Osnabrück Germany is a city in the Lower Saxony and was once a member of Hanse league, a trading alliance that gave prominence and wealth among its member cities. Also known as Friedensstadt (City of Peace), Osnabrück has gained its reputation after playing its role in ending up the Thirty Years’ civil war in Germany. The peace treaty was signed at its historic Town Hall.

Going to Osnabrück Germany has been in our plan for already quite a while though we always ended up with cities close to our hometown. Check my blog on German cities close to The Netherlands to know these cities. Finally we made a visit to Osnabrück this summer 2023, even just for a day. For only a couple of hours, we were able to see and experience a lot of this city. Everything was very efficient since we parked in Parkplatz Große Domsfreiheit, which is close to the Altstadt (Old Town) of Osnabrück Germany. From there, many of the tourists attractions were accessible. If you have a limited time to visit Osnabrück Germany and want to see as much as you can, I suggest that you park in this parking space and start your tour in the old city centre (Altstadt). For this blog, I will discuss the one day itinerary of Osnabrück Germany based on the map below.

Osnabrück Germany one day itinerary

1. Rathuis (Historic city hall) Osnabrück Germany

From the parking space, it takes only 3 minutes by walk to reach the historic city hall of Osnabrück. Being known as a city of peace, you can find documentations and symbolisms on how Osnabrück contributes to a peaceful co-existence in Europe. Forty two European envoys that included representatives from Kingdom of Sweden, as well as French and German empires, sat together in the city hall of Osnabrück to negotiate war treaties during 1648. This has been known as the “Westphalian Peace Treaty of Osnabrück and Münster”. Nowadays, to further promote peace, the city of Osnabrück established city partnerships and special friendships with cities inside and outside Germany, to stimulate mutual trust and promote understanding and communication among various culture. The visit to the city hall is for free so make sure to not miss it in your visit. After your tour, you may admire the late Gothic style 15th century town building.

2. St. Mary’s church

Located beside the Osnabrück town hall you can find the oldest town’s church of St. Mary. This Gothic style church was built starting the 12th century and was finished during the 14th century. It was initially built as a Catholic church, and was then converted to Evangelical-Lutheran church in the mid-16th century. During the World War II, St. Mary’s church had been severely damaged that it required excavations in order to reconstruct the church. The church is often open and you can visit inside for free.

3. Osnabrück Market Square

Next to St. Mary’s church is a row of restaurants and shops in the market square of Osnabrück. Most of the establishments are located in the beautiful and colorful Gothic style buildings. At the parallel street of the market square are the traditional style German houses or buildings built in colourful timber frame.

4. St. Peter’s Cathedral (Dom van Osnabrück)

St. Peter’s Cathedral is a late Romanesque cathedral with its first version established in 785. After a 100 years, the Normans destroyed this church. Its current version only started to be developed after being destroyed by a fire in 1100. The baptismal font which was built in 1220 and the triumphal cross in 1230 are the oldest remaining facilities of this cathedral. St. Peter’s cathedral further went through a lot of renovation that other styles, such as the Baroque styles can be seen in its exteriors, altars and figures. The cloister was attached at the south of the church and this serves as a shelter during air raids in World War 2.

5. Ragazzi Italian restaurant

After two or three hours of learning historical building, it’s time to visit some restaurants. There are many choices to choose from. In our case, we ended up in Ragazzi Pizza Napoletana restaurant. I know it’s non-typical German, but they have a really good review! If you eat in their open terrace, they have the herb garden on the side of the chair, and if you are craving for gelato ice cream, then they also have their shop beside the main restaurant. In addition, this restaurant is very close to the playground. Since we have young children, this is the best option for us. However if you are craving for German dishes, then there is Rampendahl Hausbrauerei and Romantik Restaurant Walhalla.

6. Kinder Spielplatz Osnabrück Germany (Children playground)

This children playground is a nice entertainment place to bring for children, after a few 2-3 hours of walking around the city. This area is surrounded by many restaurants, including the Ragazzi Pizza Napoletana Restaurant. The surrounding of the playground is also filled with beautiful building architectures, including street arts.

7. Schloss Osnabrück

Schloss Osnabrück is a Baroque style palace built in the city centre of Osnabrück. There is a huge garden, with lots of flowers, small fountains, and green plants. This palace which was coloured yellow/orange was turned into a university building and is a popular gathering or picnic areas for children especially during nice weather.