Münster is a town in the state (Bundesland) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The name derives from the Latin monasterium (monastery) and refers to the founding of the bishopric of Münster by Charlemagne.
The signing of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 at Münster guaranteed the future of the prince-bishop and the diocese; the area was to be exclusively Roman Catholic.
The Westfälische Wilhelms-University of Münster is one of the biggest and oldest in Germany.