The Peace of Westphalia - a treaty whose ideas are still effective today

On October 24, 1648, the peace treaty was signed by the Roman-German Emperor Ferdinand III, France's King Louis XIV, and Sweden's Queen Christina. One day later, the peace was proclaimed from the steps of the town hall in Osnabrück.

Peace of Westphalia

The envoys in Osnabrück and Münster struggled for five years to reach compromises. The extensive treaty was to become a model for a peaceful Europe.

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Guntis Ulmanis (links) im Gespräch mit Henrik und Margarethe von Dänemark und der belgischen Königin Paola — © Stadt Osnabrück, Fotostudio Fritz Schwarzenberger

Jubilee year 1998

On the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia, 20 European monarchs and state presidents came to Osnabrück and Münster.

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