Lübeck: The City of Everything Beautiful

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Lübeck: The City of Everything Beautiful

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Lübeck is an important historic city along with being a major port. It is located in Schleswig-Holstein which is further in the northern parts of Germany. The city is situated on the river Trave and has held a crucial position among the Hanseatic League.

This Hanseatic city is also otherwise known as: city of the seven towers and the Gateway to the North. Furthermore, it is also often referred to as the: Queen and Mother of the Hanse. These names are a result of a trade association which has been running since the 12th century and even is operational today.

Lübeck’s Old Town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the year 1987. Among the closest major cities are: Hamburg, at a distance of 65 kilometres, Kiel which is 78 kilometres away, and Schwerin which is 68 kilometres away.

Reaching Lübeck

  • The Air: Lübeck has a major airport located in Blankensee. Also, the closest international airport to Lübeck is in the city of Hamburg. Hamburg has varied modes of transportation available for those who want to reach Lübeck. Among them the most convenient is the railway. You can take the S1 which travels at an interval of every 10 minutes and reach Lübeck. The total travel time through train will take you about 90 minutes. There used to be a bus service but that has been discontinued. Furthermore, as far as carriers are concerned, the last of them operating at Lübeck airport is the Wizzair. This can take you to Bucharest, Sofia, Gdansk, Skopje, Riga and Kiev.
  • The Road: Lübeck is situated towards the north east of Hamburg and the distance between them is about 60 kilometres. The Autobahn A1 road network is an absolute bliss and provides good connectivity through cars. A new highway – the A20 or the Baltic Sea highway can also be reached from the A1. The A20 can take you to Rostock which is in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania.
  • The Rail: During the working days trains leave at an interval of every 30 minutes whereas during the weekends and/or holidays they leave at every 60 minutes. In addition to them there are also intercity trains which travel via Hamburg and travel at an interval of every 2 hours. These trains then continue towards Berlin, München, Cologne or Frankfurt. The local trains go towards: Lüneburg, Kiel, Schwerin and also to the beach resorts of Travemünde and Timmendorfer Strand on an hourly basis. From Hamburg itself you can find trains which also connect Lübeck with Copenhagen, Szczecin and the Island of Fehmarn by leaving at every 2 hours.
  • The Boats: Lübeck along with its borough – Travemünde serve as an important Baltic ferry port. You can board the ferries here most of which run at least twice in a day. These days the ferries connect the following regions:
  • Beginning at Lübeck Nordkai they travel towards: St. Petersburg, Russia via Sassnitz, Germany and Ventspils, Latvia. This is operated by Finnlines.
  • Beginning at Travemünde Skandinavienkai the ferries go to:
    • Malmö, Sweden: This route is operated by Finnlines.
    • Trelleborg, Sweden: This route is operated by TT-Lines.
    • Helsinki, Finland: This route is operated by Finnlines.

As far as Skandinavienkai is concerned, on this route you can also find busses: 40, 30 and 31. These busses travel between Travemünde Strandbahnhof and Lübeck ZOB. There is also an operational train station by the name of: Travemünde Skandinavienkai. This station is just about a kilometre away from the ferry building. However despite the short distance it is nearly impossible to walk through and the only way to reach is via the bus.

Traveling in the city of Lübeck

As has been oft cited, the best way to travel within any city is on foot. Lübeck has a wonderful intercity road network. Interestingly enough, you can find posters saying: Lübeck: The place of short distances.

In any case there is local bus services available beginning at the hub: Hauptbahnhof. Here also is located the central rail station. You can also get to nearby localities and towns through these busses. Along with the busses there are taxis available too which can indeed take you everywhere but they come at a bit of a heavy price. Moreover, travelling in the city, particularly its central region is not difficult at all.

If you need information of any kind then the best place to go is the City Hall or Rathaus, Breite Straße or at the Welcome Centre which is located right opposite to the Holstentor. To begin with you can take a virtual tour of the many touristy spots in Lübeck on CityPanoramas Lübeck.

What is there to see in Lübeck?

The main feature of the city is its medieval Altstadt or the Old City which is located on an island which is surrounded by the river Trave and its channels. This part of Lübeck is listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Altstadt has been adorned in some of the most magnificent architectural marvels. Along with the buildings the streets of Lübeck themselves are a matter of delight for any connoisseur of architecture.

One important thing to keep in mind is that Lübeck’s Altstadt is a living city centre and is not like an open-air museum. It is also not a complete medieval site. Moreover, you will find some of the most well preserved architectural marvels which are enmeshed with many of the modern architectural beauties and the present day infrastructure.

Among the most well preserved section of the medieval town is located in the northern side of the island. This section dates back to the 13th century is known as the Koberg area. This site should not be missed. Another important site which has to be on the must visit list is the Gänge. It is a small street which is off the bigger road and has smaller houses and comprises of a peculiar atmosphere.

Furthermore, the UNESCO World Heritage Site which is on the Old Town Island, it consists of more than a thousand buildings. Most of these buildings have been registered as monuments. Among them following should definitely be visited if you happen to travel to Lübeck:

  • Mary’s Church or the Marienkirche: It is one of the biggest and a fine brick gothic building. It is located near to the City Hall, at the very centre of the Altstadt.
  • The Dom: It is located on the southern end of the island and contains a wooden crucifix by Bernd Notke.
  • Petri or Petrikirche: This church is located near to St. Mary’s Church. To reach the platform of the tower you will be required to take an elevator. From this church you can get a beautiful view of the city. Sometimes when the weather conditions are apt enough you can also see as far as Travemünde which is 17 kilometres in the north east.
  • Jakobi or the Jakobikirche: This church is located in the north of St. Marien at the Koberg.
  • Aegidien or the Aegidienkirche: It is considered to be the smallest church and is located in the eastern side of the Altstadt.
  • Catherine’s Church or the Katharinenkirche: This is a church where you can find some of the most famous works of Ernst Barlach.

Among the two remaining city gates are as follows. Today these gates have a fully functioning museum within their confines:

  • Holstentor: This one is located near to the train station and ZOB bus terminal. It is regarded as the most recognisable building in Lübeck and compress of two mighty towered gates.
  • Burgtor: It is located in the northeast of Altstadt.

Among the other buildings are:

  • The Rathaus or city hall: The structure of this building is a stylistic potpourri. This particular style dates back to the 12th It still performs the function of being the seat of the city administration. There are no museums in this building but guided tours are conducted on a daily basis which will take you through the many historic rooms and the galleries.
  • The Willy Brandt House: Willy Brandt’s House today has been converted into a museum which portrays events concerning his life and his political career.
  • The Buddenbrookhaus: This is the house which is dedicated to the two Nobel Prize winners in literature from Lübeck: Thomas and Heinrich Mann. It has been converted into a museum and houses many of their works.
  • Günter-Grass-Haus: It is dedicated to Günter Grass, the famous literati. The house is located in Glockengießerstraße.

The following theatres are also a must visit:

  • Theater Lübeck: Beckergrube;
  • Puppet theatre;
  • several smaller theatres.

Why travel to Lübeck?

Lübeck is primarily famous for its old town area. This region has moreover seen a considerable amount of development in the recent past mainly because of the construction of the airport in the vicinity. The region is also well connected by all the possible means of transportation.

In the city you can walk all day and night and soak in the charming atmosphere of the city. You will not require a tourist’s guide to find anything there, in-fact the city will guide you on its own. There are newly built resorts on the sea side which guarantee the most splendid view of the Baltic Sea. If that is not your thing then simply take a seat on the many boats and spread your legs, relax and enjoy the freshness of the many rivers of the region.

If you are looking for entertainment then there are the three major theatres that you can visit or simply go to the mainstream cinema houses such as: Stadthalle, Filmhaus, or the Kommunales Kino. The night life in Lübeck is by all means going to blow your mind away. Some of the biggest nightclubs in the city are: A1 Musikpark, Body & Soul, Hüx, Parkhaus, Megaparc Lübeck, Fabrik 25 and Eishaus.

Lübeck is also home to yearlong events such as:

  • In the month of July: Travemünder Woche – a sailing festival in Travemünde;
  • In the month of August: Duckstein Festival;
  • In the months of November and/or December: Artificers’ market on Koberg;
  • From July to September: Sand World – It is a sand sculpture exposition;
  • Between December and January: Ice World – It is an ice sculpture exposition;
  • In the month of December: Weihnachtsmarkt or the Christmas fair which takes place at central market place, mediaeval market at St. Marien.

Among other things there are also many traditional pubs and bars in Lübeck which you must try out at least once. There are some places which offer nightlong music and then there are some which are based on the theme of contemporary art.

A bit of History

Archaeological surveys have shown that human settlements in the region first came around the time towards the end of the last Ice Age. You can still find many Neolithic dolmens in the region.

The Slavic people, most of them coming from Holstein settled here in AD 700. Then with later migration came the Holy Roman Empire who were attempting to Christianise the region and faced opposition at the hands of the Germanic Saxons.

Then around the year 1200 the Hanseatic League was formed incorporating the crucial port city of Lübeck. Lübeck by this time had attained the status of being a free city. The trade from this port included: cloth, fish, salt, butter, skins and furs, grain, beer, copper, iron, oil, et cetera.

By the 14th century, Lübeck had become the Queen of the Hanseatic League because of its status as the most powerful member of the medieval trade organisation. It also shared the title of Glories of the Empire with the likes of Venice, Rome, Pisa and Florence.

Throughout the centres Lübeck witnessed many matters of conflict along with prosperous times as well. Lübeck also became the part of the Luther’s Reformation by the mid-16th century.

When the Nazis took control of the region they passed the Greater Hamburg Act, 1937 under which it was merged with Prussia. Furthermore, during the Second World War Lübeck became the first city to suffer due to the bombings of the Royal Air Force. It was the 28th of March, 1942 when a firestorm was created as a result of bombings. This had resulted in considerable amount of damage to the historic centre and three of the main churches were completely obliterated. With the end of the war, the city underwent a massive round of restoration.

In the 1950’s, Lübeck came at the centre of a notable art scandal. A certain Lothar Malskat was hired for the restoration work of the medieval frescoes of the cathedral of the Marienkirche. Now what Malskat had done was that instead of restoring the art pieces that were found, he painted replicas of the originals and then posed them as restored works of art. Many of the experts remained aloof for a very long time and in-fact they could still have remained so if Malskat had not revealed his doings. Interestingly, Günter Grass, a literati featured this incident in his 1986 novel The Rat.