Muenster has a lot to offer. The historic Old Town area is where you will see magnificent rows of historic buildings interspersed
with modern architecture and contemporary works of sculptured art. It is also where you will find a unique selection of museums,
exciting events, and exclusive shopping facilities. As a university town, Muenster is a perfect place to explore restaurants, pubs
and the cultural scene in the Old Town as well as in the historic Kuhviertel and Kreativkai in the harbour area. This unique combination
of things to do and see in Muenster makes visiting Westphalia's capital an unforgettable experience!
Muenster is a city of art with a distinctly European touch. The Westphalian Museum of Art and Cultural History, the Pablo Picasso Museum
of Graphic Arts and the Museum of Lacquered Art are all located in the
city centre. A new cultural scene with live jazz, night clubs and a
theatre is emerging around the Kreativkai in the city's harbour area. Other exciting attractions include the All-Seasons Zoo, Lake Aa, the
hot-air ballooning event of the Mongolfiade and the International Kite Festival in the recreational area around Lake Aa.
Cultural and outdoor activities can also be experienced on a leisurely bike tour in and around Muenster. Explore contemporary art treasures
on a tour of the city's open-air sculptures’ exhibition, or follow the route of the famous Giro d'Italia bike race. As Germany's bicycle
capital Muenster is a perfect place to hop on a bike, see the sights and enjoy the fresh air.
The story about the famous German Swan Petra
It was a summer romance, which survived two summers and a winter. Petra, a love struck black swan, has been happily paddling behind a big
plastic swan-shaped pedal boat since May 2006. But now it seems that Petra has found her real love.
Black swan Petra started her media stardom as Peter, since she'd been originally mistaken for a guy. After all, what woman could possibly be
silly enough to keep chasing a completely heartless boat -- no matter how impressive it might look when compared to the real swans paddling around
on Lake Aasee in the western German town of Muenster. With winter approaching, the boat had to be removed from the lake but the owner didn't have
the heart to separate the two. She was so in love that the people of Muenster had to send Pedal along when Petra had to go to her winter
domicile in the city's zoo.
So both the boat and Petra were taken to a pond in Muenster zoo for the winter. The project was financed by local residents for whom Petra
has become a celebrity. She has seemed unperturbed by the journalists and TV crews who have been crowding into other less attractive boats
and pedalling after the odd couple.
Now during her second winter turn at the zoo Germany's most famous swan seems to have lost interest in her long-time lover. Till now any
attempts to get her interested in a more lively kind of companion failed miserably -- until a beautiful white swan, let's call him Max,
appeared out of nowhere and started to court Petra last December. Petra and Max have been swimming next to each other and showed up jointly
at feeding time. Pedal, on the other hand, has been keeping his countenance and does not seem too heartbroken over the adulterous behaviour
of his mate.
The boat's patience might be paying off: One week later Max flew to a different pond in the zoo. It's unclear whether he'll be able to
find his way back to Petra -- or whether he actually even wants to do that.
After all, mute swans are known to be monogamous -- and what man wants to listen to his girlfriend's endless stories about how great her first love used to be?
