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20 November 2015 / 32 Comments

Lübeck, Germany - Queen of the Hanseatic League

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The old Hanseatic city of Lübeck is a harbour city located in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. Here you can stroll around a city centre that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and shop for exclusive and delicious marzipan. We arrived here late in the afternoon and had time for a short tour of the city ...

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The Hanseatic city of Lübeck in Germany

Founded in 1226, Lübeck was the capital of the Hanseatic League for much of the Middle Ages. The Hanseatic League was an old export and import agreement between countries and regions, and also had good connections with Sweden, especially Visby. The sea route was the best for business and via the river Trave and past Travemunde, Europe was open.

Known as the 'Queen of the Hanseatic League', Lübeck has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, with an entire city district. The seven towers form a large part of the city's skyline, with battlements and towers, harbours, canals, cobbled streets and red brick houses.

Hansa- och hamnstaden Lubeck i Tyskland
The Hanseatic and port city of Lübeck

The marzipan from Lübeck

When in Lübeck, you have to buy marzipan, that's it! Johann Georg Niederegger (1777-1856) founded the family business that still produces the famous marzipan from Lübeck. Originally, marzipan was supplied to kings and tsars, but today, fortunately, anyone is free to shop for marzipan! 

Originally, Crusaders brought sugar and almonds from the Orient. The only people allowed to handle sugar and spices were apothecaries. With the advent of the profession of sugar baker, restrictions were lifted, and when it became possible to make sugar from sugar beet, it became possible for several strata of society to enjoy the marvellous marzipan. Today, anyone can discover this marvellous marzipan at Niederegger.

Marsipan i världsklass

At Café Niederegger

On the lower floor of Niederegger, secrets are kept. We've never been there, but we understand that here you can buy a replica of the cool Holstentor, made from the best quality marzipan. The Holstentor, with its two towers and arch in the centre, is a Lübeck signature. We'll have to go back, taste and take photos!

Holstentor
Holstentor

Café Niederegger is located opposite the town hall on Breite strasse and the original product, the marzipan nut cake, is always on sale. The chef prepares a marzipan breakfast or lunch every day. Why not a marzipan figure and a cappuccino for breakfast?

The museum is located on the second floor for those who want to know more. Stepping into Niederegger's marzipan factory is like being engulfed in a world full of marzipan figures. The shop is full of exclusive marzipan boxes and fine little marzipan pralines over the counter. It's impossible to leave without buying something.

Hyllor med marsipan i Lübeck
Shelves of marzipan in Lübeck

The Christmas market in Lübeck is both famous and popular, but we are a little too early to experience it. The Christmas market starts around 20 November and you can apparently enjoy things like roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, natural sweets and German sausages, as well as shop for toys, gifts and Christmas ornaments.

We saw the unopened stalls just about everywhere so we reckon it will be a great Christmas market! We had to content ourselves with walking around the streets and in the usual shops, which was not so bad either. Of course, we bought lots of marzipan for Christmas is approaching and what nice Christmas gifts it will be.

Marsipan i Lubeck
On the streets of Lübeck

Lübeckers save Sweden

Everywhere in northern Germany you read about all the relations Sweden has had with Germany since the Middle Ages, and it was lucky that in 1521. Sweden Germany was part of the Hanseatic League and Denmark had relations with the Netherlands. Christian II was King of Denmark and also King of Norway.

Christian II fell out with the governor Sten Sture the Younger, and they met in a battle in Ulricehamn, where Sten Sture was mortally wounded and later died. In 1520, Kristian II also became King of Sweden. Many of Stockholm's nobles and women did not want to adapt and here Kristian II became 'Kristian Tyrann'.

Christian II was not a kind king and was happy to get rid of his opponents. The Stockholm bloodbath took place on 7-9 November 1520, and over 100 people were executed at the king's request. One important person managed to escape to Lübeck, and that was Gustav Vasa. Kristian Tyrann, who was now King of Sweden, wanted to tear up all the Hanseatic treaties and favour the Netherlands instead.

This was a turning point for the Lübeckers and they joined forces with Gustav Vasa, who had the Swedes on his side. They met in a battle in Norway and won, and in 1521 the Danes lost the throne to Sweden. In the City Museum there is Gustav Vasa's coat that he forgot, and at Köningstrasse 9 he lived, and there is also a sign in Swedish. History is present everywhere and all the time.

Lubeck

See more in Lübeck

  • Church of St Mary is the mighty and third largest church in Germany, a million-brick basilica in the Gothic style. The church is located at Marienkirchhof 1.
  • Lübeck City Hall At Breite Str. 62 is also an impressive brick Gothic building. 
  • European Hansa Museum is located at An der Untertrave 1.
  • Lübeck museum of Theatre Puppets can be found on Column 14 for those who want to check out dolls galore.
  • Passat is a four-masted barge in the harbour, at Priwallpromenade 3a.

See more in Northern Germany

There is of course much more to see and experience in northern Germany. Here we present some suggestions for places in the neighbourhood that are worth visiting:

  • Timmendorfer beach offers long, fine sandy beaches on the coast.
  • Wismar is a city with an exciting history. The city was actually owned by Swedes for 300 years.
  • Bad Segeberg offers the opportunity to visit a bat cave and see the Karl May Games.
All our top tips about Germany. Click on the image!

Facts about Lübeck

  • Country: Germany
  • Federal Republic of Germany: Schleswig-Holstein
  • Residents: 216 000 (2017)

Good to know about Lübeck

  • Language: German (some also speak English)
  • Currency: Euro
  • Price mode: A bit cheaper than Sweden
  • Time difference: None
  • Emergency number: 112
  • Religion: Christianity
  • El: Like Sweden
  • Water: Drinking beard
  • Tourist OfficeHolstentorplatz 1

Travelling to Lübeck

  • FlightsThere is a direct flight from Stockholm to Hamburg which takes 1 hour 30 minutes and departs every day. From here you can take a train or bus, or rent a car.
  • Ferry Trelleborg - RostockThen take the A20 which takes about 1 hour 20 minutes and is 121 km to Lübeck.
  • Ferry Gothenburg - Kiel: Then take the A21 and A20 which takes just over an hour (87.8km).

Famous people

Willy Brandt is the son of Lubeck and incredibly popular. Willy grew up in Lubeck and at Königstraße 21 in the old town is the Willy-Brandt-House-Lubeck, where you can follow his life. From Mayor of Berlin and Foreign Minister of West Germany, to Federal Chancellor and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1971.

Thomas Mann was the most important writer of the 20th century, and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929. Thomas Mann built a summer house in Lithuania, where he spent a lot of time because he loved nature and the Baltic Sea. His museum (summer house) is located in Nida, Lithuania at 17 Skruzdynės Street.

Günter Grass is considered the great contemporary writer and artist, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999. He was also a graphic artist, sculptor and painter. Günter Grass (museum) is located almost next door to Willy Brandt in the Old Town at Glockengiesserstrasse 21.

Food and drink

  • Restaurant Miera at Hüxstrasse 57 with Italian inspiration
  • Restaurant Labsaal at Beckergrube 88, my friend has visited and praised the restaurant.
  • Another suggestion is to only eat marzipan ...

Shopping in Lübeck

  • Citti-Park at Herrenholz 14, Lübeck.
  • LUV shopping at Dänischburger Landstr. 81, Lübeck.

Accommodation

  • Cityline Klassik Altstadt Hotel at Fischergrube 52 in the centre of Lübeck.
  • Radisson Blu Senator Hotel on Willy-Brandt-Allee 6
  • On Booking.com you can find all sorts of price ranges and locations.

Pitch and camping

  • Real motorway service area Lastadie P4 at Lastadie 23554 Lübeck next to the Old Town.
  • Campingplatz Lübeck-Schönböcken at Steinrader Damm 12.

You might also like:

Göra i DresdenThings to do in Dresden - 18 sights and experiences Göra i DessauThings to do in Dessau - 14 tips for the Bauhaus city Göra i CelleThings to do in Celle, Germany - 12 tips for the half-timbered village Borgen Regenstein i BlankenburgRegenstein Castle in Blankenburg - and sandstone caves Moritzburg utanför DresdenMoritzburg Castle near Dresden - a fairytale hunting lodge Sanspareil rock garden and Zwernitz castle in Bavaria

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20 November 2015 13:10
Germany
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27 Comments

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  1. Shefik veliu says:

    Hi my friends I see that you are lubeck if you have the road Malmö come and visit pizzeria capone at Limhamn hyllie kyrko väg 51 or call me you have my phone.

    20 November 2015 - 14:20

    Reply

  2. Annika says:

    It's nice to go to a real Christmas market.
    Love that marzipan, so GOOD! SO good.
    I can't believe you'll be back home soon. How quickly your year went by. Guess you'd love to do it again?
    Have a nice and pleasant weekend!

    20 November 2015 - 14:43

    Reply

  3. Ruth in Virginia says:

    Took the ferry from Lybeck once a long time ago. Unfortunately saw nothing of the city.
    It looks incredibly beautiful. Apparently, it wasn't bombed to pieces during the
    WWII. Must read up on it.
    I love marzipan, but there is none as good here as the one from Europe.
    What a nice street in the last picture. Are there pedestrianised streets throughout the city centre?

    20 November 2015 - 14:44

    Reply

  4. Ruth in Virginia says:

    Was totally wrong. Just read that Lybeck was the first German town,
    which was bombed by the RAF! Thanks and love for Wikipedia! 🙂
    (so much you don't know, despite having lived so many years)

    20 November 2015 - 14:50

    Reply

  5. Mr Steve says:

    No Christmas market, but there was marzipan anyway. It's not long now before you're on the "right" side of the border.
    You must be looking forward to returning to the boat and taking on the role of "homeowner".

    20 November 2015 - 14:48

    Reply

  6. Monet says:

    It's so sad that since you changed the format I can no longer read your texts, only see the pictures. Previously - and this is the case on most blogs - you could enlarge the text if your glasses were not enough. This is no longer possible with you, unfortunately. But follow Peter on Instagram and see that you are now soon heading home after a fantastic year! Absolutely wonderful!

    20 November 2015 - 16:33

    Reply

  7. BP says:

    Sounds almost like "look, but don't touch" - the Christmas market, that is;-) Soon you will be home again and the marzipan you have bought will certainly come in handy as gifts or on the Christmas table.

    20 November 2015 - 16:03

    Reply

  8. Comment by post author

    admin says:

    Shefik, how nice to hear from you! We would have loved to come by, but we are in more of a hurry up to Stockholm than we thought. We have water damage in our storage room and a boat has hit our boat, so we have to get up and take care of everything as quickly as possible. We are first going to the home of the friends who were supposed to visit us in Croatia (but were injured and had to cancel). All other visits along the way have been cancelled to get up to the boat, so unfortunately it doesn't fit this time. You are very welcome to visit us in Stockholm at any time! Just let us know beforehand so we know we are home!

    Annika, time is flying by! We would love to do a similar trip again, but in that case we would choose the more eastern parts of Europe to see something new.

    Steve, no Christmas market in Lubeck, but there will be a Christmas market in Riga instead 😉.

    Ruth in Virginia, it was an occasional pedestrian street, mostly streets with cars actually. And yes, there are always things you don't know... 😉.

    BP, yes, the marzipan will be great for Christmas!

    Monet, thanks for your comment but sorry you have this problem! Nobody else seems to have it, but most people say the text is bigger now... I heard before about a command that can enlarge the text. Maybe I can check it out and get back to you!

    20 November 2015 - 18:01

    Reply

  9. Deciree says:

    But how nice it looked. Very nice pictures again. Just read that you have problems at home. I really hope that there was not too much damage to your boat...your home. Have a good time and take it easy in the traffic home. Hugs

    20 November 2015 - 18:20

    Reply

  10. Ama de casa says:

    Marzipan is just soooo good! Hope you did not buy too nice figures so you do not have to put your teeth in them 😉.

    20 November 2015 - 18:41

    Reply

  11. Travel Friday says:

    Marzipan and Christmas markets, my two great passions in life - haha! Honestly, December in Germany is a dream.

    20 November 2015 - 18:57

    Reply

  12. Matts Torebring says:

    One dream I have is to return to the Christmas market in Lübeck. We touched it when we were there in 1989. But then we drove Alfa Romeo 75 3,0 and were mostly on the autobahn. Welcome back to Scandivavia.

    20 November 2015 - 19:58

    Reply

  13. Åsa says:

    Ugh how hard it sounds to come home to! Hope it sounds worse than it is!

    20 November 2015 - 20:06

    Reply

  14. Åsa says:

    Flooding and a collision with a boat.

    20 November 2015 - 20:06

    Reply

  15. ActiveDays-Camilla says:

    Wow, you are getting closer to "home" but I can see that there are reasons for that! Maybe good before the snow moves in... Feels a bit unbelievable that you have already travelled for a year! Drive carefully now on the final sprint!

    20 November 2015 - 22:01

    Reply

  16. BP says:

    Read your reply to Shefik. Fy f***********************************n what a mess. Coming home to Freedom must feel bad. "Why now" as well as after a year away. I feel incredibly sorry for you actually. Your colleague who rents the boat will not be happy either. F***************n too.-(

    20 November 2015 - 22:17

    Reply

  17. Henny says:

    No, but it's a shame that your trip has to end sooner than you intended and with such sad news. But everything will work out, you'll see. Keep your fingers crossed for that.
    And, of course, many of us will continue to follow your ongoing adventures, both in the "swamps" and in more distant parts of the world.

    20 November 2015 - 23:22

    Reply

  18. JoY says:

    Sad ending to your trip on the boat. Fingers crossed that it can be arranged in a smooth way.
    Hugs

    20 November 2015 - 23:28

    Reply

  19. Ditte says:

    How nice with a stop in Lybeck, it is a very nice town. Have been here a few times and also at the Christmas market. Really nice, from one who is not so much for the more "Christmas".
    And marzipan, I like that.
    Also hope the boat Freedom is ok. Understood from other comments that it was more than a collision that was the concern. But I saw them yesterday when I was in the area.

    21 November 2015 - 0:01

    Reply

  20. Marina says:

    Lubeck is a lovely town! Don't forget to take it easy on the way to Stockholm even if you're in a hurry!

    21 November 2015 - 6:15

    Reply

  21. Inga M says:

    We have been to the Christmas market in Lübeck, otherwise we don't really travel more than within Sweden to the grandchildren. It is special and Niedereggers is an experience!

    21 November 2015 - 6:57

    Reply

  22. Comment by post author

    admin says:

    Deciree, they say there was only damage to the outer casing of the boat, but the bang was heard all over the marina and several neighbours took photographs. So how do we know that nothing is damaged underneath? Besides, it's a special two-component paint that protects against rust and is expensive to replace and tricky to get there... We'll see.

    Ama de casa, haha, best not to buy cute pigs and stuff 😉.

    Åsa, yes, we hope so too. We know there's water in the storage room, but we don't know how much or which things are wet... (But we have everything we own there, except what's in the car.)

    Active Days-Camilla, maybe a week earlier than planned, but on 1 Dec we would be home as planned 😉.

    BP, no not funny about the flooding or the boat crash. The boat crash may not be that serious, but hard to tell if there is damage underneath the...

    Henny, yes it's sad to have to deal with water damaged storage the first thing you do. But we only come home a week earlier or so, we rent the boat until 1 Dec.

    JoY, just grab the stuff and try to fix...

    Ditte, it's water damage in the storage room (not in the boat) where we keep our stuff + a crash that damaged the surface layer in one area of the boat (and it's hard to tell if there's damage underneath).

    Marina, thank you we will drive carefully! We only have summer tyres, so we will try to avoid mornings and evenings if it is too cold.

    Inga M, glad you were in Lubeck! The marzipan is super good! 🙂

    21 November 2015 - 8:17

    Reply

  23. Frankie & Co says:

    -5C this morning hua - SMHI predicts snow coming in via Skåne up the country tonight - hope you miss that road condition!

    We are emptying and cleaning out our motorhome this weekend - and tonight we spent the night in it at our home ? how cosy ?

    21 November 2015 - 10:09

    Reply

  24. Comment by post author

    admin says:

    Frankie & Co, huh we want to avoid those roads! We can hope that it gets a little warmer in the middle of the day and drive then. Always cosy to live in a motorhome! 🙂

    21 November 2015 - 10:47

    Reply

  25. solan says:

    Keep your fingers crossed and hope EVERYTHING works out with both boat and storage. Welcome home despite the sad start in the old country ...

    21 November 2015 - 14:26

    Reply

  26. steel city anna says:

    Ah, I so want to go to Germany for the Christmas market. Great pictures!

    21 November 2015 - 15:49

    Reply

  27. Comment by post author

    admin says:

    Solan, thank you very much!

    Steel city Anna, it would have been nice to have been here a few days later when the market started!

    21 November 2015 - 17:00

    Reply

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