Lübeck

In 1,000 Places to See Before You Die Patricia Schultz describes the city of Lübeck as, “perfectly intact, the soul of Northern Germany.” I had read this page in her captivating book more than a year before Reg and I moved to Germany. I remember the picture she used to illustrate her sparkling words and I remember the desire I had then to travel somewhere—anywhere—as historically significant as this intriguing place. My recent visit to Lübeck—and its stunningly intact medieval structures—shined a bright light on the history of Northern Germany, all while humbling me incredibly.

Lübeck is 45km north of Hamburg and so it made for a perfect early-morning train-ride day trip, cup of tea in hand, of course. It was perfect, except for the ICE (very, very high speed regional trains) is so prompt that 45km wasn't even enough to enjoy my entire tea. After stopping in Lubeck this train would carry on just less than four hours more to drop passengers in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was Friday morning, so the train was chock full of easy-going backpackers and their interesting backpacker gear. I talked with three English-speaking gals, all mid-twenty-something, and all with a great story. The first was a Canadian who had done a 9-month undergraduate exchange to Australia eight years ago. She fell in love with traveling and moved to London from Canada for work two years ago. She had done quite a bit of traveling since then and described her favorite experiences to us, most of them in Western Europe. She is moving home in three weeks and already has a list of things to see next time she returns to Europe. The other two gals were Australian. Not knowing each other until last month, they had both left Australia in October to backpack Europe. They used both homes of friends and hostels as accommodations. One reported Munich (southern Germany and home of Oktoberfest) as her favorite stay, the other Salzburg, Austria (on the border of southeastern Germany and the birthplace of Mozart), reporting the Sound of Music Tour to be well-worth the five euro. (Note to self: add Salzburg to your 20-page list.) I hear backpacking stories frequently and am consistently impressed by the spirit and strength of these brave storytellers. Living in a foreign country is difficult enough with a home-base, I am inspired by the stories of those who do it with only a backpack and a dream.


The train dropped me in Lübeck just thirty minutes after I boarded and though I could have listened to travel stories all day, I was pumped for some castle-viewing. Old Town was just a mile hike from central station. I downed my tea and with map in hand I made my way. I suspect that part of this medievel wonder's magical reputation stems from the way it greets its visitors--not many (or any) places I have been to have greeted me with a castle at the entrance as Lübeck does. It is ingenious, really. This way everyone knows how special and worthwhile it is right off the bat.

Not a castle, but the train station sure is a piece of eye candy.


What a greeting, huh? Holstentor Castle is Lübeck's 'hello'.

Holstentor is now a museum and so I had the chance to explore inside. Security was certainly less advanced in the Middle Ages, but I think these bars probably served their purpose.

Exactly how I imagined a castle would be: dark, cold, and magical.

I stood looking at this handsome structure for a bit, hoping Robin Hood and Maid Marian would pop out while I was watching.



In the Middle Ages Lübeck was the capital of the Hanseatic League, an association of independent merchant cities in Northern Germany. Hamburg was also a member. It is impossible to tell that severe WWII bombing damage forced the rebuilding of nearly a quarter of the city center. The brilliant results remain so architecturally and historically significant that Lübeck’s Old Town “was the first city in Northern Europe to have the entire town center placed on the World Heritage list by UNESCO.” (Schwarz)

While I stood in front of the Rathaus (town hall), a Gothic/Renaissance marvel, I pictured the times when Lübeck was the trade center of the North, responsible for the entrance of the goods that would soon seep down through Europe. It was hard to wrap my brain around history so—well, old. So, after awhile I rerouted my thinking to the charming Café Niederegger, famous for both originating marzipan and for producing the world’s best of this tempting almondy treat. This adorable café, located adjacent to the Rathaus, serves only coffee and desserts, but serves enough of them to maintain a consistent line of eaters anxious to put an end to their sweet-tooth problem forever. Neideregger sells its fab marzipan and a mouth-watering variety of sweets at just two locations in the entire city. The shop across the street from the original café was filled to the brim with marzipan gifts, sculptures, and even a Pirate Ship made of marzipan.

Rathaus Market Square

Cafe Niederegger

Yes, they really had everything there. If he wasn't edible I'd add him to my owl art collection.


Being surrounded by history so pertinent to the development of Northern Germany was terribly humbling and equally as gratifying. The humbling feeling that I have always had when I read pages from Schultz’s books is still with me, but lessening with each check mark I make.