Lübeck is a city in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. On the river Trave, it was the leading city of the Hanseatic League, and because of its extensive Brick Gothicarchitecture is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The old part of Lübeck is on an island enclosed by the Trave. The Elbe–Lübeck Canal connects the Trave with the Elbe River which connects to the Baltic Sea.
The city in its present location was founded in 1143 and around 1200 the port became the main point of departure for colonists leaving for the Baltic territories conquered by the Livonian Order and, later, by the Teutonic Order. In 1226 Emperor Frederick II elevated the town to the status of an Imperial Free City, by which it became the Free City of Lübeck (Hamburg and Bremen are the only other two cities beside Lubeck to have this designation). In the 14th century Lübeck became the "Queen of the Hanseatic League", being by far the largest and most powerful member of that medieval trade organization. In 1375 Emperor Charles IV named Lübeck one of the five "Glories of the Empire", a title shared with Venice, Rome, Pisa and Florence.
Much of the old town has kept a medieval appearance with old buildings and narrow streets. At one time the town could only be entered via any of four town gates, of which today two remain, the well-known Holstentor (1478) and the Burgtor (1444). The Holstentor (Holsten Gate) with its twin pointed cylindrical towers leaning together across the stepped gable that joins them is now a national icon and can be found in many paintings, postcards, postcards and souvenirs.
a view of Holstentor from inside the city
a view of the gate from outside the city
The old town centre is dominated by seven church steeples. The oldest are the Lübecker Dom (the city's cathedral) and the Marienkirche (Saint Mary's), both from the 13th and 14th centuries. Other sights include:
- the Lübecker Rathaus (Town Hall).
- Church of St. Peter (Petrikirche) 13th century
- Seamans' Guild Hall (Schiffergesellschaft)
The first thing we did when we arrived in Lubeck was to take the lift to the top of St. Peter's for a view of the city. The church is no longer an active parish - its whitewashed interior is used to host exhibits and events. There is an elevator which takes you to the observation area in the tower. From a height of 50m, you can see the entire city center.
the back of St. Peter's
a mix of medieval and modern buildings
the town square
St. Mary's is a Gothic church that boasts the world's highest brick-vaulted roff and was the model for dozens of church in northern Germany. The cross-vaulted ceilings are painted and supported by slender, ribbed pillars. A WWII bombing raid brought down the church's bells, which have been left where they fell in 1942 and have become a famous symbol of the city. Lubeck and Coventry (in England) have become sister-cities in the aftermath of WWII as Lubeck was the first Germany city bombed by the English and Coventry was the first English city bombed by the Germans. The church also houses a large astronomical clock that was rebuilt after the bombing in WWII based on the original clock that was installed in the church in 1561-1566.
St. Mary's Church
exterior
interior
astronomical clock
the bells that fell in 1942
There is a medieval story associated with a rose bush outside the cathedral - if the bush is blooming, then the city of Lubeck would be safe from danger. One time it was discovered that a mouse had been knawing at the roots of the bush, causing it to loose its blooms. The city very shortly thereafter was attacked. Inside the cathedral there is a Last Supper relief includes a detail associated with Lübeck: a little mouse gnawing at the base of a rose bush. Touching it is supposed to mean that the person will have good luck. Now the mouse is black from all the visitors touching it.
the rosebush outside the cathedral wall
the mouse that everyone touches for good luck
There is another story associated with the building of the cathedral. It is said that the Devil became upset with the builders when he discovered that they were building a great church. He grabbed a piece of granite and was about to use it to destroy the cathedral when the builders convinced him they were actually building a tavern, not a church. So the devil dropped the piece of granite outside the cathedral where it still sits. There is a bronze sculpture of a devil now sitting on the granite and it is said you will have good luck if you touch one of his horns and his big toe. So of course all three kids did so...
Lübeck is famous for its marzipan industry. According to local legend, marzipan was first made in Lübeck, possibly in response either to a military siege of the city or a famine year. The story is that the town ran out of all food except stored almonds and sugar, which were used to make loaves of marzipan "bread". The best known producer is Niederegger, which tourists often visit while in Lübeck, so of course we visited it too. We had marzipan nuggets dipped in chocolate - they were delicious!
the store has an a model of the city of Lubeck made out of marzipan in their window
The city's town hall is a 13th-15th century building and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful town halls in Germany. We were not able to tour the inside due to an event, but the exterior and the courtyard were impressive.
Another famous building in Lubeck is the Holy Spirit Hospital. It was originally a early-Gothic hall church (dating back to 1227) that was converted into a refuge for aged seafarers and the poor. It's main hall was filled with small living cubicles starting in 1820 to give housing, baths and food to seafarers in need.
the door to one of the many cubicles
the rooms were just large enough for a bed and a night stand
The Lübeck wine trade dates back to Hanseatic times. One Lübeck specialty is Rotspon, a wine made from grapes processed and fermented in France and transported in wooden barrels to Lübeck, where it is stored, aged and bottled. We had this wine at lunch where we dined at the historic seafarer's guild hall which was built in 1535. Ships' lanterns, old model ships and revolving chinese-style silhouette lamps dangled from the beamed ceiling of the wood-lined dining room. The wood was so dark that none of our pictures from the inside turned out. The food was delicious - I have a wonderful wiener schnitzel and Brannon had a regional dish of salted beef, potatoes and beets topped with a fried egg. As has always been the case, some of the profits from the meals served at the guild hall go to the families that have lost their husbands/fathers at sea.
the entrance to the guild hall
After our guide returned us to Hamburg, we visited the sailing ship the Rickmer Rickmers. Rickmer Rickmers was built in 1896 by the Rickmers shipyard in Bremerhaven, and was first used on the Hong Kongroute carrying rice and bamboo. She made 14 voyages around the world that took her to Indochina, Australia, South America and the USA. Her crew consisted of the captain, two steersman, a cook, a carpenter, a sail maker and a donkey man (he operated the small steam engine for the ballast water pump and anchor capstan), eleven able seaman, three ordinary seaman, and four ship's boys.
In August 1904 the ship encountered a severe typhoon at the Cape of Good Hope; the cargo shifted and the ship threatened to capsize. The crew had to cut the upper section of the third mast. They put into Cape Town as a harbour of refuge and the full-rigger was re-rigged as a bark.
In 1912 she was bought by Carl Christian Krabbenhöft, renamed Max, and transferred to the Hamburg - Chile route. In World War I Max was captured by the Government of Portugal, in Horta (Azores) harbour and loaned to the United Kingdom as a war aid. For the remainder of the war the ship sailed under the Union Jack, as Flores. After World War I she was returned to the Portuguese Government, becoming a Portuguese Navy training ship and was once more renamed, as NRP Sagres (the second of that name). In 1958, she won the Tall Ships' Race.
In the early 1960s Sagres (II) was retired from school ship service when the Portuguese Navy purchased, from Brazil, the school ship Guanabara (originally launched in Germany in 1937 as Albert Leo Schlageter). In 1962, the former Guanabara was commissioned as school ship with the name Sagres (III). At the same time Sagres (II) was renamed Santo André and reclassified as depot ship. The NRP Santo André remained moored at the Lisbon Naval Base, being decommissioned in 1975.
She was purchased in 1983 by an organisation named "Windjammers for Hamburg", renamed for the last time, back to Rickmer Rickmers, and turned into a floating museum ship.
the ship's wheel
on deck
exploring the museum below deck
the officers' dining room
the kitchen in the officers' quarters
overlooking the bow
the crews' quarters
the sailmaker's supply room
metal supplies
the carpenter's supply room
the lantern room
bow. stern and spring lines
rigging
We returned to the hotel for a quick bite to eat in the Elite Members' Lounge and then the kids and Brannon went swimming while I ran on the treadmill. I really hope the next hotel has a swimming pool - it seems like that is all the kids are interested in doing from the time they get up until the minute they go to bed! We leave for Frankfurt in the morning.
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