The city of Münster as a Royal Prussian garrison 1813 - 1918

On 07.11.1813 Russian troops occupied the city of Münster in the course of the Wars of Liberation, 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 about 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 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 each time a commanding general. He resided in Münster.

The generals commanding 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 Baron v. Müffling (from 1829)

General Ernst Adolph Heinrich v. Pfuel (from 1838)

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

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

General of the Infantry Karl Anton Prince 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 Count 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 Baron Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm v. Bülow (from 1900)

General of the Cavalry Baron 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 line of the noble family von Heister.

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

Prior to that 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 was also promoted to major general.

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

He died on 02.07.1816 in Karlsbad.

In 1815 Lieutenant General Johann Adolf v. Tielmann followed as commanding general.

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

On 09.04.1815 v. Tielmann entered 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 (later General of the Cavalry) died on 10.10.1824 in Koblenz.

Already in 1820 Lieutenant General Heinrich Wilhelm v. Horn assumed the function of Commanding General in Münster.

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

He entered the old Prussian infantry regiment "von Luck" (No. 53) on 25.03.1778 as a Gefreiterkorporal (lance corporal). Before that he had attended the cadet institute in Berlin. This was followed by participation in the so-called Bavarian Succession War (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 in the Battle of Rawka as well as at the siege of Warsaw.

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

Due to his distinctive manner he also became a popular military celebrity. For his merits 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 in the meantime been promoted to Lieutenant General, v. Horn was finally in 1820 appointed Commanding General of the VII Army Corps.

Here he criticized the widespread child labor because of the poor health 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 for the first time enacted in Germany.

Lieutenant General Heinrich Wilhelm v. Horn died in 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) was also active 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 became 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 March of Brandenburg and died on 03.12.1866 in Berlin.

Already at the age of 13 he entered the Prussian cadet institute and in 1797 became Fähnrich (ensign) in a Prussian infantry regiment.

After the decline of the old Prussian army he was – like many other dismissed Prussian officers – temporarily 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 was commanding general of the VII Army Corps.

In 1848 v. Pfuel became Prussian Minister-President and (for 48 days) War Minister. Before that he had been Governor of Berlin.

His liberal political stance in the so-called pre-March period (March Revolution) was, however, held against him and so he took his leave on 01.11.1848. In 1858 v. Pfuel was, however, called to the House of Lords.

General Ernst Adolph Heinrich v. Pfuel did much for military sports in particular and, for example, introduced swimming instruction 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 entered the Prussian army at the age of 18 and distinguished himself particularly in the 1806 campaign against the French army.

From 1812 he served 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 in 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 nevertheless remained the King's General Adjutant.

The Prussian general and briefly War Minister Ludwig Johann Karl Gregor Eusebius Freiherr 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 of 1812, among others at the Battle of Borodino.

On 15.05.1815 v. Schreckenstein transferred as Rittmeister (cavalry captain) 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 colonel and in 1837 was appointed commander of the 13th Cavalry Brigade in Münster.

In 1841 he was promoted to major general. Subsequently v. Schreckenstein commanded successively the 5th and the 15th Division.

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

From 1849 v. Schreckenstein took 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 in January for his 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 v. Bissing was commanding general of the VII Army Corps (Münster) from 18 May 1901 until 11 December 1907.

Moritz Ferdinand Baron von Bissing was born on 30 January 1844 in Ober Bellmannsdorf. His father Moritz von Bissing (1802–1860) was a landowner, his mother Dorothea (1800–1847) was born a Baroness von Gall.

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

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

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

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

Since 1980 in retirement, v. Bissing was reactivated with 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 v. Bissing was appointed Governor-General for the German General-Government of Belgium. With this he effectively took over the role of head of government of occupied Belgium and exercised it 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 v. Bissing died in Vilvoorde (Belgium).

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

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

From 1873 to 1876 v. Einem was adjutant and later chief of a squadron. He then served in the Great General Staff. From 1893 (until 1895) he was commander of the Cuirassier Regiment "von Driesen" (Westphalian) No. 4, which was mostly garrisoned in Münster. On 18 October 1895 v. Einem was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the VII Army Corps and in 1900 was occupied with the organization of 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 (* 01.01.1853 in Herzberg am Harz; † 07.04.1934 in Mülheim an der Ruhr) is particularly connected with the Münster garrison.

He was not only—as mentioned—commander of the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4 in Münster until 1895, 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 finally promoted to Colonel General. From 1903 to 1909 he had been Minister of War.

He was already close to the young Emperor Wilhelm II, who also always protected him. In the preliminary remarks to the personal notes of Colonel General v. 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., An Army Leader Experiences the World War. Personal Notes of Colonel General v. Einem, Leipzig 1938, p. 22).

On 07 April 1934 at 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 Zentralfriedhof, namely in the Protestant Field West I. The funeral was also attended by Oskar, the son of the Emperor Wilhelm II, who was living in Dutch exile.

After 1945 v. Einem was criticized for his publicly espoused hostile attitude toward homosexuality and for his intellectual proximity to National Socialism.

A street named after him in Berlin was renamed in 2012 or 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: Cologne

Infantry Regiment No. 16: Cologne

Infantry Regiment No. 53: Cologne

28th Infantry Brigade: Düsseldorf

Infantry Regiment No. 39: Düsseldorf

Infantry Regiment No. 159: Mülheim-Ruhr

79th Infantry Brigade: Wesel

Infantry Regiment No. 56: Wesel/ Cleves

Infantry Regiment No. 57: Wesel

14th Cavalry Brigade: Düsseldorf

Hussar Regiment Br. 11: Krefeld

Uhlan Regiment No. 5: Düsseldorf

Landwehr Inspection: Essen

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

                        Landwehr-Inspektion: Essen

Zum genannten Armeekorps gehörten auch ein Train-Depot in Münster, eine Artillerie-Werkstatt in Lippstadt, Artillerie-Depots in Münster und in Wesel, ein Festungsgefängnis in Wesel, ein Korps-Bekleidungsamt in Münster und eine Offizier-Reitschule in Paderborn.

In Münster there were—besides the various regiments and battalions—a number of command authorities and other military facilities.

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

Intendanture of the VII Army Corps

Medical Department of the VII Army Corps

Protestant Military Senior Pastorate of the VII Army Corps

Corps Staff Veterinarian of the VII Army Corps

13th Division (Command)

Court of the 13th Division

Intendanture of the 13th Division

Division Doctor of the 13th Division

Catholic Division Pastorate 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 Intendanture.

1. Office building.

2. Stable building.

IX Division Command.

1. Residence, stabling, carriage house of the division commander.

The General Command was housed in a building at the corner of Grevener and Wilhelms Street.

The commanding general resided and lived in the castle.

The garrison command had its office in one of the gatehouses at Neuplatz. The "Platzmajor" was quartered here.

The Imperial Army formed after the founding of the Reich in 1871 from the troops of the North German Confederation and the southern German contingents comprised, like all modern armies of the time, 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 progressive expansion, especially of the latter species, took place in constant interaction with the rapid development of technical progress. According to the stipulation of the Reich law of 3 July 1913, there were to be: 669 infantry battalions (including Jäger 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 completely achieved before the outbreak of the war.

Almost all branches of the armed forces were also represented in the Münster garrison. Some formations were particularly closely associated with the city of Münster as their garrison, 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. While the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13 enjoyed great popularity especially among the urban bourgeoisie, the Westphalian nobility served in the Cuirassier Regiment von Driesen (Westphalian) No. 4 and the replacement personnel in particular came from a rural background.

A large garrison always represented a burden for the affected city; however, the stationed military also generated economic impulses, e.g. through the demand for provisions and forage.

Münster had to tolerate extensive troop movements during the Wars of Liberation. Their logistical supply with regard to accommodation and provisioning often fell to the municipality. Material requisitions were not always compensated for at all or sufficiently.

In wartime this was compounded by the care of the wounded and, after the introduction of conscription (1814) — alongside voluntary enlistments — by the provision of recruits.

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

This circumstance was accompanied above all by the necessity of accommodating the troops. The solution to this task was facilitated by numerous military properties in Münster, which had mostly formerly been in church ownership. These included, for example, the Minorite monastery, the Dominican monastery, the Lotharingian monastery, Rosenthal monastery, the Observant monastery, the Jüdefelder poorhouse, the Georgskommende (church), the Guard Hotel and the Palace Barracks (= former carriage house).

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

Nevertheless, billeting soldiers in civilian quarters remained necessary (and for a long time) as a supplement. A service and billeting commission was responsible for this. Billeting was compensated and attempts were made to minimize exemptions from this basic obligation. The quartering burden was tied to the respective property. This applied even 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. Barrack building.

2. Latrine.

3. Church.

VII. Lotharinger Barracks (Infantry).

1. Barrack building.

Riflemaker workshop.

3. Latrine.

Since this type of accommodation also caused various inconveniences for the affected households, the city of Münster offered to prefinance the construction of a barracks. The funds provided were to be repaid in 12 installments. This proposal was approved at the highest level 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, accommodation for all three battalions in the new barracks had been planned, but this comprehensive plan was not realized. The planner was Engineer-Captain v. Bütow.

XIII. Aegidii Barracks (Infantry).

1. Barrack building.

2. Utility building.

3. Economic building.

4. Latrines.

5. Equipment shed.

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

1. Barrack building.

2. Stables.

3. Riding arena.

4. Forge.

5. Office building.

6. Stables.

7. Wagon shed, stables and economic building.

8. Sick stall.

9. Latrine.

XXIII. Provisions Office.

1. Office and residential building.

2. Grain magazine.

3. Rough forage barn.

4. Grain magazine.

5. Bakery.

6. Coal shed.

7. Flour magazine.

8. Apartment of the magazine overseer.

9. Scale.

10. Rough forage barn.

11. ditto.

12. Grain magazine.

13. ditto.

14. Rough forage barn.

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

The Aegidii Barracks were ultimately executed as a four‑storey rendered brick building and consisted of two building sections meeting at right angles with hipped roofs. The northern building section was 88.58 m long and ran along Johannisstraße. The eastern building section along Ägidiistraße was slightly kinked outward and consisted of two side wings each 45.90 m long. 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 work 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% by loans from various property owners.

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

The cavalry was initially housed in various former church and monastery buildings, e.g. in the Rosenthaler 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 accommodate the cavalry. By installing an intermediate ceiling in the church of the Observant monastery, two usable storeys were created. A horse stall was set up on the ground floor, while uniforms and equipment were stored on the upper floor.

The mounted troops were also accommodated in the old princely‑bishopric mint house. In the area of the former Palace Barracks there were two riding arenas and a large horse stall. The aforementioned former Guard Hotel at Krummen Timpen also served at times to accommodate the cavalry.

A large horse stall was located at Bispinghof. However, over time the old converted buildings no longer met the increased — also hygienic — requirements.

II. Mint Barracks (Cavalry).

1. Residential building.

2. Stables.

3. Wagon shed.

4. Dining room.

5. Kitchen, bathhouse, blacksmith for horseshoes.

6. Open riding arena.

III. Lazaret Barracks (Infantry).

1. Lazaret barracks.

2. Rider barracks.

3. Wagon house with mounting rooms.

IV. Rosenthaler Barracks (Cavalry).

1. Barrack building and stables.

2. Riding arena.

V. District Command and detention facility.

1. District Command I + II

2. Drill shed.

3. Wagon house.

4. Wagon house.

5. Drill house.

6. Jail.

7. Mounting chamber building.

8. ditto.

VI. Hörster Barracks (Infantry): see above.

VII. Lotharinger Barracks (Infantry): see above.

After the founding of the German Empire (1871) attempts were made to comprehensively control and modernize troop accommodation. A so‑called barracking plan was submitted to the Reichstag in 1877 and was subsequently debated controversially. Although not formally adopted, this basic planning influenced the further barracking of the Imperial Army's troops.

By 1896, 89.7% of the Prussian troops were already barracked; the earlier customary billeting of soldiers with civilians had by then become a thing of the past.

I. Artillery cantonment.

1. Barrack building.

2. ditto.

3. Utility building.

4. Staff and guard building.

5. Latrine.

6. Chamber building.

7. Married quarters building.

8. Gun shed.

9. Shed.

10. Sick stall.

11. Blacksmith for horseshoes.

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. Office and residential building.

2. Wagon house.

3. Armory.

4. Farrier and weapons workshop.

5. Latrine.

6. Wagon house.

XXV. Projected corps clothing office.

1. Office building.

2. Residential barracks.

3. Latrine.

4. Tailor workshop.

5. Shoemaker workshop.

6. Warehouse.

7. Carriage house and carpentry.

In Münster, too, the old quarters in the inner city were gradually abandoned and modern barracks were built on the outskirts.

Around the turn of the century a number of large military complexes were built on the northern arterial roads (and in the southern quarter), such as the brick‑built Cuirassier Barracks on Steinfurter Straße in 1898–1901. The artillery cantonment and the artillery depot had already been established there earlier. Thus a kind of "barracks town" 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 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 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. Barrack building.

2. ditto.

3. ditto.

4. Married quarters building.

5. Utility building.

6. Wagon and gym equipment shed.

7. Latrine.

8. ditto.

9. Stable.

10. ditto.

11. ditto.

12. ditto.

13. Riding arena-

14. ditto.

15. Sick stall.

16. Farrier.

17. Stable.

18. Stable latrine.

19. Equipment shed.

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

In the course of the registration of the cuirassier barracks in the monument list of the city of Münster their formal-historical architectural design was described as follows:

"The barracks complex consists of five three- to four-storey buildings that are arranged along Steinfurter Straße. A cohesive overall impression is conveyed by the fact that the lateral buildings turn their narrow sides to the street and, by extending into the depth of 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 transverse wings at the building ends each frame these three buildings in the manner of corner risalits. Houses 103 and 107 additionally form a central risalit on the courtyard side. Stair towers in the angles between the building wings create further architectural accents on the courtyard side. All five objects are constructed in brick technique. Only details, such as corner quoining and gable attachments, are executed in sandstone. The buildings - only partly cellared - sit on a high, partially rendered and fenestrated plinth. A strong base cornice is followed by the smooth, rising brick masonry, in which, besides sill cornices, above all the arrangement of the windows provides a rhythm to the wall. The sash windows, which in the central wings of the barrack buildings are grouped in pairs and threes, end in a flat arch; in the upper floors they close with round arches. The street facades of the buildings show no entrances. The entrance doors - simple wall openings with a flat-arched lintel or with a massive, brick ornamental frame - all face the spaces between the buildings. Across the entire complex the roofs are predominantly hipped. The roof zone is enlivened in places by shed dormers (originally small roof houses), chimney heads 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 one-sided circulation system. The corridors in the main buildings are oriented to the rear, the rooms to the street side. Of the once extensive stables only the north-eastern and the adjoining elongated, single-storey buildings are executed in brick and were built in forms markedly simpler than the main buildings."

On the other side of the street the two inns "Driesen" and "Zum Kronprinzen" were established and further into the city a villa-like officers' club 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 erected. This location was favorable because there was a railway connection nearby.

The creation of appropriate space capacities for the accommodation of the steadily increasing train materiel became necessary. Previously the vehicles, equipment and horses had been distributed across the entire city.

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

The coach houses could accommodate 100 and 80 wagons respectively.

The grounds covered a total of 5.3 ha.

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 there.

XI. Train barracks.

Barracks building (1).

Stables (2).

Ditto (3).

Riding hall (4).

Stables (5).

Forge (6).

Sick stall (7).

Wagon shed with mounting chambers (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 hall (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 guard house).

XVIII. Garrison hospital.

Hospital (1)

Economy and administration 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 still the horse stable, a wagon house for the artillery and the riding hall.

Another covered riding hall existed south of the guard houses at the Neutor.

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

In front of the central wing a stair installation (external staircase) led into the spacious, park-like garden. The terrace was shaded by a sun awning.

The officers' dining establishment contained a large dining hall, rooms for conversation groups or salons, a billiard room and a fireplace room.

There was also an apartment for the steward (operator) and greenhouses for the garden.

On the castle moat there was a jetty for boats.

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

"Of essential importance to the officer corps was the completion of the garrison casino, the foundation stone of which 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 well as in Hamm and Soest was dependent on taking its midday meal in private establishments, adhered to this habit until 1879. Only then did it move its midday table into the rooms allotted to it in the garrison casino....

As valuable as the garrison casino with its beautiful rooms and its 13-acre garden was for many purposes of the officer corps, it was soon felt that, because of its remote location and its structural condition, it could not meet all the needs of social intercourse. In recognition of this circumstance, the regiment was granted, at its request in 1879, the former residence of the barracks inspector in the Ägidii Barracks for use for the social and other purposes of the officer corps. The interior furnishings were initially lent from the garrison casino and the catering operation was 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 succinctly called "Filiale" and still bears this designation today, although it very 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), rider barracks (2), wagon house with mounting chambers (3) and latrine (4).

IV. Rosenthaler Barracks, consisting of barracks building and stables (1) and riding hall (2).

V. District command and prison, consisting of district command (1), drill shed (2), wagon house (3), wagon house (4), drill house (5), prison house (6), mounting chamber buildings (7 and 8).

The Royal Garrison Hospital was built from 1863 on the edge of the city center and consisted of a three-storey central wing with annex wings. The facade consisted of yellow bricks interspersed with dark glazed bricks.

The double-leaf windows were defined by round arches. Each window leaf had two horizontal muntins.

The grounds were enclosed by a wrought-iron fence.

The gate was framed by two pillars.

With the intensification of training, numerical reinforcement and the ongoing modernization of the Imperial Army, alongside the growing need for space to house troops and to store horses, vehicles, guns, etc., the necessity for larger areas for military exercises and training also arose. Furthermore, the increased ranges of rifle fire required larger shooting ranges.

Previously there existed the drill ground on Münzstr., the exercise and riding ground Nubbenberg and the Neuplatz was also used for drilling. In addition there were covered riding halls and alignment/practice ranges for the artillery.

In 1827, therefore, an area of about 420 Morgen (1.05 km²) in the so-called Loddenheide was sold to the Prussian military. The purchase price amounted to 10,500 Reichstaler. The area remained - apart from the shooting ranges - open to the public. Horse races were also regularly held here.

Later, also outside the city limits, the Haus Spital grounds of about 1.2 ha in the agriculturally shaped north of Münster were acquired as a drill ground.

Fixed elements of the daily routine of all units were guards and sentry duty. There were honor guards and security guards. Guards were meant to preserve general security, while at the same time the general guard duty was trained. The general guard duty in the garrisons was primarily the responsibility of the infantry; the mounted troops provided, above all, the guard commands in front of their own barracks. Honor guards were posted for royalty and the like. The guard commands had special powers, were superiors of the non-commissioned officers and enlisted men (not of the officers) and performed police tasks.

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 for its relocation to the adjacent Stadtweinhaus. This request was forwarded by the commanding general to the War Ministry and was approved already in the following month (April). The implementation, however, then took a longer time, as the military demanded structural changes. Finally, two guardrooms and two arrest cells were created in the Stadtweinhaus and the actual move took place at the beginning of 1847.

However, the main guard was merged with the Neutor guard in 1891. This change met with resistance from the citizenry, but the relocation of the main guard from the Stadtweinhaus remained in effect.

Parades and inspections represented highlights in everyday military life. Parade in this sense meant inspection or review. Within the parade one distinguished formation and march-past; both were at once an occasion and an opportunity to measure the discipline and training level of the units involved. These mainly took place on the Neuplatz. This square bore that name from 1759; from 1927 to 2012 it was called Hindenburgplatz (now Schlossplatz).

Infantry drill exercises, but 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 non-local and Protestant officer corps was socially isolated.

Mutual reservations remained strong for a long time, 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 if they dance through the nights; bareheaded, prayer book and rosary in hand, the most distinguished 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 like enemies, and a certain suspicious reserve showed itself here and there even now. But it was directed less against the Prussian Protestant in general than against the individual who behaved with tactless arrogance, but whose patent of nobility did not appear genuine. Here the most complete exclusivity still prevailed — a commoner, 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 view of the egalitarian frenzy of the French Revolutionary era, could decide on someone's being or non-being. Their festivities were widely and far famous — and feared — under the name of the balls of the Ladies' Club. Anyone not invited to them was boycotted for all time; only those who were also present at the intimate events were 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. Consideration for these deeply rooted views — did not even the memory of the Vehm court[1] haunt here? — led to strange consequences: it had been enforced that non-noble officers should not be completely excluded from social life either, but they were only invited to large balls and would hardly have dared there to ask a Westphalian lady to dance. The Fourth Cuirassiers and the so-called Pope-Hussars from Paderborn[2] — regiments as noble as any of the Guard, into which not even an unenobled one-year volunteer could be admitted — were the only socially acceptable ones”[3].

[1] Vehm court.

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

[3] Quoted from: Lily Braun, Memoiren einer Sozialistin. Lehrjahre, Munich 1909, p. 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 contribution.

Additionally, certain events in this context in which the military played a role will be discussed here.

Thus, in 1837 the "Münster Disturbance" occurred, involving the deployment of garrison units against protesting citizens.

On 01.12.1835 the Cologne cathedral chapter elected Clemens August Droste zu Vischering as archbishop. He was installed in his office on 29.05.1836. Immediately the new archbishop took a position on the so-called mixed marriage question in accordance with the Catholic Church, thus setting himself at odds with the existing 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 father's confession, should be transferred to the western provinces. This would have resulted in children from mixed-confession marriages being almost exclusively baptized and raised as Protestants” (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 triggered a military counterreaction. In the regimental history of the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13 the following is recorded in the style of the time:

The tensions between the Prussian state and the Catholic Church and Catholic-minded population further intensified in the period of the Kulturkampf.

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

Given the size of the garrison, the military was necessarily an integral part of the cityscape and an important economic factor.

In particular, military music was part of the city's cultural life. Regimental bands played at festivities or gave full 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 the festivals of the Westphalian nobility.

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

About the regimental band of IR 13 Haas-Tenckhoff states in his unpublished garrison history: “The excellent Thirteen-band, one of the best of its kind, if not the best in all of Germany, was since 1871 always engaged for opera performances of the theater and for the concerts of the music association; it has contributed not insignificantly to Münster's reputation as an outstanding music city. The musical activity of the Thirteen-band extended far beyond the garrison area. It was frequently drawn into special serious musical 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 duty allowed, were extensive, reaching to the East Frisian islands and to Scheveningen.”

The parades on the Neuplatz (today Schlossplatz, previously Hindenburgplatz) attracted much attention, for example on the Emperor's birthday or other celebrations, e.g. the centenary commemoration of the Wars of Liberation in 1913.

The citizenry also took 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 Kaiser 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 external background, this three-day stay of the Kaiser was of great significance for the city of Münster and also symbolized the successful integration of the predominantly Catholic territories into the Prussian kingdom 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: 13,612; Jewish: 555 (others 88).

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

For this purpose the city of Münster established a festival committee.

The city council approved a corresponding budget of 100,000 marks. The actual costs were to amount 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 established by imperial order.

The arrival of Wilhelm II was expected on 29.08.1907 at 4:20 p.m. The route of entry - e.g. via Roggenmarkt and Spiekerhof - was festively decorated.

In the evening there was a large civil reception at the castle 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 there.

In the evening — at 9:30 p.m. — a large tattoo took place in front of the castle.

The following day Kaiser Wilhelm II traveled to Tecklenburg to take part there in the celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the union of the County of Tecklenburg with Prussia.

In the afternoon there was a so-called ladies' reception by the Empress at the castle.

In the evening there was the banquet for the Province of Westphalia in the rooms of the State Museum.

On Sunday a “field service” was held at 10 a.m. on the Neuplatz.

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

The upkeep of traditions was highly valued in the German Empire and deliberately used as a patriotic stimulant to counter the military-critical tendencies of the increasingly strong Social Democracy. This role was fulfilled in particular by the German war-association movement, which in Prussia alone counted about 13,000 associations with a total of 1,140,000 members in 1903. There the patriotic heritage was preserved both generally and with regard to the respective units, thereby serving to socially stabilize the monarchy.

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As in all other towns of the German Reich with a strong garrison, the scene in Münster also changed with the growing tension in the days immediately before the outbreak of war[1]. On August 1, 1914, mobilization was ordered. A (stormy) national enthusiasm could be observed everywhere. This was partly accompanied by a veritable hysteria, e.g. fears of espionage and air raids. The newspapers reported extensively on international events. There were public rallies, as well as devotions and church services. Reservists were called up and the individual formations were brought up to war strength. So many volunteers enlisted that they could not all be put into service immediately. For mobilization the required war materiel was provided and countless horses (especially from rural areas) were gathered for the mobility of the troops.

The mobilized elements of the Münster regiments marched off to their transport to the front accompanied by the population. Already on August 2 — in the afternoon around 6:00 PM — 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. Regarding the march-out of the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bittenfeld (1st Westphalian) No. 13, the mentioned war chronicle of the city of Münster 1914/18 (p. 23) states under August 8, 1914: “In the last night the I Battalion of the Infantry Regiment Herwarth von Bitterfeld 1st Westphalian marched out. The neighboring houses of the Hörster and the Lotharinger barracks shone in Bengal lighting. Under waving flags, accompanied by thousands of people, the battalion marched to the station, from where shortly after 12 o'clock the train departed west toward Belgium, while the band played once more: Muß i denn, muß i denn zum Städele hinaus … The II Bat. Left in the morning at 1/25, the regimental staff with Machine Gun Company 20 at 6 past and the III Bat. Around 1/29 o'clock.” The unit was moved into the assembly area on the night of August 8 and the next morning[3]. The journey lasted about 15 hours.

On August 9 the transport of the various detachments of the 2nd Westphalian Field Artillery Regiment No. 22 began[4]. It was already assembled in full strength in the assembly area on August 11.

[1] See: 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 Fedartillerie-Regiment Nr. 22 und seine Tochterformationen im Weltkriege 1914-1918, Münster, 1924, p. 3.

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

Back in the home garrison the parent formations remained to train replacements and to form further units.

Participation of the population in the course of the war

Replacement formations, recruit training and organization of the supply

Armaments production and rationing

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

Care of the wounded and military hospitals

A phenomenon of the First World War that had not been expected on this scale was the enormous number of prisoners. With regard to all 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: about 12% for the French, about 9% for the Germans and about 7% for the British; the Austrians and the Russians had considerably higher prisoner numbers (35% and 50% respectively). Spectacular were the numbers of Russian prisoners in the battles at Tannenberg in August 1914 (93,000) and at the Masurian Lakes in September 1914 (45,000).

For the city of Münster it was not only the increasingly numerous transports of wounded that posed a great challenge, but also the accommodation of numerous prisoners of war was a demanding task for which the city was unprepared.

The prisoners of war not only had to be accommodated but also fed, while the supply situation of the local civilian population was constantly deteriorating. Overall, Münster was to accommodate about 90,000 prisoners of war during the First World War (Dethlefs, p. 64). Already in September 1914 a first prisoner camp was established on the drill ground at Haus Spital, whose tents and earth huts initially still represented a provisional arrangement and were intended for the accommodation of 7,500 men.

Another camp was set up at the racecourse of the riding club near Hiltrup for 10,000 prisoners. The infantry barracks on Kinderhausener Landstraße then served as 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 processing of the military defeat — which allegedly had not occurred ("stab-in-the-back" legend) — began, and 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 units 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, which was named after its commander Captain Otto Lichtschlag (1885–1961) and numbered about 2,500 men.

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There are still a number of remarkable military grave monuments in the Überwasser Cemetery.

On this new cemetery in front of the Neutor the first burial took place on 07.06.1808.

The original Überwasser Cemetery was originally located around the Liebfrauen Church.

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 in the Überwasser Cemetery is — still — the tomb of Lieutenant General Heinrich Wilhelm v. Horn (1.10.1762 - 31.10.1829).

It showed and still shows a sleeping lion on a large plinth.

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

The lion on the tomb 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) in the Berlin Invalids' Cemetery from 1834. The design came from Karl Friedrich Schinkel (Prussian architect, urban planner, monument conservator and visual artist, *13.03.1781 in Neuruppin; †09.10.1841 in Berlin).

The original plinth of the grave in the Überwasser Cemetery in Münster was decorated with a coat of arms, trophies and an inscription. The latter read: "The Royal Prussian VII Army Corps to its immortalized leader and exemplar of loyalty and bravery."

Previously the lion was bronzed in natural color.

The iron plinth was black and the inscriptions were gilded 1).

In the course of the bombings in the Second World War the tomb suffered considerable damage. The old plinth was destroyed.

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

The lion's tail was replaced and the torn hind paw was 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 gravesite of the 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, with a pillow visible 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 cause no terror, I know no fear). At the foot end is an inscription panel with a volute top (= snail-shaped element).

The figure lies on a sarcophagus; beneath it is a two-tiered base.

The gravesite used to be fenced in.

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