Prinzipalmarkt, market square and shopping street in Münster, Germany

The Prinzipalmarkt is a street in central Münster lined on both sides by rows of gabled houses, no two of which are alike. The ground floors of the east and west sides have arcades built of Baumberger sandstone, and the street runs from St. Lambert's Church tower in the north to the Stadthausturm in the south. The Historical City Hall stands on the eastern side, followed by the Stadtweinhaus and the commercial building at Prinzipalmarkt 5.

The street developed from the 12th century as a bourgeois market lane on the edge of the cathedral immunity, with closed building rows by about 1280. The arcades that define it were built around 1300, and the name Prinzipalmarkt appeared only at the start of the 17th century. Most buildings were destroyed in World War II; reconstruction from 1947 to 1958 kept the old plots and used Baumberger sandstone. Trams ran through until 25 November 1954.

The name Prinzipalmarkt, meaning main market, came into use in the early 17th century, distinguishing it from the Roggenmarkt and Fischmarkt further along the street. Since the 15th century the street has been home mainly to shopkeepers and merchants, and their businesses still occupy the historic merchant houses. Münster residents call the street their "good room".

The street is easy to walk through and has plenty of outdoor seating at cafes where you can rest and watch passersby. The open arcades provide shelter from rain and sun, and the location connects easily to other parts of the old town for further exploration.

The Prinzipalmarkt is the reference point for road distances in Münster: kilometre counting on the federal and state roads crossing the city begins here, at the carriageway centre in front of the town hall, 60 m above sea level. In 2006 a ZDF poll of Germans' favourite places ranked it fourth.