Jubilee year 2023
Learn more about the 375th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia.
The Peace Prize
Every two years, Osnabrück awards the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Prize.
Erich-Maria-Remarque-peace-prize
Osnabrück Town Hall is located in the heart of Osnabrück's historic city centre. The dove on the brass handle at the entrance portal symbolises: This building is a symbol of peace. In 1648, some of the final negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia were held here and peace was finally proclaimed from the town hall steps on 25 October 1648.
42 portraits of rulers and envoys who negotiated the end of the Thirty Years' War in Münster and Osnabrück can be seen today in the Peace Hall of the Town Hall. The hall is also adorned with an imposing ceiling chandelier from the first half of the 16th century. Today, receptions and other festive events take place in the Peace Hall.
In the town hall, visitors also learn that kings, pop artists and a pope have already been guests in the City of Peace. The city's famous Golden Books contain signatures such as that of Queen Silvia of Sweden, who visited the Hasestadt with all sorts of other crowned heads to mark the anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia in 1998. Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama have also immortalised themselves in the guest book, as have pop greats such as Bob Geldof and, most recently, star DJ Robin Schulz.
The first Osnabrück town hall was mentioned in documents as early as 1244. This makes it one of the oldest town halls in Germany. However, the relatively small town hall was soon no longer big enough for the needs of a growing city and the diverse tasks of civic self-government. It took over 25 years to build today's historic town hall, which was completed in 1512 in the late Gothic style. A model of the city vividly shows what Osnabrück looked like in 1633.
Local politics are still organised in the town hall today. The city council meets in the council chamber and the specialist committees meet in the other rooms to discuss and decide on the fate of the city.
Visitors can discover the council's treasures in the treasure chamber. Only two cities in northern Germany still have such a collection of magnificent gold jewellery, which used to be exchanged between friendly municipalities. Today, Osnabrück still exchanges gifts with friendly partner municipalities from all over the world, and not only that, but also young city ambassadors, as a small exhibition vividly illustrates.
In 2015, the European Commission honoured the town halls of Osnabrück and Münster with the European Heritage Label as "Sites of the Peace of Westphalia". The peace laid the first foundations for a European community of states. With their provisions under international law, the peace treaties developed into a pillar of international relations that are still of great importance today.
The historic Osnabrück Town Hall is open for tourist visits from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, on Saturdays from 9 am to 4 pm and on Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm. The town hall is not usually open on public holidays.
Mondays to Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Peace of Westphalia was proclaimed on the steps of the historic town hall in 1648. The negotiation of the peace put an end to the 30-year war. The peace is regarded as an outstanding event in European and German history, as it laid the first foundations for a united Europe.
Find out all about the Peace of Westphalia. More
Since April 2015, Osnabrück Town Hall and Münster Town Hall have been awarded the European Heritage Label. The European Commission awards this label to places that have a special significance for the history of Europe.
The first Golden Book of the city of Osnabrück was donated by August Haarmann on the last day of 1899. Illustrious guests signed it for almost 100 years, such as Konrad Adenauer. The first entry was made by Johannes von Miquel, who was an honorary citizen and former Lord Mayor at the time.
In 1948, the Golden Book was reopened under the new, democratic conditions. The councillors of the time warned against the tyranny of the National Socialists and commemorated the victims of the war.
Alongside many visitors, Pope John Paul II was probably the most famous guest to sign the city's Golden Book on 16 November 1980. In keeping with the importance of the city's official guest book, there are precise rules as to who is allowed to immortalise themselves in the book. Entries are reserved for special personalities, such as ambassadors or foreign heads of state.
The hand-crafted book with gold-embossed Art Nouveau ornaments and silver fittings had already reached its last page in 1997. Master silversmith Wolfgang Grändorf and master bookbinder Günter Thomas therefore presented the second book to the city on 18 November 1997. The front cover is decorated with a stylised view of St Mary's Church, three gilded hobbyhorse riders and moonstones set in gold.
A wrought-iron door with the city's coat of arms from the Baroque period protects the treasury. The door is surrounded by a sandstone frame on which it is written in Latin letters at the top that the Senate and the people of Osnabrück had the archive built. The higher letters give the year 1756.
The treasury contains the council silver with the famous Emperor's Cup, the oldest chain of marksmen, important documents on the city's history, Osnabrück coins, dies, seals and a replica of the "Osnabrück Instrument of Peace" from 1648.
The city of Osnabrück's council silver is almost complete. The goblets come from different centuries and workshops. The most important piece is the imperial goblet. How, when and why it came to Osnabrück is not known - there is only conjecture.
The marksmen's chain belongs to the Osnabrück marksmen. It is said to date back to the 13th century. The special feature is a gilded silver parrot from the workshop of the Osnabrück goldsmith Heinrich Delbrügge from the year 1582.
Source: H. Witte / Lower Saxony State Archives, Osnabrück