Lübeck
Lübeck [3] is a medieval city in Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany. Hamburg lies 58 km (36 mi) to the southwest. It is located on the Trave River, and is the largest German port city on the Baltic Sea. ContentsUnderstandBesides being the second largest city of Schleswig-Holstein, it is the only city in the north of Germany that still has an extensive medieval old city (Altstadt) comparable to some of southern Germany. Though considerably hit by bombs in WW2 , most of the old city survived from medieval times or was reconstructed. It has become part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city centre still has its medieval skyline mainly composed of seven gothic-style church towers. It is surrounded by parts of the old city walls with two of originally four city gates left intact. Most notable is the Holsten Gate (Holstentor) which was the motif on the German banknote of 50 Marks until a redesign following German reunification in 1990. Lübeck was historically an independent city state and came to considerable wealth as the capital 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 as they host museums, shops, restaurants or pubs today. After sea trade substantially shifted away from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic in the 17th century, Lübeck was slowly marginalized 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 cities' residents, most famously read in the novel Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann who earned the Nobel Prize for it in 1929. After World War II, the city was ultimately marginalized 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 itself. Despite efforts to boost commerce in the Baltic region, the city is still struggling from that time with a fragile economy that leads to a comparably deteriorated infrastructure outside the touristic city centre. Get inBy planeThere are no direct connections to Lübeck Airport (LBC) [4] from London anymore. You can fly via Gdansk or Stockholm or Milano with 1 stop at least only. The airport is a few kilometers outside the city centre but is easily accessed by car and public transport. There is a shuttle bus A20 to Hamburg ZOB (Zentraler Omnibus Bahnhof, central bus station) close to the HBF (Hauptbahnhof, central train station). The public bus number 6 connects the airport to Lübeck's main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) every 30 minutes, journey time is about 20 minutes. There is also a local train connection from the station "Lübeck Flughafen", the station is about 200 metres away from the terminal building, the train runs every hour and needs not more than 10 minutes to the main railway station. The airport Hamburg (HAM) is just one hour away, and you can find there many international destinations. By roadLübeck is about 60 km northeast of Hamburg and easily accessible by car through the Autobahn A1. With the opening of the new highway A20 (Baltic Sea highway) to Rostock the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania is only a very short distance away. By railOn working days, commuter trains from/to Hamburg go every 30 minutes (on weekends and on holidays every 60 minutes). Additonally, InterCity trains via Hamburg leave/arrive every 2 hours. A few trains continue to Berlin, München, Cologne or Frankfurt. Local trains to Lüneburg, Kiel, Schwerin and the beach resorts Travemünde and Timmendorfer Strand depart on an hourly basis. Other regular trains for Copenhagen, Szczecin and the Island of Fehmarn leave every 2 hours. By boatLübeck, and its borough Travemünde, is a major Baltic ferry port. Most of the ferries run 1 or 2 times every day. Current connections are: From Lübeck Nordkai
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 1km from 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. Get aroundFrom a sight-seeing point of view, it is best to go around Lübeck by foot. In fact you may find posters around Lübeck with a caption like "Lübeck: The place of short distances"! 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. Taxis are available nearly everywhere but have got their price. Within the city centre walking is by far the best way to get around. Tourist information can be obtained in the city hall (Rathaus, Breite Straße) or at the "Welcome Centre", opposite Holstentor. You can take a virtual tour to view the points of interest on CityPanoramas Lübeck[5] SeeThe main attraction is the medieval Altstadt (old city) located on an island surrounded by the Trave river and channels. Listed as an UNESCO heritage site [6], it offers an astonishing variety of different architectural styles. The streets of Lübeck are a delight for a connoisseur of architecture. Bear in mind that 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 c. 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:
There are two houses dedicated to Lübeck's two literature nobel prize laureates: The Buddenbrookhaus is dedicated to the brothers Thomas and Heinrich Mann, who spent their youth there, and contains many of their works. It's near Marienkirche, in Mengstraße. Then there is the Günter-Grass-Haus (of The Tin Drum fame) in Glockengießerstraße. The Museumshafen (museal port) between Beckergrube and the Musik- und Kongreßhalle building features some old-fashioned ships, among them a rebuilt Hanseatic kraweel ("Lisa von Lübeck")—more so in winter, because many of these ships are still in use during summer. The borough of Moisling has a special Jewish history. An old Jewish cemetery is still to be found there. Do
Theatres
Cinema
Luebeck.de > Aktuelles > Kinoprogramm [9] keeps an updated programme for all cinemas in town. Note that almost all films are dubbed in Germany, including Hollywood productions. Kommunales Kino is an exception, showing many subtitled films. If you are visiting Lübeck during autumn, you might want to check out the Nordische Filmtage (Nordic film days), a festival where films from Northern Europe (especially Scandinavia) are shown in all cinemas, most of them in the original languages with German or sometimes English subtitles. Get a festival programme in one of the cinemas. Clubs and discothequesNormally, they don't cater to a special scene, but have themes and playlists changing on a daily basis. Have a look at the respective web pages or at Piste Lübeck [10] for a programme. If you are in Lübeck, you can get a free printed copy of Piste magazine in newspaper shops or some restaurants. In Germany, the normal age to be admitted into a club/disco is 18 years or older. Teenagers over 16 years may be allowed to enter clubs (and stay longer than 0:00pm) when presenting a filled out form (usually found on the internet) saying that a person over 18years is caring for them for the time of their stay in the club and on their way home. Some of the biggest/most frequented clubs in Lübeck are:
There are two more or less regular goth parties in Lübeck: Schwarze Zone [17] in the Burgtor (see above). Since 2005, the Schwarze Zone Party is over, while DarknessParty still lives (for over 12 years now). Other regular events
Buy
EatThere are several restaurants within the city centre which will satisfy most tastes. At the top is Michelin starred Wullenwever [19]. Other good options include Markgraf [20] and Schabbelhaus [21] while the most popular spot for tourists is the Schiffergesellschaft [22]. 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 look if you find something that fits your taste. Shortys Cantina [23] has some special TexMex Food you have to try. The Remise in a beautiful "Hinterhof" (~court) in Wahmstraße is specialised in great steaks. Its not cheap but you're in for a treat. If you want to snack on delicate mediterranean food go to the Hüxstraße and check out the Miera. They have wonderful wine as well. Be sure to wear something nice, it's slightly posh. Home made pasta and antipasti is found in Beckergrube at the Nudelkontor. A wonderful chinese restaurant with some more uncommon choices such as pork ribs with aniseed or calamari with black beans is found directly at the Koberg. Shanghai offers modern interieur and classic food. Nice view over the Koberg and onto the St. Jacobs-Church. DrinkThere are many traditional bars in Lübeck, but if you're after a bit of international "big city" vibe, Cole Street - Bar Cafe Gallery - on Beckergrube 18, right next to the theatre, is a great find. Cool design, music and regularly changing contemporary art exhibitions. Check colestreets site [24] for their latest info. You might also want to check out NUI, the great Thai & Japanese Restaurant at the bottom of Beckergrube. For gazing into the Sun on a lazy afternoon try out Deja Vu at the Untertrave. It's located directly at the water and a common drinkinghole for many lubecians after a hard work's day. You can get pub grub here. InternetThere is an wireless community network in Lübeck called "Freifunk Lübeck" where you can get free access to the internet. Just look up the map at Access-Map, search for the SSID "luebeck.freifunk.net" and feel free. SleepBudget
Midrange
Splurge
Get outThere 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 (1-1,5 hrs walk) with good views on the Baltic coastline. Niendorf/Ostsee is somewhat more cosy and family oriented with its fishery port and a new renovated public swimming pool and a well-known bird zoo (Vogelpark Niendorf, situated in a small nature resort). The Baltic coast resorts in Mecklenburg Pommerania are about 1-2 hrs drive on the Autobahn A20 away and might be worth a day trip For nature lovers a trip to the lakes south of Lübeck may be of interest as there are great opportunities for bird-watching (eg 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 eg 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 just a mere 50 minutes by train to Hamburg (they go each hour). During the summer the Schleswig-Holstein music festival [26] is one of the largest events in northern Germany. An abundance of concerts with world-famous artists and orchestras attracts many people every year.
|
|
