelm von Horn was born on 31.10.762 in Warmbrunn (Principality of Schweidnitz).

He entered on 25.03.1778 as Gefreiterkorporal into the old Prussian infantry regiment “von Luck” (No. 53). Previously he had attended the cadet institute in Berlin. This was followed by participation in the so-called War of the Bavarian Succession (1778-79). In the campaign against Poland (1794-95) he was assigned as adjutant to General Franz Andreas von Favrat (* 04.09.1733 in Bellevaux/Savoy; † 05.09.1804 in Glatz). Horn was able to distinguish himself at the Battle of Rawka as well as at the siege of Warsaw.

In the new Prussian army, during the ill-fated campaign against Russia (1812) he commanded a brigade within the Prussian auxiliary corps under General Yorck von Wartenburg. In the same capacity v. Horn fought in 1813 at Möckern, Königswartha/Weißig and Bautzen and proved himself an outstanding troop commander.

Because of his particular manner he also became a popular military celebrity. For his services in the aforementioned battles he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Pour le Mérite on 08.12.1813.

From 03.10.1815 v. Horn was commander of Magdeburg, and from 23.11.1815 also inspector of the Landwehr in his governmental district.

Having been promoted in the meantime to Lieutenant General, v. Horn was finally appointed Commanding General of the VII Army Corps in 1820.

Here he criticized the widespread child labor due to the poor health condition of many recruits. As a result of this criticism, state measures restricting child labor followed in 1839. With the Prussian Regulation of 09.03.839 (= Regulation on the Employment of Young Workers in Factories) provisions for occupational safety were enacted for the first time in Germany.

Lieutenant General Heinrich Wilhelm v. Horn died in the year 1829 (31.10.) in Münster.

Friedrich Karl Ferdinand Baron v. Müffling was born on 12.06.1775 in Halle (Saale) and died on 16.01.1851 in Erfurt.

The later Prussian Field Marshal (1847) also worked as a military writer as well as a surveyor and cartographer.

In 1820 he became Chief of the General Staff and from 1832 Commanding General of the VII Army Corps. In 1837 v. Müffling was made Governor of Berlin. From 1838 to 1844 he was also President of the Prussian State Council.

The later Prussian General of the Infantry Ernst Adolph Heinrich v. Pfuel was born on (03.11.1779 at the Jahnsfelde estate in the Markish Switzerland and died on 03.12.1866 in Berlin.

Already at the age of 13 he entered the Prussian Cadet Institute and in 1797 became an ensign in a Prussian infantry regiment.

After the collapse of the old Prussian army he was — like many other dismissed Prussian officers — for a time in Austrian and Russian service. Thus he served as commander of the 1st infantry regiment in the Russo-German Legion.

Having returned to the Prussian army, v. Pfuel worked in the Prussian General Staff and in 1818 became Chief of the General Staff of the VIII Army Corps in Koblenz.

From 1837 he became Commanding General of the VII Army Corps.

In 1848 v. Pfuel became Prussian Prime Minister and (for 48 days) Minister of War. Previously he had been Governor of Berlin.

However, his liberal political stance in the so-called pre-March period (March Revolution) was resented, and so he resigned on 01.11.1848. In 1858 v. Pfuel was, however, appointed to the House of Lords.

General Ernst Adolph Heinrich v. Pfuel rendered particular services to military sports and, for example, introduced swimming lessons for the soldiers.

Lieutenant General (General of the Cavalry) Karl Count v. d. Gröben was born on 17.09.1788 in Schrengen in the Rastenburg district and died on 13.07.1876 at the Neudörfchen estate near Marienwerder.

Count v. d. Groeben joined the Prussian army at the age of 18 and distinguished himself particularly in the campaign against the French army in 1806.

From 1812 he was in Russian service and took part in the battles of Lützen (02.05.1813) and Bautzen (20/21.05.1813).

Back in Prussian service, v. d. Gröben served on the General Staff and in 1817 became Chief of the General Staff of the II Army Corps.

From 1829 he was adjutant to the Crown Prince.

From 1852 v. d. Groeben became Commanding General of the VII Army Corps and in 1853 of the Guard Corps. From 1854 he was called to the House of Lords.

Having left active service on 01.06.1858, he remained the King's General Adjutant.

The Prussian general and at times Minister of War Ludwig Johann Karl Gregor Eusebius Baron Roth von Schreckenstein was born on 16.11.1789 in Immendingen. He died on 30.05.1858 in Münster.

Initially a page in Saxon service, v. Schreckenstein became an officer in 1809 in the Saxon cuirassier regiment von Zastrow and fought in the Russian campaign in 1812, among others in the Battle of Borodino.

On 15.05.1815 v. Schreckenstein transferred as a Rittmeister to the Prussian army and fought in the battles of Ligny and Wavre in the summer campaign of 1815 in Prussian service.

In 1834 v. Schreckenstein became a colonel and in 1837 was appointed commander of the 13th Cavalry Brigade in Münster.

In 1841 he was promoted to Major General. Afterwards v. Schreckenstein successively commanded the 5th and the 15th Division.

In the revolutionary year 1848 he briefly became Minister of War, but had to resign shortly thereafter.

From 1849 v. Schreckenstein assumed command of the Guard Corps and fulfilled this function.

On 02.06.1853 v. Schreckenstein was appointed General of the Cavalry and Commanding General of the VII Army Corps.

In 1858 he accompanied the Prussian prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia to London for his January wedding to Princess Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland.

Married to the Countess von Hatzfeldt (1800–1835), he had several children.

From 1858 General of the Infantry Karl Anton Prince v. Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was Commanding General of the VII Army Corps.

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General of the Cavalry Baron Moritz Ferdinand von Bissing was the commanding general of the VII Army Corps (Münster) from 18 May 1901 to 11 December 1907.

Moritz Ferdinand Freiherr von Bissing was born on 30 January 1844 in Ober Bellmannsdorf. His father Moritz von Bissing (1802–1860) was an estate owner; his mother Dorothea (1800–1847) was born a Freiin von Gall.

In 1858 von Bissing was raised to the Prussian baronial rank.

In 1865 Bissing became a second lieutenant and from 1862 served as Rittmeister in the König's Hussars Regiment (1st Rhenish) No. 7 in Bonn. From 1883 von Bissing belonged to the General Staff.

As personal adjutant to Prince Wilhelm he came into closer contact with the later German Emperor (Wilhelm II). In 1888/89 he also became his wing adjutant.

From 20 May 1893 (until 31 August 1894) von Bissing commanded the 4th Guard Cavalry Brigade. As a major general he commanded the 29th Division (from 1 September 1897). On 27 January 1902 von Bissing was promoted to General of the Cavalry. He had already been appointed commanding general in Münster on 18 May 1901.

Since 1980 retired, von Bissing was reactivated at the outbreak of the First World War and, as Colonel General, was appointed Commanding General of the Deputy General Command of the VII Army Corps. On 24 November 1914 von Bissing was appointed Governor-General for the German General Government of Belgium. Thus he effectively assumed the function of head of government of occupied Belgium and carried it out with a heavy hand, for example he confirmed various death sentences (e.g. that of the British nurse Edith Cavell) and organized forced labor and the partial deportation of a large number of Belgians to Germany.

On 18 April 1917 von Bissing died in Vilvoorde (Belgium).

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General of the Cavalry Karl von Einem called von Rothmaler was appointed commanding general in Münster in 1909. His family originated from the urban nobility of Einbeck.

He entered the 2nd Hanoverian Uhlan Regiment No. 14 as an ensign on 3 August 1870, and took part in the Franco-Prussian War (1860/71). Von Einem received his officer's patent in 1870 and was promoted to second lieutenant.

From 1873 to 1876 von Einem was an adjutant and later the head of a squadron. He subsequently served in the Great General Staff. From 1893 (until 1895) he was commander of the Cuirassier Regiment “von Driesen” (Westphalian) No. 4, which was largely stationed in Münster. On 18 October 1895 von Einem was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the VII Army Corps and in 1900 was involved in organizing the German expeditionary corps during the so-called in China (1900/1901).

The person of Colonel General Karl Wilhelm Georg August Gottfried von Einem called von Rothmaler (born 01.01.1853 in Herzberg am Harz; died 07.04.1934 in Mülheim an der Ruhr) is particularly associated with the garrison city of Münster.

He was not only—as mentioned—until 1895 commander of the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4 in Münster, but also Chief of the General Staff of the VII Army Corps (from 1896) and later (from 1909) Commanding General of the VII Army Corps.

In 1914 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the 3rd Army and in 1915 was finally promoted to Colonel General. From 1903 to 1909 he had served as Minister of War.

He was already close to the young Emperor Wilhelm II, who always patronized him. In the preliminary remarks to the personal records of Colonel General von Einem about his time as an army leader in the First World War, the editor describes his five-year period as commanding general of the VII Army Corps as “all in all the happiest time of his life” (Junius Alter/ ed., Ein Armeeführer erlebt den Weltkrieg. Persönliche Aufzeichnungen des Generalobersten v. Einem, Leipzig 1938, p. 22).

On 7 April 1934, around 4 a.m., von Einem died at the age of 81 in his then place of residence Mülheim an der Ruhr. His grave is located in the Central Cemetery, in the Protestant Field West I. The funeral was also attended by Oskar, the son of the emperor Wilhelm II, who was living in exile in the Netherlands.

After 1945 von Einem was criticized for his publicly expressed dismissive attitude toward homosexuality and for his intellectual proximity to National Socialism.

A street named after him in Berlin was renamed in 2012/2013.

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The peacetime organization of the VII Army Corps in 1914 was as follows:

 13th Division: Münster

      25th Infantry Brigade

Infantry Regiment No. 13: Münster

Infantry Regiment No. 158: Paderborn

            26th Infantry Brigade: Minden

                        Infantry Regiment No. 15: Minden

                        Infantry Regiment No. 55: Detmold/ Höxter/ Bielefeld  

            13th Cavalry Brigade: Münster

                        Cuirassier Regiment No. 4: Münster

                        Hussar Regiment No. 8: Paderborn/ Neuhaus

            13th Field Artillery Brigade: Münster

                        Field Artillery Regiment No. 22: Münster

                        Field Artillery Regiment No. 58: Minden

                        Landwehr Inspection: Dortmund

      14th Division: Düsseldorf

            27th Infantry Brigade: Köln

                        Infantry Regiment No. 16: Köln

                        Infantry Regiment No. 53: Köln

            28th Infantry Brigade: Düsseldorf

                        Infantry Regiment No. 39: Düsseldorf

                        Infantry Regiment No. No. 159: Mülheim-Ruhr

            79th Infantry Brigade: Wesel

                        Infantry Regiment No. 56: Wesel/ Cleve

                        Infantry Regiment No. 57: Wesel

            14th Cavalry Brigade: Düsseldorf

                        Hussar Regiment Br. 11: Krefeld

                        Uhlan Regiment No. 5: Düsseldorf

                        Landwehr Inspection: Essen

The mentioned Army Corps also included a train depot in Münster, an artillery workshop in Lippstadt, artillery depots in Münster and in Wesel, a fortress prison in Wesel, a corps clothing office in Münster and an officer riding school in Paderborn.

In Münster there were - alongside the various regiments and battalions - a number of command authorities and other military establishments.

According to Friedag Führer durch Heer und Flotte. 11th year (1914) these were:

General Command of the VII Army Corps

Court of the VII Army Corps

Intendance of the VII Army Corps

Medical Department of the VII Army Corps

Evangelical Senior Military Chaplaincy of the VII Army Corps

Corps Staff Veterinarian of the VII Army Corps

13th Division (Command)

Court of the 13th Division

Intendance of the 13th Division

Division Physician of the 13th Division

Catholic Division Chaplaincy of the 13th Division

25. Infantry Brigade (Command)

13th Cavalry Brigade (Command)

13. Field Artillery Brigade (Command)

Infantry Regiment No. 13

Cuirassier Regiment No. 4

Field Artillery Regiment No. 22

Train Battalion No. 7

Train Depot of the VII Army Corps

Clothing Office of the VII Army Corps

Pay Office of the VII Army Corps

Gendarmerie Brigade

as well as some other military offices.

VIII Corps Administration.

1. Office building.

2. Stable building.

IX Division Command.

1. Residence, stables, coach house of the division commander.

The general command was housed in a building on the corner of Grevener and Wilhelms Streets.

The commanding general resided and lived in the castle.

In one of the gatehouses on Neuplatz the garrison command had its official seat. Here the "Platzmajor" was quartered.

The Imperial Army, formed after the founding of the Reich in 1871 from the troops of the North German Confederation and the south German contingents, comprised, like all modern armies of that era, the following branches of service: infantry, cavalry, technical troops (field and foot artillery, engineers and pioneers) and transport troops (train, railway, motor vehicle, airship, aviation and telegraph formations). The continued expansion, especially of the latter types, took place in constant interaction with the rapid development of technical progress. According to the specification of the Imperial law of 03.07.1913, there were to be: 669 infantry battalions (including jägers and riflemen), 550 squadrons, 633 field artillery batteries, 55 foot artillery battalions, 44 pioneer battalions, 31 railway (transport troops) battalions and 26 train battalions. However, this goal was not fully achieved before the outbreak of the war.

Almost all branches of service were also represented in the Münster garrison.

Some formations were particularly closely associated with the city of Münster, namely: the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13, the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4, the 2nd Westphalian Field Artillery Regiment No. 22 and the Westphalian Train Battalion No. 7.

But other units were also stationed in Münster from time to time, for example the 5th Westphalian Infantry Regiment No. 53, which was distributed across Münster, Coesfeld and Warendorf.

While the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13 enjoyed great popularity especially among the urban bourgeoisie, the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4 was served by the Westphalian nobility, and its rank-and-file replacements in particular came from the rural milieu.

A large garrison always meant a burden for the city in question, but the stationed military also generated economic impulses, e.g. through demand for provisions or forage.

Münster had to endure extensive troop movements during the Wars of Liberation. Their logistical support regarding accommodation and provisioning often came at the expense of the municipality. The material requisitions were not always compensated for at all, or sufficiently.

In addition, in time of war there was care for the wounded and, after the introduction of conscription (1814) — alongside voluntary enlistments — also the provision of recruits.

After Münster became, from 1815, the seat of the Westphalian provincial administration and the command authority of the newly founded VII Army Corps, the city (as before) served as a garrison location.

This circumstance was above all associated with the necessity of accommodating troops. The solution of this task was facilitated by numerous military properties in Münster, which had mostly previously been in ecclesiastical ownership. These included, for example, the Minorite monastery, the Dominican monastery, the Lotharingian monastery, Rosenthal Monastery, the Observant monastery, the Jüdefeld poorhouse, the Georgskommende (church), the Guard Hotel and the Schloss barracks (= former Marstall).

The Minorite monastery was already converted in 1804/05 to house soldiers, namely 700 infantrymen. However, its use was abandoned in 1862 due to construction defects.

Nevertheless, the billeting of soldiers in civilian quarters was (and remained for a long time) additionally required. A service and billeting commission was responsible for this. Billeting was compensated and they tried to keep exemptions from this basic obligation as few as possible. The quartering burden was tied to the respective property. This also applied if the new owner was actually privileged.

During larger troop exercises or maneuvers the quartering burden increased.

The Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13 was initially distributed among various garrisons and was mostly billeted in civilian quarters there. In the years 1818–20 the companies stationed in Wesel were barracked. In 1820 two companies were also accommodated in the Minorite barracks in Münster, but the remaining companies remained in civilian quarters.

VI. Hörster Barracks (Infantry).

1. Barracks building.

2. Latrine.

3. Church.

VII. Lotharinger Barracks (Infantry).

1. Barracks building.

Gunsmith's workshop.

3. Latrine.

Since this type of accommodation also brought various inconveniences for the affected households, the city of Münster offered to pre-finance the construction of a barracks. The funds provided were to be repaid in 12 installments. This proposal was approved by the highest authority on 01.03.1827 and the foundation stone for the construction of the Ägidii Barracks was already laid on 24.04.1828. In the autumn of 1831 the buildings could be occupied by six companies. Initially the accommodation of all three battalions in the new barracks was planned, but this comprehensive plan was not realized. The planner was Engineer-Captain v. Bütow.

XIII. Aegidii Barracks (Infantry).

1. Barrack building.

2. Service building.

3. Economy building.

4. Latrines.

5. Equipment shed.

XIV: Former cavalry barracks at Krumpen-Timpen (later taken over by the city of Münster).

1. Barrack building.

2. Stables..

3. Riding arena.

4. Smithy.

5. Office building.

6. Stables.

7. Wagon shed, stables and economy building.

8. Infirmary stable.

9. Latrine.

XXIII. Provisions Office.

1. Service and residential building.

2. Grain storehouse.

3. Rough forage barn.

4. Grain storehouse.

5. Bakery.

6. Coal shed.

7. Flour storehouse.

8. Apartment of the storehouse overseer.

9. Weighing scale.

10. Rough forage barn.

11. Ditto.

12. Grain storehouse.

13. Ditto.

14. Rough forage barn.

15. Storage room for equipment of the military provisioning establishments.

The Aegidii Barracks were ultimately executed as a four-story rendered brick building and consisted of two building sections meeting at right angles with a hipped roof. The northern section of the building was 88.58 m long and ran along Johannisstraße. The eastern section along Ägidiistraße was slightly angled outward and consisted of two side wings each with a length of 45.90 m. The rooms for 10 men each had a floor area of 9.73 m x 4.39 m. Initially the barracks were equipped with a modern air-heating system, but this did not function satisfactorily, so iron stoves had to be used again[1].

According to Sicken, the financing of the barracks was mixed, namely 55.5% by the state, 25.2% by the city of Münster and 19.3% through loans from various property owners.

[1] Max Geisberg, Architectural and Art Monuments of Westphalia, Volume 4, p. 485 ff.

The cavalry was initially quartered in various former church and monastery buildings, e.g., in the Rosendaler Barracks. This was a monastery wing converted in 1821, with stables attached to its side wings.

The converted Jüdefelder poorhouse opposite the Buddenturm also served to house the cavalry. In the church of the Observant monastery, two usable stories were created by installing an intermediate ceiling. On the ground floor a horse stable was set up; on the upper floor uniforms and pieces of equipment were stored.

The mounted troops were also housed in the old prince-bishop's mint. In the area of the former palace barracks there were two riding arenas and a large horse stable. Furthermore, the aforementioned former guard hotel at Krummen Timpen was used at times to house the cavalry.

At the Bispinghof there was a large horse stable. However, over time the old converted buildings no longer met the increased — including hygienic — requirements.

II. Münz Barracks (Cavalry).

1. Residential building.

2. Stables.

3. Wagon shed.

4. Dining room.

5. Kitchen, bathing facility, farrier's forge.

6. Open riding arena.

III. Lazaret Barracks (Infantry).

1. Lazaret barracks.

2. Rider barracks.

3. Wagon house with mounting chambers.

IV. Rosenthaler Barracks (Cavalry).

1. Troop building and stables.

2. Riding arena.

V. District Command and detention facility.

1. District Command I + II

2. Exercise shed.

3. Wagon house.

4. Wagon house.

5. Drill house.

6. Detention house.

7. Mounting chamber building.

8. Ditto.

VI. Hörster Barracks (Infantry): see above.

VII. Lotharinger Barracks (Infantry): see above.

After the founding of the Reich (1871), efforts were made to comprehensively manage and modernize the accommodation of the troops. A so-called barrack plan was presented to the Reichstag in 1877 and was subsequently the subject of contentious debate. Although not formally adopted, this fundamental planning influenced the further barracking of the troops of the Imperial Army.

By 1896, 89.7% of Prussian troops were already barracked; the previously common billeting of soldiers in private citizens' homes had by that time become a thing of the past.

I. Artillery barracks.

1. Troop building.

2. Ditto.

3. Service building.

4. Staff and guard building.

5. Latrine.

6. Chamber building.

7. Married quarters.

8. Gun shed.

9. Shed.

10. Infirmary.

11. Farrier's forge.

12. Stables.

13. Stables.

14. Riding arena.

15. Stables.

16. Remount stable with shed.

17. Stables.

18. Stables.

19. Latrine.

XIX. Artillery depot on Steinfurter Street.

1. Service and residential building.

2. Wagon house.

3. Rifle house.

4. Farrier's forge and weapons workshop.

5. Latrine.

6. Wagon house.

XXV. Projected Corps Clothing Office.

1. Service building.

2. Residential barracks.

3. Latrine.

4. Tailor's workshop.

5. Shoemaker's workshop.

6. Warehouse.

7. Coach house and joinery.

Also in Münster the old quarters in the inner city were gradually abandoned and modern barracks were established on the city outskirts.

Around the turn of the century a number of large military building complexes were erected on the northern exit roads (and in the southern quarter), for example between 1898 and 1901 the cuirassier barracks built of brick on Steinfurter Straße. Earlier, the artillery barracks complex and the artillery depot had already been established there. Thus a kind of "Kasernenstadt" developed in the north of Münster.

In the south, the new Train barracks and the Train depot provided the necessary space for the numerous vehicles and horses of this branch of service responsible for supply and logistics. The baggage (for personal luggage, equipment, gear, food, fodder for the horses and ammunition), however, was carried by the respective unit.

The purchase of the properties and the construction of the new barracks were partly financed by the sale or exchange of older military properties in the city of Münster.

XXIV. Projected cavalry barracks.

1. Enlisted men's building.

2. ditto.

3. ditto.

4. Married quarters.

5. Service building.

6. Wagon and gymnastics equipment shed.

7. Latrine.

8. ditto.

9. Stabling.

10. ditto.

11. ditto.

12. ditto.

13. Riding track-

14. ditto.

15. Sick stable.

16. Farrier's forge.

17. Stabling.

18. Stable latrine.

19. Equipment shed.

The cuirassier barracks consisted of five multi-story accommodation buildings with decorative facades along the aforementioned street. In the rear area there were extensive stables and coach houses along with a riding hall, farrier's forge, kitchen and canteen buildings and extensive drill grounds. The barracks were occupied by the regiment on September 21, 1901.

In the course of the listing of the Kürassier barracks in the monument register of the city of Münster, its formal-historical architectural design was described as follows:

"The barracks complex consists of five three- to four-storey buildings arranged along Steinfurter Straße. A closed overall impression is conveyed by the fact that the lateral buildings turn their narrow sides toward the street and, by extending in depth into the plot, visually delimit the building block and screen the courtyard sides. The three central buildings give the entire object its representative breadth by running along the street with their long sides. Higher cross wings at the building ends frame these three structures each like corner risalits. Buildings 103 and 107 additionally form a central risalit on the courtyard side. Stair towers in the angles between the building wings add further architectural accents on the courtyard side. All five buildings are constructed in brickwork. Only details, such as corner quoins and gable ornaments, are executed in sandstone. The buildings—only partly basemented—sit on a high, partly plastered and windowed plinth. A strong base cornice is followed by the smooth, rising brick masonry, in which, alongside window-sill cornices, above all the arrangement of the windows provides a rhythm to the wall. The multi-pane windows, which in the central wings of the barracks buildings are grouped in pairs and threes, terminate in flat arches; in the upper floors they end in rounded arches. The street façades of the buildings have no entrances. The entrance doors—simple wall openings with a flat-arched lintel or with a heavy, brick decorative frame—are all oriented toward the spaces between the buildings. Throughout the complex the roofs are mostly hipped. The roof zone is partly enlivened by shed dormers (originally small roof houses), chimney stacks and blind gables in Renaissance forms.

The floor plan characterizes the buildings as uniformly designed functional structures; staircases in the side wings lead to a single-loaded circulation system. The corridors in the main buildings face the rear, the rooms face the street side. Of the original stables only the northeastern one and the adjoining elongated, single-storey buildings remain; these were executed in brick and constructed in forms significantly simpler than the main buildings."

On the other side of the street the two inns „Driesen“ and „Zum Kronprinzen“ were established, and further toward the city center a villa-like officers' mess was built.

Between 1877 and 1880 a barracks for the Train was built between Dahlweg and Südstraße. East of this site the train depot was established. This location was advantageous because a connection to the railway was nearby.

It became necessary to create appropriate spatial capacities for housing the steadily growing train materiel. Previously the vehicles, equipment and horses were spread across the entire city.

The complex was characterized by the arrangement of buildings, each grouped around a central square.

The carriage houses could accommodate 100 and 80 wagons, respectively.

The site covered a total of 5.3 hectares.

Later (1913) another barracks complex for the Train was constructed south of the old Train barracks. Family houses for married military personnel were also built here.

XI. Train barracks.

Enlisted men's building (1).

Stables (2).

Ditto (3).

Riding arena (4).

Stables (5).

Forge (6).

Infirmary stable (7).

Wagon shed with mounting rooms (8).

Latrine (9).

XXII. Train Depot.

Service and residential building (1).

Wagon house (2).

Ditto (3).

Ditto (4).

Forge (5).

Latrine (6).

Additional storage sheds (7-8).

XV. Royal Palace.

General Command (1)

Palace barracks for the cavalry (2)

Forge (3)

Latrine (4)

Riding arena (5 - 7).

XVI. Officers' Casino.

Dining facility (1)

Apartment of the steward (2)

Apartment of the accountant (3)

Latrine (4)

XVII. Main guardhouse and commandant's office (in the sentry box).

XVIII. Garrison hospital.

Hospital (1)

Economic and administrative building (2)

Mortuary (3)

Disinfection house (4)

XX. At the Neutor.

Wagon house (1)

Ditto (2)

The left part and the south wing of the palace housed the General Command of the VII Army Corps.

North of the palace there were also the horse stable, a wagon house for the artillery and the riding arena.

Another covered riding arena existed south of the sentry boxes at the Neutor.

In 1870 the officers' dining establishment was finally erected between the aforementioned buildings. It was a two-story brick building with round-arched windows.

In front of the central section a staircase (grand external staircase) led into the spacious - park-like - garden. The terrace was shaded by a sun canopy.

In the officers' dining establishment there was a large dining hall, rooms for discussion groups or salons, a billiard room and a room with a fireplace.

Furthermore there was an apartment for the steward (operator) and greenhouses for the garden.

At the castle moat there was a jetty for boats.

About the Officers' Casino the following can be read in the regimental history of the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13 by v. Blume (1902) (pp. 352 ff.):

"Of essential importance for the officer corps was the completion of the garrison casino, for which the foundation stone had been laid in 1869. In 1872 it was put into use. Nevertheless, the officer corps of the regiment (note: IR 13), which after returning from the field in Münster as in Hamm and Soest had been dependent on taking its midday meal in private establishments, continued this habit until 1879. Only then did it move its midday table into the rooms allotted to it in the garrison casino....

However valuable the garrison casino with its beautiful rooms and its 13-acre garden was for the various purposes of the officer corps, it was soon felt that because of its remote location and its structural condition it was not able to meet all the needs of social intercourse. In recognition of this drawback, the regiment was, at its request, provided in 1879 with the former residence of the barracks inspector in the Ägidiikaserne for use for social etc. purposes of the officer corps. The interior furnishings were initially lent from the garrison casino and the catering operation was also set up as a branch of the garrison casino's business, so that the whole formed a "branch" of the latter. The institution was therefore commonly and briefly called "branch" and still bears this designation today, although it soon detached itself from the garrison casino and became independent."

II. Münz Barracks consisting of residential building (1), stables (2), wagon sheds (3), dining room (4), kitchen, bathhouse and farrier's forge (5).

III. Lazaret Barracks, consisting of Lazaret barracks (1), cavalry barracks (2), wagon house with saddling rooms (3) and latrine (4).

IV. Rosenthal Barracks, consisting of enlisted men's building and stables (1) and riding arena (2).

V. District Command and detention facility, consisting of District Command (1), drill shed (2), wagon house (3), wagon house (4), drill house (5), detention house (6), mounting-room buildings (7 and 8).

The Royal Garrison Hospital was built from 1863 on the edge of the city center and consisted of a three-story central section with wing buildings. The façade consisted of yellow bricks interspersed with dark glazed bricks.

The double-sashed windows were characterized by round arches. Each sash of the windows had two horizontal muntins.

The grounds were screened by a wrought-iron grille.

The gate was framed by two pillars.

In the course of the intensification of training, the numerical strengthening and the ongoing modernization of the Imperial Army, alongside the growing need for space to house troops and to stable horses, vehicles, guns, etc., there also arose the necessity for larger areas for military exercises and training. Furthermore, the already greater ranges of rifle fire necessitated larger firing ranges.

Until then there existed the drill ground on Münzstr., the drill and riding ground Nubbenberg, and the Neuplatz was also used for drilling. Furthermore, there were covered riding arenas and aiming/practice ranges for the artillery.

In the year 1827, therefore, an area of about 420 Morgen (1.05 km²) in the so-called Loddenheide was sold in 1827 to the Prussian military. The purchase price amounted to 10,500 Reichstaler. The area remained — except for the firing ranges — open to the public. Regular horse races were also held here.

Later, also — outside the city limits — in the rurally dominated north of Münster the site Haus Spital of about 1.2 ha was acquired as a drill ground.

Regular elements of the daily routine of all units were guard duty and standing sentries.

There were honor guards and security guards.

Guards were intended to preserve general security; at the same time, general guard duties were practiced.

In the garrisons, general guard duty was mainly the responsibility of the infantry; the mounted troops primarily provided the guard commands in front of their own barracks.

Honor guards were accorded to princely personages, etc. The guard commands had special authority, were superiors of the non-commissioned officers and enlisted men (not of the officers) and performed police duties.

Since the 17th century the main guard had been housed in the front part of the town hall.

In March 1843 the magistrate of the city of Münster applied to move it to the neighboring Stadtweinhaus. This application was forwarded by the commanding general to the War Ministry and was already approved in the following month (April). The implementation, however, then still took a longer time, as the military demanded structural changes. Finally, two guardrooms and two detention cells were created in the Stadtweinhaus and the actual relocation took place at the beginning of 1847.

However, in 1891 the main guard was merged with the Neutor guard. This change in turn met with resistance from the citizenry, but the move of the main guard out of the Stadtweinhaus nevertheless took place.

Parades and inspections were highlights in everyday military life. Parade meant, in this sense, a review or military inspection. In the context of the parade one distinguished formation and march-past; both were at once an occasion and an opportunity to measure the discipline and level of training of the units involved. 

These mainly took place on the Neuplatz. This square bore that name from 1759; in the period from 1927 to 2012 it was called Hindenburgplatz (now Schlossplatz).

But infantry drill exercises, and also those of the cavalry, also took place here.

The relationship of Münster’s citizenry to the (Prussian) military was cool to reserved. The predominantly nonlocal and Protestant officer corps was socially isolated.

The mutual reservations remained long in force, and the resulting social rifts are made clear in the memoirs of Lily Braun – the daughter of a commanding Prussian general –: “… They are all devout Catholics; they do not miss Mass, even when they dance through the nights; bareheaded, prayer book and rosary in hand, the most distinguished among them join the great procession on the Monday after the relic festival and on the Day of the Visitation of Mary; the church is their true fatherland; in the years of the Kulturkampf the Westphalian nobility treated the Prussian officials and officers as enemies, and a certain mistrustful reserve showed itself here and there even now. But it applied less to the Prussian Protestant in general than to the individual who behaved with tactless bravado, but – whose noble diploma did not appear spotless. Here still reigned the utmost exclusivity; a bourgeois, a newly ennobled person was not socially acceptable, and this unwritten law was enforced most strictly by the locals. An organization of Westphalian ladies, founded in the face of the equality-frenzy of the French revolutionary era, could decide on existence or nonexistence. Their festivities were far and wide famous and – feared under the name of the balls of the Ladies’ Club. Whoever was not invited to them was boycotted once and for all; only he who also attended the intimate events was unreservedly socially accepted. The club had the power, by secret ballot, to exclude members of the Westphalian nobility who had committed any indiscretion from all intercourse with their peers for months or years. Regard for these deep-rooted notions – did not even the memory of the Vehm[1] haunt here? – led to strange consequences: one had indeed achieved that non-noble officers were not entirely excluded from social life, but they were only invited to the large balls and would hardly have dared there to ask a Westphalian lady to dance. The Fourth Cuirassiers and the so-called Papal Hussars from Paderborn[2] – regiments as noble as any of the Guard, into which not even a non-noble one-year volunteer could gain admission – were the only socially acceptable ones“[3].

[1] Fahmgericht.

[2] Hussar Regiment Kaiser Nicholas II of Russia (1st Westphalian) No. 8 (Paderborn/ Neuhaus).

[3] Quoted from: Lily Braun, Memoirs of a Socialist. Apprenticeship Years, Munich 1909, pp. 360 ff.

The confessional conflicts between the Prussian authorities and the Prussian military on the one hand and the predominantly Catholic population on the other, as well as the development of military chaplaincy in Münster, have already been treated in a separate article.

In addition, certain events in this context in which the military played a role will be addressed here.

Thus, in 1837, during the 'Münster riot', garrison units were deployed against the protesting population.

On 1 December 1835 the Cologne cathedral chapter elected Clemens August Droste zu Vischering as archbishop. He was installed in his office on 29 May 1836. The new archbishop immediately took a position on the so-called mixed-marriage question in accordance with the Catholic Church and thus placed himself in opposition to the applicable state regulations. Already in 1825 King Friedrich Wilhelm III had decreed that 'the practice in the old Prussian provinces, according to which the confessional upbringing of children from "mixed marriages" followed the confession of the father, be transferred to the western provinces. This would have resulted in children from mixed-confession marriages being almost exclusively baptized and raised Protestant' (MünsterWiki).

The conflict escalated when, on 20 November 1837, the archbishop and his secretary were arrested and taken to the fortress of Minden. Subsequently, there were riots and protests in Münster. This prompted a military counterreaction. Regarding this, the following can be read in the regimental history of the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13, in the style of the time:

The tensions between the Prussian state and the Catholic Church and the Catholic-minded population had intensified further during the Kulturkampf.

In the wake of the military successes of the wars of unification and the economic upswing after 1871, however, a gradual reconciliation occurred between Münster's citizenry and the Prussian authorities and troop presence. A conspicuous expression of this reconciliation was the emperor's visit in 1907, discussed further below.

Given the size of the garrison, the military was inevitably a fixed part of the townscape and an important economic factor.

In particular, military music was part of the city's cultural life. The regimental bands played at festivities or gave full-fledged symphony concerts.

The trumpeter corps of the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4 was long led by the staff trumpeter Fuss and played at events of the Westphalian nobility.

Regularly in the afternoons the band played in front of Café Midi in Bogenstraße; the regiment's officers also met there.

Regarding the regimental band of IR 13, Haas-Tenckhoff comments in his unpublished garrison history as follows: "The excellent 'Thirteen' band, one of the best of its kind, if not the best in all of Germany, was since 1871 always employed for opera performances at the theater and for the music society's concerts; it was precisely this band that contributed not a little to Münster's reputation as an outstanding music city. Indeed, the musical activity of the 'Thirteen' band extended far beyond the sphere of the garrison. It was frequently drawn into special serious music performances in the large cities of the industrial district, especially in Hagen and Iserlohn; and in the Dutch towns of Enschede, Almelo and Hengelo the concert tours, when military service permitted, extended as far as the East Frisian Islands and to Scheveningen."

The parades on the Neuplatz (today Schlossplatz, previously Hindenburgplatz) attracted a great deal of attention, for example on the occasion of the Emperor's birthday or other celebrations, such as the centenary celebration in memory of the Wars of Liberation in 1913.

The citizenry also took a lively part in the regimental anniversaries of the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13 in 1913 and of the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4 in 1917.

In 1907 Emperor Wilhelm II visited the city of Münster with his consort. The occasion for this visit was a military event, namely the autumn maneuvers of the VII Army Corps.

Beyond this outward background, this three-day stay of the Emperor was of great significance for the city of Münster and also symbolized the successful integration of the predominantly Catholic territories into the Kingdom of Prussia and into the German Empire that had existed since 1871.

At that time Münster had 81,468 inhabitants. Of these, 4,190 were associated with the military context.

The majority of the inhabitants were Catholic: 67,221; Protestant were 13,612 and Jewish 555 inhabitants (others 88).

The city of Münster was already heavily involved in the preparations for this event.

The city of Münster therefore established a festival committee.

The city council approved a corresponding budget of 100,000 marks. The actual costs amounted to 136,000 marks.

The first proposal for the schedule of the visit dated from 08.05.1907; on 20.06.1907 the program was determined by imperial order.

The arrival of Wilhelm II was expected on 29.08.1907 at 16:20. The entrance route - among others via the Roggenmarkt and Spiekerhof - was festively decorated.

In the evening there was a large civilian reception at the palace and the city was illuminated.

On 30.08.1907 a large parade of troop units of the VII Army Corps took place on a prepared parade ground in the Vennheide. New flags were also presented.

In the evening - at 21:30 - there took place a grand tattoo in front of the palace.

On the following day Emperor Wilhelm II traveled to Tecklenburg to take part in the celebration of the two-hundred-year union of the County of Tecklenburg with Prussia.

In the afternoon there was a so-called ladies' reception for the Empress at the palace.

In the evening the banquet for the Province of Westphalia took place in the rooms of the State Museum.

On Sunday a "field service" was held on the Neuplatz at 10:00.

Then (11:30) Wilhelm II departed by special train for Berlin - after a visit to the Peace Hall in the town hall of the city of Münster.

The maintenance of tradition was highly valued in the Empire and was deliberately upheld as a patriotic stimulant to counteract the military-critical tendencies of the increasingly strong Social Democracy. This function was fulfilled in particular by German war associations, which alone in Prussia in 1903 counted about 13,000 associations with a total of 1,140,000 members. Here patriotic heritage was preserved in general and with regard to the respective units, thereby acting in a socially stabilizing manner entirely in the interests of the monarchy.

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As in all other cities of the German Empire with a large garrison, the scene in Münster changed with the growing tension in the days immediately before the outbreak of war[1]. On 01.08.1914 mobilization was ordered. Everywhere one observed a (stormy) national enthusiasm. This was partly accompanied by a veritable hysteria, e.g. fear of espionage and air attacks. The newspapers reported extensively on the international events. There were public rallies, also devotions and church services. The reservists were called up and the individual formations were brought up to war strength. So many volunteers came forward that they could not immediately be enrolled for military service. The required war matériel was provided for the mobilization and countless horses (mainly from rural areas) were gathered for troop mobility.

The mobilized parts of the Münster regiments marched off to transports for the front accompanied by the population. Already on 02.08. — in the afternoon around 6:00 p.m. — the 4th squadron of the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4 marched off to the freight station[2], the other squadrons followed in the next days. Concerning the march-out of the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13 the aforementioned war chronicle of the city of Münster 1914/18 (p. 23) reports under the entry for 08.08.1914: “On the last night the I Battalion of the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld 1st Westphalian marched out. The neighboring houses of the Hörster and the Lotharinger barracks shone with Bengal illumination. Under waving flags, accompanied by thousands of people, the battalion moved to the station, from where shortly after 12 o’clock the train ran west towards Belgium, while the music played once again: Must I then, must I then go out to the little town … The II Battalion left in the morning at 1:25; the regimental staff with the machine-gun company departed at 20 past 6; and the III Battalion around 1:29 o’clock.” The unit was forwarded to the assembly area during the night of the 8th and the following morning[3]. The journey took about 15 hours.

On 09.08. the removal of the various detachments of the 2nd Westphalian Field Artillery Regiment No. 22 began[4]. By 11.08. it had already assembled in full strength in the assembly area.

[1] Cf. in this context: Schulte, Eduard, Kriegschronik der Stadt Münster 1914/18. Münster, 1930 and Veddler, Peter, Geschichte original – am Beispiel der Stadt Münster 14. Erster Weltkrieg und Revolution (1914-1919),

[2] Heinrich Glasmeier, Geschichte des Kürassier-Regiments von Driesen (Westfälisches) Nr. 4, Oldenburg 1932, p. 23.

[3] Carl Gross/ Werner v. Rudloff, Infanterie-Regiment Herwarth von Bittelfeld (1. Westfälisches) Nr. 13 im Weltkriege 1914-1918, Berlin 1927, p. 14.

[4] Zunker/ Hüger/ Vietor, Das Königlich Preußische 2. Westfälische Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 22 und seine Tochterformationen im Weltkriege 1914-1918, Münster, 1924, p. 3.

In 1914 the German infantry comprised 217 regiments. On mobilization one active infantry regiment (instruction infantry regiment) and 114 reserve infantry regiments were formed.

Back in the home garrison, the core formations remained to train replacements and to form additional units.

Participation of the population in the course of the war

Replacement formations, recruit training and organization of supplies

Armaments production and rationing

Deputy General Command, growth of the command authority, personnel expansion

Care of the wounded and military hospitals

An unexpectedly large phenomenon of the First World War were the enormous numbers of prisoners. Across all the states involved in the war there were approximately 6.6 - 8 million prisoners of war. A certain proportion of the respective losses of the various armies were therefore prisoners: for the French about 12%, for the Germans about 9% and for the British about 7%; the Austrians and the Russians had much higher numbers of prisoners (35% and 50%, respectively). Spectacular were the numbers of Russian prisoners in the battles at Tannenberg in August 1914 (93000) and at the Masurian Lakes in September 1914 (45000).

For the city of Münster, not only the ever-increasing transports of wounded presented a major challenge, but the accommodation of numerous prisoners of war was also a demanding task for which there had been no preparation.

The prisoners of war not only had to be housed but also fed, while the supply situation of the local civilian population was constantly deteriorating. In total, Münster was to accommodate about 90000 prisoners of war during the First World War (Dethlefs, p. 64). As early as September 1914, a first prisoner camp was set up on the drill ground at Haus Spital, whose tents and earthen huts initially served as a makeshift solution and were intended to accommodate 7500 men.

Another camp was established at the racecourse of the riders' club in front of Hiltrup for 10000 prisoners. The infantry barracks on Kinderhausener Landstraße then became the third prisoner camp, alongside a camp on the Kinderhausener Heide for quarantine cases (Veddeler, p. 5).

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When the Münster regiments finally returned to their home garrison in 1918 and 1919, respectively, and were almost completely disbanded, the German Reich sank into revolutionary turmoil. Against the backdrop of the Weimar Republic, the coming to terms with the military defeat — which was allegedly not one ("stab-in-the-back legend") — began; the myth of the front-line soldier and a culture of remembrance and commemoration developed.

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In the turmoil of the revolution, so-called Freikorps were formed by the General Command of the VII Army Corps in Münster under Lieutenant General Oskar von Watter.

Among them was the Freikorps Lichtschlag, named after its commander Captain Otto Lichtschlag (1885–1961) and numbering approximately 2,500 men.

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On the Überwasser Cemetery there are still a number of remarkable military grave monuments.

On this new cemetery in front of the Neutor the first body was buried on 07.06.1808.

The original Überwasser Cemetery was originally located around the Liebfrauenkirche.

The first records of burials at this burial site date from the year 1558.

The last burial here took place on 29.05.1808.

An eye-catcher at the Überwasser Cemetery is — as ever — the grave monument of Lieutenant General Heinrich Wilhelm v. Horn (1.10.1762 - 31.10.1829).

On a large pedestal it displayed (and still displays) a sleeping lion.

The lion was regarded as a symbol of courage and bravery.

The lion on the grave monument of Lieutenant General Heinrich Wilhelm v. Horn was created by Theordor Kalide (08.02.1801 in Königshütte; † 23.08.1863 in Gleiwitz) after a model by the German sculptor Christian Daniel Rauch.

The model was the lion on the grave of the Prussian General Gerhard von Scharnhorst (1755 - 1813) at the Berlin Invalids' Cemetery from 1834. The design was by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Prussian architect, urban planner, monument conservator and visual artist, *13.03.1781 in Neuruppin; †09.10.1841 in Berlin).

The original base of the grave at the Überwasserfriedhof in Münster was decorated with a coat of arms and trophies and an inscription. The latter read: "The Royal Prussian VII Army Corps to its immortalized leader and model of loyalty and bravery."

Originally the lion was bronzed in its natural color.

The iron base was black and the inscriptions gilded 1).

In the course of the bombings in the Second World War the grave monument suffered considerable damage. The old base was destroyed.

The repaired lion now rests on a new base 2).

The lion's tail was replaced and the torn hind paw mended. Furthermore, the right plate was renewed.

1) Cf. Eugen Müller, Die Begräbnisstätten der Stadt Münster (Westf.), Münster 1928, p. 41 ff.

2) Walter Werland, Aus Alten Tagen Münsters, Münster, p. 42.

The tomb of General of Cavalry and commanding general of the VII Army Corps (from 1853) Ludwig Frhr. Roth v. Schreckenstein (* 16.11.1789 in Immendingen in Baden, + 30.05.1858 in Münster) was unveiled on 30.05.1862.

The casting model was probably designed by August Kiß (1802 - 1865). He was a Berlin artist and had also trained in the studio of the German sculptor Christian Daniel Rauch (* 02.01.1777 in Arolsen; † 03.12.1857 in Dresden).

The impressive monument shows the deceased commanding general cast in bronze life-size, lying on a parade bed; a pillow can be seen under the head. The head end is flanked by pilasters with fluting. Between them is the deceased's family coat of arms as well as the motto: Terrere nolo, Timere nescio (I do not wish to terrify, I do not know fear). At the foot end there is an inscription panel with a volute capital (= spiral-shaped architectural element).

The figure lies on a sarcophagus, beneath which a two-tiered base can be seen.

The gravesite was formerly fenced in.

It was financed by donations from the army and from various individuals, including members of the House of Hohenzollern.