FROM THE FOURTH floor of the Hotel Kaiserhof in Münster, the view is film noir. The multistory railway station is framed by a wide sidewalk cluttered with vendors selling hot nuts and flowers; women swishing past in trench coats seem to whisper state secrets as they hand over their Euros for clusters of roses. There's a pre-WWII ambience about the street outside the station, where scurrying grannies swaddled in scarves share the sidewalk with long-legged blonds. Then, incongruously, a Lovecraftian swarm of bicycles fills the street.

"We call them the silent killers," jokes Dr. Bernd Schabbing from the Münster Tourist Office, referring to the horde of bikers. At least, I think he's joking. Most Münster residents have at least two bikes, he says, one for everyday and one for Sundays. Some have more, in case out-of-town company comes calling. I find myself dodging kamikaze bicyclists approximately every 200 meters.

On the top floor of the Tourist Info building, there's a panoramic view of the historic city from far above the bicycles. Much of the center was bombed during World War II, and the rebuilding of Münster in replica resulted in a city that in places seems untouched by time or conflict. The curious juxtaposition of old to new is picture-worthy. Once you've descended into the photo op, check out the nearby old Town Hall, a Gothic-gabled masterpiece; from there it's an easy wander through the Prinzipalmarkt, a pricey shopping area full of luscious treats for the consumerati.

When you tire of admiring expensive handbags and scarves in the shopping district, lift your eyes to the spire of St. Lamberti Church and the three iron cages that hang from it. These served as the execution cells and (temporary) final resting places of three unlucky Anabaptists. In 1534 that sect took over Münster, making it the capital of a short-lived empire marked by polygamy, forced marriages, and executions. When their rule ended, three of the leaders were locked in the above-mentioned cages and left to perish and rot in public.

If that story doesn't put you off the Old Town, it's time for a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, whose astronomic clock has a span of 500 years. Also check out photos of the cathedral in ruins, taken during WWII. While the 13th-century building was heavily damaged, a medieval statue of St. Christopher, protector of travelers, withstood an all-out Allied attack.

While the good people of Münster may once have found the sight of their fellow citizens hanging out to dry entertaining, nightlife no longer revolves around religious conflict and torture. Münster was protesting against early pub closings as far back as the 1800s, and the results are apparent in the student quarter, where you can undertake a study of beer. The Kuhviertel district is full of historic pubs and intoxicated, pontificating scholars.

Burning off the beer calories is easy in Münster. Remember those bikes? You can quit dodging them and join them. Rentals are available for solo expeditions and scheduled tours. And Münster is an open-air museum. More than 50 outdoor sculptures circle the city along four routes, where you can see pieces by Harald Klingelhöller and Claes Oldenburg. Then head out to the actual Open Air Museum via bike path to visit a collection of transplanted rural buildings from the 1700s through the 1900s and learn about rural life in Germany.

Despite the emphasis on bicycling, Münster is accessible to other forms of transport. You can take a city tour by taxi or rickshaw. And in the pedestrian areas you'll find brick crosswalks designed to harmonize with the historical cobblestone but constructed to be wheelchair accessible. Tourist Info has booklets listing wheelchair-accessible rest rooms, and most public buildings are easily negotiable by people with mobility limitations.

Those who prefer their art corralled safely in the confines of a museum will want to visit the Graphikmuseum Pablo Picasso Münster, one of four museums on the planet that are dedicated to Picasso. Of special interest to struggling artists are the displays of preliminary drawings for commissions the master didn't get. Even Picasso, it would seem, was not always Picasso.

But Münster has always been Münster: from the city's official foundation in 793 through war, peace, and renovation; from Gothic landmarks to surreal sculpture best viewed sober to beer halls that stay open half the night. It's the perfect city for daytime exercise and even better for evening excess.

If you go