Welcome to Osnabrück, the "City of Peace". Around 780, Charlemagne, king of the Franks, erected a stone church on the banks of the Hase River, the nucleus of today's Osnabrück. It was the place where the "Peace of Westphalia'', a series of peace treaties were signed, effectively ending the Thirty Years War. Peace was proclaimed in October 1648 from the town hall and would have a significant impact on European history. The city is located in the middle of a UNESCO Geo Park, a 1.220 square kilometers in total area that is a nature reserve, offering a golden opportunity to go cycling or hiking in the country. See the pedestrian zone flanked by gorgeous 15th century half-timbered and sandstone houses, topped off with a war memorial to the soldiers who fought at Waterloo. The city palace was also the birthplace of King George I. of England. Osnabrück is also known amongst literature and art lovers through the works of some of its own sons, Erich Maria Remarque and Felix Nussbaum.