Erbdrostenhof, Munster

One of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in Münster, the palace of Erbdrostenhof forms part of the city's so-called “baroque island”, together with the Clemenskirche and Dominikanerkirche (Clemens and Dominican churches).

This aristocratic property was built between 1753 and 1757 to a design by Baroque architect, Johann Conrad Schlaun, and was commissioned by the Erbdrosten (Prince-Bishop) of Munster, Adolf Heidenreich Freiherr Droste zu Vischering. The three-winged building is quite remarkable for its imposing design, especially considering the limited floor space available to it. The sculptural part of the palace was done by Johann Christoph Manskirch, and the frescoes were painted by Nikolaus Loder.

The building is also notable as the birthplace of Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart (born Maria Droste zu Vischering, on 8 September 1863), who was a German noblewoman and Roman Catholic religious sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. She is best known for having influenced Pope Leo XIII to consecrate the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which the Pope himself considered the greatest act of his pontificate.

Largely destroyed during World War II, the property was painstakingly restored between 1953 and 1970. For many years after the war, the Erbdrostenhof housed the Westphalian Office for the Preservation of Monuments. Following that, a number of other cultural organizations have quartered within its walls, including the Historical Commission and the Literature Commission for Westphalia, the Droste Research Center, and, finally, the LWL Museum Office (the current occupants, who leased the property until 2057).

The LWL maintains a collection of exquisite historical keyboard instruments in the Erbdrostenhof as part of the local cultural heritage maintenance. Among the stored items here, perhaps one of the most valuable is a three-course, two-manual Ruckers harpsichord from 1640 (recognized as one of the most important historical keyboard instruments in the world), loaned by the Count of Landsberg-Velen. The instruments are presented to the public every year during the "Erbdrostenhof concerts" organized in cooperation with the city administration.