“Pluggen,” what does that even mean? Pluggendorf gets its name from the piles upon which houses were built here. Let me tell you about Pluggendorf in Münster. This area was once mostly swampland.
Pluggendorf is a district southwest of Münster’s city center. It lies just outside where the old medieval city walls once stood. You can still see where the walls were because the Promenade traces their path.
Back in the Middle Ages, the Kornmühlen lined the banks of the Aa river here. The Aa flowed into the city at this point. Today, Pluggendorf is bordered by the Aasee to the northwest. The B54 highway or Kolde-Ring marks its southern edge. Weseler Straße is the main border to the east. Scharnhorststraße cuts through Pluggendorf.
Pluggendorf is more than just houses. Several important institutions call it home. You will find the Münster Chamber of Crafts here. The Studentenwerk, with its Mensa am Aasee, provides student services. The youth hostel offers budget accommodations. The Apothekerkammer Westfalen-Lippe oversees pharmacies. Some University of Münster buildings are on Scharnhorststraße.
In 2003, about 2,400 people lived in Pluggendorf. The area covers only 0.53 square kilometers. Pluggendorf used to be an area where people of lower social status lived. It was one of four districts where people spoke Masematte. Masematte was a Rotwelsch dialect. The other districts were Herz-Jesu-Viertel, Sonnenstraßenviertel and Kuhviertel.
Streets like “An den Mühlen” and “An den Bleichen” tell a story. “An den Bleichen” refers to bleaching fabric. The Pluggendorfer Mühle once stood here. In 1903, Pluggendorf was a southwestern suburb, mainly a worker’s quarter, stretching to the Aawiesen’s edge.
New plans are in place for the former Klosterareal Pluggendorf. This area is near Münster’s old town and the Aasee lake. The project aims for a diverse urban quarter. It will have the advantages of being close to the city center. It also will offer the green spaces of a residential area. The design includes permeable blocks with open spaces. These spaces allow wind from the Aasee to flow through. This wind once powered windmills. The design keeps the character of the old monastery garden. A new neighborhood center will offer public spaces. The green Werkhof will provide a quiet area for living and working.