City of Peace Osnabrück
The City of Peace Osnabrück is the only major German city located in the middle of a nature park. The city of peace, steeped in history and embedded in the UNESCO Global Geopark TERRA.vita, offers a mixture of historical charm, lively city life and green oases. A city trip here is definitely worthwhile.
Charlemagne founded the city as a bishop’s see as early as 780. The most famous aspect of Osnabrück is probably its role as the city of the Peace of Westphalia. A decisive part of the Thirty Years’ War was brought to an end in the historic town hall of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
Stroll through the picturesque alleyways of the old town, past lovingly restored half-timbered houses, small boutiques and cozy cafés. Here you can also visit the town hall with its Peace Hall or admire St. Peter’s Cathedral.
Osnabrück is a city of culture and science. The Felix Nussbaum House, designed by star architect Daniel Libeskind, houses the world’s largest collection of works by Jewish artist Felix Nussbaum, whose life and work are closely linked to Osnabrück. The Museum of Industrial Culture offers exciting insights into the region’s industrial past, while the Diocesan Museum presents ecclesiastical art and artifacts.
What makes the City of Peace Osnabrück special is its close connection to nature. The Bürgerpark invites you to take relaxing walks in the middle of the city. An absolute must is a visit to Osnabrück Zoo, which is characterized by its unique hilly landscape and offers animal experiences in natural surroundings. The UNESCO Global Geopark TERRA.vita with its hiking and cycling trails is ideal for longer excursions.
Excursion tips and sights in Osnabrück
At the market of Osnabrück is probably the most important building of the city, the city hall Osnabrück. Close to it stands the current registry office (former scales house) and St. Mary's Church.
One of the most beautiful sights in Osnabrück is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Peter (also known as St. Peter's). Even before you reach the impressive cathedral of the Osnabrück diocese, you can discover the Little Church, the Lion's Poodle and the Witches' Walk and the Osnabrück Wheel.
In a building designed by Daniel Libeskind in Osnabrück, you can see an impressive collection of paintings by the Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum. An architectural and artistic visit to the Felix Nussbaum House not to be missed.
For the 5th time already, I attended the congress “bewegte Kindheit” (moving childhood) in Osnabrück. Up until now, I only walked back and forth between the castle, several university buildings and some gyms without paying too much attention to the city. This time, things went a little differently.
The train station in Spandau is pretty easy to navigate. It only has 6 train tracks on three platforms. Platforms 1 and 2 are for the “S-Bahn”, the regional trains to and from the city. Platform 3 and 4 are for trains leaving Berlin and 5 and 6 for trains going into Berlin. Relatively straightforward.
Accommodation tips
In 2016 over 3000 pedagogue experts met again for their annual conference in Osnabrück. Every year being quick is essential when booking a hotel during that time. Especially reasonably priced hotels in a good location. This time, I chose the B & B Hotel Osnabrück.
A congress brought us to Osnabrück for two nights. I looked for a reasonably priced hotel near the train station and I found the Ibis Hotel Osnabrück.
Vienna House by Wyndham Remarque Osnabrück
Holiday Inn – Osnabrück by IHG
Romantik Hotel Walhalla
B&B Hotel Osnabrück
Dom Hotel
Osnabrück travel information
Arrival
By plane
The airport Münster Osnabrück is located about 30 kilometers away in the town Greven. From there you can reach the city by express bus.
By train
Osnabrück’s main train station is about a 10-minute walk from the city center.
Two main rail lines cross at right angles in Osnabrück. The north-south connection runs from Basel to Hamburg and the east-west connection runs from Berlin to Amsterdam. In addition, numerous regional connections link Osnabrück with the surrounding region.
By bus
The long-distance buses of various providers stop in Eisenbahnstraße next to Osnabrück’s main train station.
By car
Osnabrück is easily accessible via the A 1, A 30 and A 33 freeways. In addition, the federal highways B 51 and B 68 lead into the city.
By ship
From the Mittellandkanal a branch canal leads directly to Osnabrück. This can be used with boats. The river Hase, which runs through the city, is suitable for water tours.
By bike
By bike, you can reach the Peace City of Osnabrück, for example, via the EuroVelo 3 and the Osnabrück-Bremen Bridge Cycle Path.
On foot
The long-distance hiking trail E 11 leads through the city. Osnabrück is also the starting point or destination of several long-distance hiking trails, for example the 208 km long Hünenweg (to Papenburg), the 107 km long Pickerweg (to Wildeshausen) and the 90 km long Wittekindsweg (to Porta Westfalica).
On the way in...
By car
Osnabrück has set up environmental zones that may only be entered with the green environmental sticker on the car.
By public transport
The bus connections in Osnabrück are well developed. The main lines run about every 10 minutes during the day, the secondary lines about every 20 minutes.
On foot
The city center can be explored very well on foot.