Erbdrostenhof Palace

After destruction in the Second World War, the building was restored between 1953 and 1970 according to old plans by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe. In particular, the reconstructed Baroque ballroom is to be mentioned here as an outstanding spatial creation. For many years, the Erbdrostenhof housed the Westphalian Office for Monument Preservation. After its relocation to the Landeshaus Westfalen-Lippe, other cultural departments of the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe moved in: the LWL-Museumsamt für Westfalen, the Historical Commission, and the Literature Commission for Westphalia.

The episodes Wilsberg und die Tote im See, Tod auf Rezept, and Die Wiedertäufer of the television series Wilsberg from 1999 to 2007 show the facade of the Erbdrostenhof in several shots. The film Blueprint, released in 2003 and starring actress Franka Potente from Dülmen, was also filmed in the Erbdrostenhof, among other locations. The Erbdrostenhof not only provided the backdrop for film productions but was also used as an open-air cinema during screenings of the television series Wilsberg.

In December 2011, the LWL announced a renovation of the Billerbeck sandstone, costing around 550,000 Euros, for summer 2012. The renovation of the Erbdrostenhof's facade, decided at the end of 2011, will be carried out from early July 2012 to late October 2012. This will involve cleaning approximately 800 square meters of sandstone surface on the facade facing Salzstraße, as well as another 230 square meters on the front facing Ringoldsgasse. The facade was last renovated over 20 years ago. In addition, the more than 50 windows facing Salzstraße and Ringoldsgasse, which were made of pitch pine in the 1950s, will be refurbished. The facade renovation was supported with 250,000 Euros from the earmarked inheritance of a childless doctor from Münsterland by the German Foundation for Monument Protection. The renovation of the roof is necessary. The renovation of the rear facade is also pending.

The LWL maintains a collection of exquisite historic keyboard instruments in the Erbdrostenhof as part of its regional cultural preservation efforts. For example, a three-choir, two-manual Ruckers harpsichord from 1640, on loan from the Count of Landsberg-Velen, is housed here, which is considered one of the most significant historic keyboard instruments in the world. The instruments are presented to the interested public annually in the "Erbdrostenhof Concerts" organized in cooperation with the city of Münster.