Lübeck is a
small Hanseatic town on an island enclosed by the river Trave in the northern part of Germany. It is not that far
from Berlin and very close to Hamburg. With its brick Gothic architecture it oozes
history on every corner. If you
like everything to do with shopping (this town is an excellent place to learn about
trade), the ocean, adventure, travelling, stories about seafaring nations, and
marzipan of the very best quality there is, do yourself a favour and visit Lübeck.
Looking at the town from above, you see a sea of red brick and green copper roofs under a wide open sky. There aren’t any skyscrapers or tall buildings, other than church towers to block your view.
Lübeck traded with merchants as far away as Russia and Persia
Lübeck became a wealthy town over the centuries. It was an important gateway for Germans, who were able to do business with merchants as far away as Russia and Persia. The space on the island became limited. In parts of the town landlords erected corridors and courtyards between their properties to use available space to its full extent and create income from the rent. More and more shacks were built as a home for labourers and the old folks of the town. Times have changed a lot, whereas living conditions were not too rosy through these days, today these small houses are popular for their very special flair.
Lübeck's was damaged in WW2
The area of the old town was heavily destroyed during an air raid in WW2. The priest, who told his parish the morning after the raid that this was a trial by ordeal, was beheaded by the Nazis for his words. This is hard to believe when you look at this area today. It feels so very peaceful. The historical town centre is almost of an unreal beauty, like in a fairy tale really. There are flowers and sleeping cats everywhere. The air is filled with the sounds of seagulls ...
11 things to do in Lübeck the city by the Baltic Sea
1. Holsten Gate
Sydney has the Opera House, Paris has the Eiffel Tower,
Berlin has the Brandenburg Gate, San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge and Lübeck has the Holsten Gate. The gate was built between
1464-1478, the swampy ground proved to be unstable, and the gate leans to one
side until today. The famous landmark welcomes visitors to the city with the
inscription "Concordia domi foris pax," which can be translated as
"Harmony inside, outside peace".
2. Aegidien Church in the artisan district of Lübeck
The Aegidien Church lies in the
middle of the former craftsman/artisan district. The church was first mentioned
in 1227. Since this is a rather small church I had the feeling that the guard
was more than happy to have a chat, there weren’t too many other visitors. She
showed me the Gothic wall paintings in the choir and the baptismal font from
1453.
Info. Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am
to 4pm. Entrance is free.
3. Lübeck Cathedral
Henry the
Lion, the powerful prince of the Welf dynasty laid the cornerstone of this
cathedral. The construction began in 1173, and that makes the Lübeck Cathedral
the first brick church in the Baltic region. The Cathedral contains several
medieval altars and there are also grave stones and sarcophagi of bishops in
the chapels on the side. Most impressive is the Astronomical Clock.
Info Luebeck Cathedral. Opening hours: April to October. 10am to 6pm. October 10am to 5pm. November to March 10am to 4pm. Entrance is free.
4. Salzspeicher Lübeck
Not far from the Holsten Gate by
the river Trave is a group of six Renaissance and Baroque gabled brick
warehouses which were built between 1580 and 1745 to store salt from the nearby
town of Lueneburg. The salt was exported to Scandinavian countries, where merchants
used the precious commodity to conserve fish. The houses by the river seemingly
carry each other through time, and if you remove one, they might topple over
and fall into the river Trave.
Address: Wallstrasse.
5. St. Mary's Church Lübeck
The two towers of the brick
gothic St Mary's church, built between 1250 and 1350, stick more than 120
meters into the sky. With a height of 38.5 meters in the nave, St Mary's is (to
date) the highest brick vault in the world. I mentioned earlier the air raid,
and also St. Mary's Church was almost completely destroyed on that night. You can
look at the original bells which had fallen down from the tower, they have been
in this exact spot ever since.
Info St Mary's Church: Koberg. Opening hours Tuesday to Sunday from 10am – 5pm. Entrance fee: EUR 2.
6. Buddenbrookhaus and Thomas Mann
Make
your way to Mengstrasse 4, and you will find yourself in the heart of the first
German-language social novel. "Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a
Family". It took the author Thomas Mann three years to describe a wealthy
merchant family over four generations. The author used his own family history
as a template for his successful novel. And in 1929 he received the Nobel Prize
for Literature for his vivid illustration of the Hanseatic bourgeoisie. Not
only had the fictional family lived behind the Baroque facade of the
Buddenbrook House, also Thomas Mann himself.
Walk
through the permanent exhibition to learn about the author's family, to see how
the book became published, and visit scenes of the novel. You can grab the
book, and read paragraphs in the exact room the scenes are set.
Info Buddenbrookhaus. Mengstrasse 4. Opening hours Monday to Sunday 10am to 6pm. Adults EUR 9.
7. Niederegger Marzipan Salon and Café
The Niederegger marzipan from Lübeck, the town is often called
"marzipan city" is best to be described as, I usually don't use words
like this, world class. It is moist, the sweetness is subtle, and the flavour
of the almonds lightly explode in your mouth. The already in the 16th century
produced marzipan was at first reserved for the nobility, and only in the 18th
century it became available in patisseries for sale to the general public.
I can say that, without the
slightest doubt, Niederegger is the epitome of marzipan in Germany. The secret
recipe of the Niederegger marzipan has been passed on from generation to
generation. When you visit the Marzipan Salon, a museum above the store and
Café, the only thing you find out is that the company uses Mediterranean
almonds together with sugar. The almonds are doused with boiling water so that they
swell slightly and the skin can be readily removed. When they are well dried,
they get finely ground (maybe the secret lies in for how long?). The almond
meal needs to be mixed with icing sugar and rosewater or other aroma until the
mixture binds.
Browse the store to buy
different varieties of marzipan, and visit the café to try the Marzipan Nut
Cake. Marzipan paradise found.
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| Luebeck celebrates marzipan at a museum |
Info Niederegger. Breite Strasse 89. Opening hours: During the week 9am to 7pm. On weekends: 9am to 6pm. Free entrance.
8. Holy Spirit Hospital Lübeck
In 1286 this property was built as one of the first
social institutions in Europe. The wealthy citizens of Lübeck meant well with constructing this brick gothic hospital
and creating a refuge for 100 sick and elderly people. At first, their beds were
separated by curtains but in the early 19th century they turned each space into small chambers made of wood. In the 1970s
inhabitants were transferred into facilities of a modern nursing home. Visit
this place to see the wooden chambers in their original state.
Info Holy Spirit Hospital. Koberg. Opening hours Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 5pm. Free entrance.
9. Museum Harbour Lübeck
Go for a walk
along the river Trave towards the northwestern end of
town to reach this
small museum harbour. The vintage ships are of the past 150 years.
10. Jakobi Church Lübeck
This is the church of the fishermen, deck-hands,
commanders, and today also the home of the National Memorial to the civil
seafarers. It is a gathering place for seafarers from all over the world. The beginnings of the
church date back to the 1220s. Look at the impressive altar from the early 16th
century and the organ, a Stellwagen which apparently is one of the most
important organs in Europe. Take a closer look at the flue pipes, they are all painted
with golden faces.
Info Jakobi Church. Jakobikirchof 3. 23552 Lübeck. Free entrance.
11. Seafarers Society - Schiffergesellschaft Lübeck
Ever since 1535, this property has
been a meeting place for seafarers. The brotherhood has been founded to help
and comfort the living and the dead, and all, who are willing to make an honourable
income in seafaring. The society of seafarers looked after the ship's papers, boat
taxes, legal matters and also took on mediation
tasks.
Until today a statute regulates
that a member of the society of seafarers can only be who has the full
captain's/commander's-license. Applicants must demonstrate that they led the ship, for whose guidance the aforementioned licence is obligatory and that they live in
Lübeck or the surrounding area.
This has got nothing to do with a
theme park or anything, this is the real deal, and not much has been changed in
here, if anything. This has been a place where commanders had their word in who
can board their vessels and hence decided over the success of trade with other
nations.
The traditional hall is leased to
a restaurateur and open to the public. You can feast on German food. Sit at
long wooden benches, look at the paintings and all these fantastic ship models
dangling from the high wooden ceiling, and dream of travelling. It gets
especially cosy when they light the real candles of the antique chandeliers.
There is
also a story behind the street name. The Engelsgrube is first mentioned in 1259
with the Latin names Fossa Angelica and Platea Anglica (England Street). The name refers to the part of the port to which the road led. This
is where commercial vessels docked which were operating in foreign trade with
England.
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| Marzipan Parfait |
Info Seafarers Society (Schiffergesellschaft in German). Engelsgrube 1. Opening hours:
10am – 11pm.
As I said in the beginning, Lübeck is a
tiny town, and as you now know it is full of stories and there is lots of history
to discover. Everything in the old town can be reached by feet. Best: Eat enough marzipan and Marzipan Torte to have enough power for your sightseeing adventures.
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| Marzipan Nut Torte in Luebeck |
Would
you like to travel to other places in Germany?
From
Berlin with love
