Soaring brick towers and World Heritage status, this German city is perfect for architecture lovers.
Lübeck is located in northern Germany, very close to the Baltic Sea. Like Bremen, Lübeck had its heyday during the Middle Ages. By the 14th century, the city was the largest and most powerful member of the Hanseatic League. Trade brought wealth. Wealth led to a unique city that is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The historic center of Lübeck is located on a densely built island that has access to the Baltic Sea via river. Lübeck has the most church towers surpassing 100 m than any other city in the world, with a total of six. The city’s skyline is dominated by seven towers in all. All in all, Lübeck is super cool.
The 15th century Holstentor was built during Lübeck’s dominance of the Hanseatic League.
Even the city side is awesome.
The Salzspeicher (salt storehouses) are six brick buildings from the 16th-18th centuries.
The brick continues in a lot of the buildings of the city.
I think I may have walked every street in the historic center.
This is on a side street of all places.
Many of the side streets lead from a main road down to the river.
Three of the tall church towers. The Salzspeicher and the Holstentor on the left.
I love this traditional architecture.
So many great buildings.
This old looking building was actually built in 1940/1941 as an air raid shelter, which it continued to be until the 1990s. I would not have guessed.
Schloss Rantzau was originally built in the 13th century for clergy. It has been updated a few times. The current facade is from the mid-1800s.
Some of the buildings are a bit more colorful.
Looks like this one used to have a larger window. One thing I love about older buildings is that sometimes you can definitely tell they were remodeled.
The Rossmühle. It’s a former horse mill built in 1750 that is now residential space.
Cute neighborhood.
Lübeck Cathedral, completed around 1230 in the Romanesque style.
I couldn’t go inside to explore due to a wedding.
An unexpected Neo-Classical house.
The Stadhalle was built to be a city auditorium around 1900. Today, even after extensive damage from WWII, it is still the oldest movie theater in Lübeck. That main entrance doesn’t quite fit in though.
Love this.
Can’t be a German city without some half-timbered buildings.
Well, that sure is a unique building.
That’s quite a yellow building.
The Heiligen-Geist-Hospital (Hospital of the Holy Spirit) was built in the 13th century as a place to care for the sick and house the poor and travelers. These institutions would later become our modern hospitals. This one still serves as a retirement home.
As a medieval institution, it had to have a church in it as well.
Down the street is the Burgtor, the 15th century north gate to the city.
There are too many cool buildings in this town.
The difference between the sides of this building is striking.
So many ridiculous buildings in this town.
St. Jakobi Kirche (St. James) was founded in the 14th for sailors and fishermen.
Nice and bright.
The best thing in this church is this huge organ.
Marienkirche was built from the 13th-14th centuries. This church actually set the standard for brick Gothic churches in northern Germany and was the first large brick church in the Baltic region.
It’s very Gothic and bigger than the cathedral. The city did that on purpose.
It even has an astronomical clock. The original was made in the 16th century but it was destroyed in a fire from Allied bombing in WWII.
The church was fantastically restored after the fire.
The City Hall is a series of buildings around a corner of a courtyard built at different times. Both Gothic and Renaissance styles stand out in very contrasting way.
On the other side to the left of the above image is a reconstruction of one of the city hall’s walls.
The street side has this fancy Renaissance era staircase.
There is so much more cool buildings in Lübeck than what I can squeeze into a post. I never ended up in a museum because I spent all day walking around. Lübeck is a perfect weekend getaway or day trip from Hamburg.
Check out my next update were I explore a fairytale castle!
or
Start at the beginning of this European adventure!
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