Useful Websites

http://www.osnabrueck.de

http://www.tourtipps.de

http://www.stonepages.de

http://www.mupk.de

http://www.osnabruecker-land.de

Events

Culture night
twice annually (June + August)

Summer in the city
street festivals of all kinds every Saturday from June to October

African Festival
every 2nd year in august

Intercultural weeks
with movies, talks, performance – September

Media Arts Festival
April

May Week
free concerts every May (10 days on a row)

Independent Film Festival
October

Folk Festival
August

Fairy Tale Week
November

Christmas market
entire December

Carnival
February

Blues Avalanche
February

Guitar festival Open Strings
March

Culture and Society

Nightlife:

only few discos, Osnabrück is rather known for its lively students scene and atmospheric pubs.

Food and Drink:

on the cheap scale: good pizzas and salads in the Unikeller – the basement of Osnabrücks castle.

Balou
for live music and amazing dishes from 6,- euro.

Bagels cafè
for a relaxed meal of – yep – Bagels. Everything from sweet to hearty.

Tip: the soup of the day for 3,90 – hey, they CAN COOK!!!

Great homemade cakes in the cafè Melange in the historic centre. For Beer in many variations go to the Anyway.

In the historic town you find many old pubs, a TIP is: the brewery Rampendahl.

Culture:

Theatre, Cinemas, Culture nights with all museums open til late.

Gay and Lesbian:

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History

First mentioned as a town around 1300. it quickly became an commercial centre for its strategic situation on the narrowest part between the 2 mountain ranges, traders had no choice than passing through here.
The Roman legions came through town and just north of it have been trapped and defeated in the legendary Varus battle. The battlefield can still be visited.
The 30 years war parties sat down in Osnabrück and Münster to negotiate a peace and finally it was announced to the citizens from the steps of the historical Rathaus in October 25, 1648.
Since then – a spirit fo peacefulness remained and Osnabrück call itself “Friedensstadt” – “peace town”.

Geography

Orientation:

city eggplant-shaped centre is very compact. All sights within walking distance. Osnabrück is squeezed in between 2 mountain ranges and therefore has a wonderful surrounding for outdoor activities.

Climate:

warm summers, golden autumns, mild winters although sometimes bittercold with snow and a fresh springtime – rain is possible all throughout the year, although very common from November to march.

Neighbourhoods:

Altstadt
pubs and clubs, the students scene.

Westerberg
Villas and mansions, botanical garden.

Haste
rural outskirts with watermills and forest.

Schölerberg
nice for pleasant walks, zoo, naturepark museum.

Highlights

Historic city centre and townhall of the Westphalian Peace Treaty.
Castle, medieval churches, Romanesque “stoneworks” (old storage houses).

Museum about Remarque (“all quiet on the western front”)

Nußbaum-Museum (jewish paintings, building designed by Libeskind)

Battlefield of the Varus-battle with a park like museum and exhibitions in English.

Megalith tombs enough for a week to discover.

Lush surroundings with hiking trails to watermills and castles.

Pubs and cafes (fresh brewed beer and german food to latin specialities)

Practical Information

Arrival:

Airport FMO (Münster-Osnabrück) only 30 kms from city centre. Train station Osnabrück, all fast and local trains from berlin to Amsterdam or hamburg to freiburg are passing our town.

City Transport:

many sights in walking distance, surrounding by efficient local busses.

Costs and Money:

bus ticket for the entire day: 2,70 for city centre and near surroundings.

Opening Hours:

9:30 – 19:00 shops / 9:30 – 18:00 banks and post office / 9:00 – 22:00 cafes / 20:00 – til late pubs and clubs.

Communications:

main post offices, internet cafes, call centres – all within 5 mins of the hostel

General Facts

Osnabrueck – the peaceful and tranquil town in the Teutoburg Forest. (short text introducing the city – one paragraph)

City Facts: Osnabrueck

Population: 160.000

Languages: German, English

Location:

northern germany, near the border to the Netherlands. Hilly surrounding.