Lübeck

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Lübeck is a city in Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany. The city borders the Baltic Sea (Ostsee); Hamburg lies 58 km (36 mi) to the southwest. The old city (Altstadt) survived from mediaeval times and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

	luebeck Travel Guide : 1 Get in 1.1 By plane 1.2 By road 1.3 By rail 1.4 By boat 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 4.1 Theatres 4.2 Cinema 4.3 Clubs and discotheques 4.4 Other regular events 5 Buy 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Get out 10 External links

Get in

By plane

Lübeck's airport (http://www.flughafen-luebeck.de) is a few kilometers outside the city centre and is easily accessed by car and public transport. The bus number 6 connects the airport to Lübeck's main railway station. Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com) flies to London-Stansted, Stockholm, Milan, Pisa, Glasgow-Prestwick and Shannon (this flight will be replaced by a connexion to Dublin in spring 2006). Whizz Air has announced to establish a regular connexion to Gda?sk (Dantzig) from spring 2006 on.

By road

Lübeck is about 60 km east of Hamburg and easily accessible by car. With the opening of the new highway to Rostock the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania is only a stone's throw away.

By rail

Trains to Hamburg and Kiel leave nearly every hour. Other trains leave for Copenhagen, Schwerin and Lüneburg.

By boat

Ferries go from Lübeck's coastal borough Travemünde to Finland and Sweden and other Baltic Sea countries, with lines eg to Trelleborg and Malmo. If you arrive in Travemünde, you can take a train or bus to the city centre.

Get around

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 so-called Welcome Centre in the Holstentor.

See

The main attraction is the mediaeval Altstadt (old city) located on an island surrounded by the Trave river and channels. Listed as an UNESCO heritage site it offers an astonishing variety of different architectural styles. Bear in mind that Lübeck's Altstadt is not an open-air museum but a living city centre, so don't expect a complete mediaeval sight. 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 Gange, small streets off the bigger roads, with small houses and a peculiar atmosphere.

Noteworthy historical buildings include:

• The churches, housing several of the finest Northgerman artworks:
  • St. Marien or Marienkirche: the biggest one, a fine brick gothic building, located near the Rathaus (city hall) at the very centre of the Altstadt;
  • the Dom: very nicely situated on the quiet southern end of the island, contains a wooden crucifix by Bernd Notke;
  • St. Petri or Petrikirche, near Marienkirche: its tower platform (to be reached by an elevator) offers a great view over the city, and if weather conditions allow it you can even see Travemünde (17 km to the north-east);
  • St. Jakobi or Jakobikirche: north of St. Marien, at the Koberg;
  • St. Aegidien or Aegidienkirche: the smallest one, in the eastern Altstadt;
  • St. Katharinen or Katharinenkirche (without a tower): south of St. Jakobi, contains works of Ernst Barlach;
• the two remaining city gates: Holstentor (near train station/ZOB bus terminal) and Burgtor (northern Altstadt); they both contain museums nowadays;
• Heiligen-Geist-Hospital near Koberg;
• classicist Behnhaus/Dragerhaus in Konigstraße, hosting an art museum;
• the Rathaus or city hall: its architecture is a stylistic potpourri reaching back to the 12th c. Note that it is still the seat of the city administration and not a museum, so you're not expected to have a look inside on your own. But there are guided tours every hour or so where the many historic rooms and the gallery of city leaders' portraits are explained (in German and possibly other languages).

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 cemetary is still to be found there.

Do

- Walk around the Altstadt and enjoy the the charming atmosphere of the former queen of the Hanseatic League

- Visit the newly restored St.-Annen-Museum and the Buddenbrookhaus for some cultural experience

- 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 spent ship on along the Wakenitz river which links the Trave river with the Ratzeburg lake. Parts of the river offer an astonishing flora.

- Go to the Café Niederegger (http://www.niederegger.de) (Breite Straße) and fill your stomach with marzipan and cakes

Theatres

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

Cinema

• Stadthalle (southern Altstadt): mainstream;
• 2wei50 (Konigstraße, vis-à-vis Katharinenkirche): older mainstream and off-beat films, around 2,50 ? per film (hence the name);
• Kommunales Kino (Mengstraße): niche films.

Luebeck.de > Aktuelles > Kinoprogramm (http://www.luebeck.de) 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 discotheques

Normally 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 (http://www.piste.de) 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; Parkhaus (see below) is an exception (21 years or older).

• A1 Musikpark (homepage?), Lohmühle;
• Body & Soul 1 (http://www.bodyandsoul.de): on a boat in the Trave river along Kanalstraße (has 1 foosball table);
• Hüx (homepage?): Hüxstraße;
• Parkhaus (homepage?): Hüxstraße (vis-à-vis Hüx; has 2 foosball tables);
• Treibsand (homepage?): Willy-Brandt-Allee.

Treibsand deserves some explanation: It's the clubhouse of Alternative e. V., an alternative (read: punk) youth and cultural organisation. It looks like a squatted house and is located right behind the big Musik- und Kongreßhalle (music and congress centre), over the Trave river vis-à-vis Beckergrube. They play all kinds of "alternative" music (reggae, ska, punk rock, metal, gothic, industrial) and often feature live gigs as well.

There are two monthly goth parties in Lübeck: Darkness Party (http://www.darkness-party.de) in Treibsand and Schwarze Zone (http://www.schwarzes-luebeck.de) in the Burgtor (see above). The Darkness Party page has a calendar which will give you the dates of goth-related and other events.

Other regular events

• July: Travemünder Woche sailing festival in Travemünde;
• August: Duckstein Festival;
• November/December: Artificers' market on Koberg;
• July to September: Sand World sand sculpture exposition (Travemünde);
• December/January: Ice World ice sculpture exposition (Willy-Brandt-Allee);
• December: Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas fair) at central market place, mediaeval market at St. Marien.

Buy

At least two things are worth buying: Lübecker Marzipan in one or several varieties and the Rotspon wine, available in nearly every shop. Souvenirs and Lübeck-related literature can be purchased eg at the Rathaus bookshop (between market place and Marienkirche).

Eat

There are several restaurants within the city centre which will satisfy most tastes. At the top is Michelin starred Wullenwever (http://www.wullenwever.de). Other good options include Markgraf (http://www.markgraf-luebeck.de) and Schabbelhaus (http://www.schabbelhaus.de) while the most popular spot for tourists is the Schiffergesellschaft (http://www.schiffergesellschaft.de). 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.

Drink

Sleep

Lübeck offers a large variety of hotels. Booking in advance is always advisable, especially during the summer. There are two youth hostels, one is a little bit east of the Altstadt (Am Gertrudenkirchhof 4; Tel: 0451/33433; Fax: 0451/34540), the other within the Altstadt (Mengstr. 33, 23552 Lübeck; Tel: 0451/7020399; Fax: 0451/77012). At the upmarket end are the Radisson SAS and Movenpick hotel with superb views of the Altstadt.

Get out

There are several options to spend your time around Lübeck. As a near-sea-side town head for the beaches (if there is some kind of summer) at Travemünde or Timmendorfer Strand/Niendorf, which are easily accessible by bus or train. Somewhat north of Travemünde is a cliff (Brodtener Ufer). Timmendorfer Strand ("Hamburg's bathtub") is one of Germany's "in" beach resorts (together with Sylt) and rather expensive, with many chic boutiques and cafés and a "Sea Life Centre". Niendorf/Ostsee is somewhat more cosy with its fishery port (now being completely renovated, should be finished autumn 2006) and a well-known bird zoo (Vogelpark Niendorf, situated in a small nature resort, with one of the world's biggest collections of owls). If you've got your own transport try the more remote and tranquil beaches in neighbouring Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania like Boltenhagen.

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).

South of Lübeck the small towns of Ratzeburg (with its Ernst-Barlach and A.-Paul-Weber museums) and Molln 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, Plon, 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 Plon and go to Preetz by Schwentine River and through various lakes, then the canoe-centre people will get you and your canoe back to Plon 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 (http://www.shmf.de/) is one of the largest events in northern Germany. An abundance of concerts with world-famous artists and orchestras attracts many people every year.

External links

Lübeck's official website: www.luebeck.de

Lübecker Nachrichten, local newspaper: www.ln-online.de

Lübeck (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lübeck) is a featured article in the German-language ion of Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org). Even if you don't read German you can have a look at its many photographs to get an impression of how Lübeck looks like.

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