Lübeck

The Hanseatic City of Lübeck (Hansestadt Lübeck) is the largest German port on the Baltic Sea and the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, situated at the mouth of the river Trave (hence the name of its port suburb Travemünde). The city has been an important port since the 12th century. Lübeck and nearby Hamburg founded what became the powerful Hanseatic League of ports and trading towns. History also has a sweeter side for Lübeck - it is globally known for the finest marzipan.



The old town (Altstadt) of Lübeck, although considerably damaged during the Second World War, has survived from medieval times in a pretty much unchanged or truthfully rebuilt form. It is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city centre's medieval skyline, mainly composed of seven Gothic-style church towers, is still intact. Lübeck is surrounded by parts of the old city walls with two of the original four city gates left. Most notable is the Holsten Gate (Holstentor) which was the motif on the German 50-Deutsche Mark banknote prior to reunification, when the bills were redesigned.

Lübeck is perhaps Germany's finest example of "brick Gothic" architecture, which uses the locally available brick (as opposed to "proper" stone, which was not available to medieval builders in northern Germany) to produce quite stunning buildings. The most notable being the seven spires that form Lübeck's medieval "skyline" but also a range of more or less secular buildings, including the Heilig Geist Hospital (despite being built as a hospital, it cites the Holy Spirit in the name, so whether it is a secular building is debatable) and the medieval town hall.

Understand


Lübeck was an independent city state until 1937, when it lost that status due to a Nazi era law. Lübeck accumulated considerable wealth as the "first among equals" of the Hanseatic League from the 11th to the 17th century. Many merchants made a fortune on shipping salt to other Baltic port cities in exchange for valuable goods needed in Germany. Many impressive warehouses are located at the old harbour and can be accessed by tourists since they host museums, shops, restaurants or pubs today. Unlike fellow Hanseatic Cities of Hamburg and Bremen, it has lost its "Free" (Freie Stadt) status and has been incorporated into the surrounding state of Schleswig-Holstein.



After sea trade substantially shifted away from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic in the 17th century, Lübeck was slowly marginalised as a trading city against the North Sea ports of Bremen and especially Hamburg. This led gradually to a noticeable decay in wealth and eventually inspired contemporary writers to draw a resigned picture of the city's residents, most famously in the novel Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann, who earned a Nobel Prize for it in 1929. In the second world war Lübeck - not unlike Hamburg - was a target for allied (primarily British) bombings and in one particularly "successful" raid much of the densely built old town burned down. While most of the landmark buildings have since been restored, the New Lübeck has a lot less wood (for obvious reasons) and historic style residential buildings (mostly for financial reasons).

After World War II, the city was marginalised due to the nearby "Iron Curtain" which impeded access to many trading partners in the eastern Baltic, and even cut off two minor urban districts of the city. As a traveller you might notice two effects of the Cold War still visible today. First, some bridges have something that looks like undersized manhole covers at either end. These were in fact holes that could be filled with explosives to destroy the bridge, should the Soviets ever attack. The other thing you might notice is that there is a lot of (for Central European standards at least) untouched wildlife just outside the city to the east. While it was preserved by happenstance and East Germany's attempt to shut its border airtight, there are now efforts to preserve this "green band" of wildlife all through Germany. A curiosity in this area are Nandus, flightless birds native to South America that escaped in the early 2000s and roam free since. Despite efforts to boost commerce in the Baltic region, the city is still struggling from the Cold War era with a fragile economy that leads to a comparatively deteriorated infrastructure outside the picturesque city centre. Ironically the end of the Cold War dealt a further blow to the city, as it lost its "border town" status that made it eligible for big subsidies. Add to that a nearly total wipeout of the once huge ship building industry in the 1990s and you have an economic crisis the city hasn't quite shaken off to this day.

Lübeck sits at the confluence of the rivers Wakenitz and Trave. The "-itz" ending just like the original name of Lübeck "Liubice" indicate Slavic settlement in the early middle ages. The rivers have historically played an important role in the city's economic life and in city defense and they were extensively rerouted and redesigned, forming an "island" on which most of the old town and most of the sights are to be found. Travemünde, the port of Lübeck for all boats too small to sail up the river has been a part of Lübeck since medieval times and its name just means "mouth of the Trave". Another body of water which historically played an important role is the Elbe-Lübeck-Canal which replaced predecessors dating to the 14th century and was built during the turn from the 19th to the 20th century. While its role for cargo traffic is next to zero these days, it is a popular route for joggers, cyclists, rowers and people in pleasure craft. Thanks to the shoreline protection made from tree-trunks the canal looks rather "natural" and much less "artificial" than canals like the Main Danube Canal.

By rail
On working days, commuter trains to and from Hamburg leave every 30 minutes, on weekends and on holidays every 60 minutes. Local trains from Lüneburg, Kiel, Schwerin and the beach resorts Travemünde and Timmendorfer Strand depart on an hourly basis. Additionally, InterCity trains via Hamburg leave/arrive every two hours, with some trains coming from Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt. There are also regular trains from Copenhagen, Szczecin and the island of Fehmarn. If you are taking a day trip to Lübeck from Hamburg, Kiel, etc and have multiple people, consider getting the NAH SH Groupticket "Kleingruppenkarten ohne Sylt-Bus". For a total of €45.90 for unlimited transit starting 9AM on Monday-Friday or starting at noon on Saturday/Sunday/holidays until 6AM the subsequent day, a group of up to 5 adults (children free) can ride all buses and trains in the entire SH-Tarif Network (Schleswig-Holstein state plus Hamburg minus Sylt island). It is available at ticket counters or in the NAH SH mobile app.



By plane
Hamburg Airport is just one hour away, and offers many international connections. From the airport you can take the S-Bahn to Hamburg main station with an hourly train connecting to Lübeck main station.



By road
Lübeck is about 60 km northeast of Hamburg and easily accessible by car through the Autobahn A1. The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania borders Lübeck to the east. Via Autobahn A20 (Baltic Sea highway) there is about 120 km to the other large German sea port on the Baltic Sea — Rostock. As Autobahn A1 is the backbone of the cargo transport from Hamburg to the Travemünde port, there will be heavy (and rather slow) traffic on the right of the three lanes.



By boat

 * see also: Ferries in the Baltic Sea

There are many ferry connections to and from Lübeck. Passengers ferries arrive and depart from Skandinavienkai, a quay in Lübeck's borough Travemünde. Most of the ferries run 1 or 2 times every day:


 * Helsinki, Finland, operated by Finnlines
 * Malmö, Sweden, operated by Finnlines
 * Trelleborg, Sweden, operated by TT-Lines

Skandinavienkai is served by buses 40, 30, and 31 (timetable), which travel between Travemünde Strandbahnhof and Lübeck ZOB. There is also a train station called "Travemünde Skandinavienkai"; it is about 1 km from the ferry terminal building. However, the only way between the ferry terminal and the train station is by those same buses. It is not possible to walk.

By bus
The liberalisation of the national long distance bus market benefits Lübeck. Companies like FlixBus offer service from Berlin for as little as €15 four times a day. Several other companies and lines are in the planning process. For detailed information on the market and other companies see Long distance bus travel in Germany. Buses stop at or close to the ZOB, which is also the hub for local buses and just a few hundred meters from the main train station.

Get around
As most of the attractions are within or close to the compact Altstadt, you can get everywhere quickly on foot. There is a local bus service hub at the Hauptbahnhof/ZOB (central rail station) with services to all parts of the town and nearby towns. For medium to long distances within the city cycling is also an option and becoming more and more popular with the locals. Taxis are available nearly everywhere.

Because local bus tickets are quite expensive in comparison to other German cities, a taxi is generally cheaper for a group of three and up if your destination is less than 10 km away. You have to go by taxi at night anyway, because there is no nightly bus service. Check here for bus fares and schedules.

Tourist information can be obtained in the city hall (Rathaus, Breite Straße) or at the "Welcome Centre", opposite Holstentor.

Consider getting the NAH SH Groupticket: 1 day of public transit for €45.90 for up to 5 adults. Please see "Get In" section.



See
The main attraction is the medieval Altstadt (old city) located on an island surrounded by the Trave river and its various channels. Listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site, it offers an astonishing variety of different architectural styles. The streets of Lübeck are a delight for a connoisseur of architecture.

Lübeck's Altstadt is not an open-air museum but a living city centre, so don't expect a complete medieval site. You'll find many beautiful old buildings intertwined with modern ones and a modern infrastructure. A particularly well-preserved 13th-century part of the Altstadt is the Koberg area at the island's northern end. And don't miss the Gänge, small streets off the bigger roads, with small houses and a peculiar atmosphere.

Noteworthy historical buildings include:
 * The churches, housing several of the finest Northern German artworks:
 * The two remaining city gates:
 * The two remaining city gates:
 * The two remaining city gates:
 * The two remaining city gates:
 * The two remaining city gates:
 * The two remaining city gates:
 * The two remaining city gates:

There are two houses dedicated to Lübeck's two Literature Nobel Prize laureates: The borough of Moisling has a special Jewish history. An old is still to be found there.



Dedicated to the maritime heritage of the Hanse glory days:

Dedicated to 20th century aspects of Lübeck's history:

With such a rich history and literary heritage to draw from it is perhaps not surprising that there is little room for other kinds of museums, but there are some:

Do



 * Take a bus/boat/train ride to Travemünde, a sea side resort and enjoy the view of the Baltic Sea. A bus journey is fastest, as it takes about 20 minutes. A boat ride however, is much more scenic. The train stops at the iconic "Travemünde Strand" Station and is another good option.
 * Take a seat on one of the tourist boats and ship around the city (boats go off every hour or so on the Holstentor side of the Altstadt island). For example you get a beautiful view of the Salzspeicher (Hanseatic salt warehouses; fans of classic horror movies might be interested by the fact that one of these Salzspeicher was the house of Count Nosferatu both in the Murnau film and the Werner Herzog remake with Klaus Kinski). If you've got more time to spend ship on along the Wakenitz river which links the Trave river with the Ratzeburg lake. Parts of the river offer an astonishing flora.

Theatres

 * Puppet theatre
 * Several smaller theatres
 * Several smaller theatres

Cinema
Lübeck is the origin of the now ubiquitous Cinestar chain of multiplex cinemas and has had its share of interesting as well as run-of-the-mill cinemas through the years. As less and less money is to be made running a cinema, many have shut down in Lübeck, too. These are the three that remain:

Other regular events

 * May: Maifest (May festival) Punk Rock/alternative open air music and art festival at the so-called Walli at Willy-Brand-Allee
 * July: Travemünder Woche sailing festival in Travemünde;
 * August: Duckstein Festival;
 * November/December: Artificers' market on Koberg;
 * December:

Buy



 * Lübecker Marzipan is the most famous export from the city. It is available in several varieties. The excellent Cafe Niederegger is a café in the old Viennese style and has outlets throughout the city. The Niederegger Café in Travemünde is worth a visit for its special pancakes. Its main store on the Alter Markt is a tourist attraction in its own right. It includes a museum dedicated to the manufacture of marzipan, as well as many marzipan sculptures.
 * Walk down the Hüxstrasse and the "Fleischhauerstrase", Lübeck's famous shopping streets and enjoy shopping. You may find artists, painting various interpretations of the Holstentor, which make an excellent souvenir.
 * Rotspon wine, available in nearly every shop.
 * Souvenirs and Lübeck-related literature can be purchased at the Rathaus bookshop (between market place and Marienkirche) and elsewhere.

Eat
There are several restaurants within the city centre which will satisfy most tastes. At the pinnacle is the Michelin starred Wullenwever. Other good options include Markgraf and Schabbelhaus while the most popular spot for tourists is the Schiffergesellschaft. If you're in for locally brewed beer, check out the slightly Bavarian-themed Brauberger in Alfstraße. Lübeck is well known for its high density of cafés and "Kneipen" (pubs), so peep into some of the smaller streets as well and see if you can find something that fits your taste.

Budget
All these are in the Old Town:



Walli
The following three venues are all on "Wallhalbinsel" ("Walli") and known as "leftist" or "alternative" spaces, which in the past has led to conflicts with centre-right Christian Democratic Union politicians.



Clubs and discotheques
Some of the biggest/most frequented clubs in Lübeck are:



Go next
There are several options to spend your time around Lübeck.

Somewhat north of Travemünde is a cliff (Brodtener Ufer) that has a hiking way from Travemünde to Niendorf (1-1½ hr walk) with good views on the Baltic coastline. Niendorf/Ostsee is somewhat more cosy and family oriented with its fishery port and a public swimming pool and a well-known bird zoo (Vogelpark Niendorf, situated in a small nature resort).
 * Sea-side towns for sun & beaches are:
 * Travemünde Still part of Lübeck and only a 15-20 minute drive away. The railway station Travemünde Strand is right next to the beach and its big clock tower displays the departure time of the next train.
 * Timmendorfer Strand/Niendorf about 20-30 minutes and a more stylish resort and very popular with people from Hamburg

The Baltic coast resorts in Mecklenburg Pommerania are about 1-2 hr drive on the Autobahn A20 away and might be worth a day trip

Hansa-Park is an amusement park in Sierksdorf

For nature lovers a trip to the lakes south of Lübeck may be of interest as there are great opportunities for bird-watching (e.g. the Ratzeburger See and the Schaalsee). Ratzeburg (with its Ernst-Barlach and A.-Paul-Weber museums) and Mölln are also worth a visit, especially as they are easily accessible by train. Near Ratzeburg is also one of the rare places to see the nearly extinct European bison—not a very spectacular facility, just some buffaloes on a pasture, but if you're in the area and have never seen one you might want to look out for the "Wisentgehege".

If you're travelling on northwards to Kiel, consider a (train) stop in one of the three small towns of Eutin, Plön, and Preetz. Among other sites, each of them boasts a "Schloss" or former aristocratic mansion. The towns are situated in a lake district which is popular for rambling and canoeing in summer (you can rent a canoe in Plön and go to Preetz by Schwentine River and through various lakes, then the canoe-centre people will get you and your canoe back to Plön by car).

And don't forget that it's 50 minutes by train to Hamburg (they go each hour).

During the summer the Schleswig-Holstein music festival is one of the largest events in northern Germany. An abundance of concerts with world-famous artists and orchestras attracts many people every year.