  |
 |
|
|
|
Welcome to Lübeck
Lübeck, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, was one of the great mercantile cities in the Middle Ages. Nowadays it offers what guests search for: a town small enough to be diverting, history to learn, a seaside for doing nothing. The first impression is of soothing harmony. The width of the streets, the height of the roofs, and the length of time it takes to stroll across the Marketplace have the right proportion. Surviving here are more 13th-15th-Century buildings than in all other large North German cities combined. Five major churches with a total of seven tall spires dominate the city's unmistakable skyline. Witnesses to Lübeck's golden days are found at every step in the Old Quarter. Alleyways and hidden courtyards beckon at every turn. Since the 13th century, the "City of Seven Spires" has been depicted with the same skyline of seven green-clad belfries rising above the red-tiled roofs. Indeed, in 1987, the entire Old Town was distinguished as a UNESCO World Heritage site with more than 1,300 buildings - ranging from Romanesque to modern styles - that have been designated as protected historic monuments. Travemünde is Lübeck's lovely daughter, a part of the city located a short distance away on the Baltic coast. In this federally certified spa resort, parents can enjoy the beach with their children, the athletic-minded can enjoy sailing, tennis or golf, fish-lovers can buy their meal straight from the fishing boat, and nature-lovers can enjoy the cliffs, sand dunes, woods and country trails. Visitors can also visit the four-masted bark "Passat", where young and old are transported back to the romantic sailing era of the tall ships. Henry the Lion in 1173 laid the cornerstone of Lübeck's oldest building, the Dom (Cathedral). The nave is in Romanesque style, while the aisles and choir are Gothic. Further churches testify to the flurry of construction in the early Middle Ages, primarily in the Gothic era. Well worth seeing are the Ägidienkirche (14th century), Jakobikirche (13th century) in famous North German brick Gothic, St. Catherine's Church (13th century), Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church, late 12th century) with the world's largest mechanical organ and St. Peter's (13th century). With the exception of the Rathaus (Town Hall), built over a period of some 300 years from the 13th century, most of the secular buildings date from the Renaissance and the early Baroque. Particularly noteworthy are the Füchtingshof and Glandorps-Gang and Glandorps-Hof, housing for widows of mariners and merchants. The Zeughaus (armory) and St. Anne's Convent are today used as Museums of Ethnology and Municipal Art and Cultural History. Lübeck's best-known landmark is the Holstentor city gate, built 1464-78 to protect the harbor. The structure today houses the Museum of Municipal History. Built 1579 in the immediate vicinity of Holstentor was the first Salt Warehouse, followed around 1600 by two more. Stored here was the Lüneburg salt coveted by the entire world, the cornerstone of the city's affluence through many centuries. Contact: |
||
|
|
E-Mail