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Luebeck. photo by J.-H. Jan脽en.

Top 10 Amazing Facts about UNESCO World Heritage Hanseatic Town of L眉beck

Lubeck, officially known as The Hanseatic Town of Lubeck, is a city in Northern Germany and is the second largest city on the German Baltic coast with around 217,000 inhabitants. Lubeck is located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and is the 35^th largest city in Germany.

Lubeck is the closest point of access to the Baltic from Hamburg and is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan region. It is also the southwestern most city on the Baltic.

Lubeck is famous for its historical heritage and in 1987 was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The 10 amazing facts about UNESCO World Heritage Hanseatic Town of L眉beck include the following.

1. Lubeck Has a Museum Dedicated to Its History

Holsten Gate. Photo by Christian Wolf (www.c-w-design.de).

One of Lubeck鈥檚 Old Town鈥檚 medieval gates is the Holstentor i.e. The Holsten Gate. Dating back to the 15^th century the Holsten gate is a fully restored brick building made up of two towers and a central building.

The central building, which hosts a museum dedicated to the history of Lubeck, is the first historical building visitors see when they alight from a train at the station.

The museum is the first stop for visitors to learn about Lubeck before venturing into it.

2. Lubeck鈥檚 Old Town Lies on An Island

Lubeck Old Town. Photo by Nikolay Yagunov / 袧懈泻芯谢邪泄 携谐褍薪芯胁.

Lubeck can be aptly described as a River island. River Trave which flows about 20 kilometers from Lubeck city downstream to the Baltic Sea surrounds Lubeck鈥檚 Old Town making it an island

In the Museum Harbour on the Trave, historical ships lie. Tourists can take day trips on some of these traditional sailing ships and enjoy the view from Lubeck to the Baltic Sea or just go around the Old Town for a good view from the Trave.

3. The Holsten Gate Was Stamped on Two-Euro Coins

The Holsten Gate is Lubeck鈥檚 main landmark which was built in the 15^th century with an aim of protecting the city from invaders. The Holsten Gate has unique architecture of cylindrical towers and an arched entrance.

The gate marks the former center of the Hanseatic City of Lubeck and is a remnant of ancient fortifications. Some of the walls are 3.5 meters thick which makes it really amazing.

The Holsten Gate鈥檚 structure is so famous that in 2006 it was stamped on two-euro coins.

4. One of Main Attraction in the Old Town is Ornamented Brick Buildings

Brick-Gothic House. Photo by Longbow4u.

Lubeck town is home to many brick buildings which are elaborately ornamented. The Burgtor, the Northern City gate and the customs house are some the buildings which visitors can marvel at when they visit the city.

These elaborately ornamented brick buildings constitute some of the reasons that resulted in the entire Old Town being registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site since the year 1987 to date

The emergence of German Gothic architecture style was influenced by the arrival of baked red bricks as building materials in Northern Europe in the 12^th century.

5. The Old Town Has A Jumble of Courtyards and Narrow Alleys

Alley and Courtyard. Photo by Nemracc.

In the Middle Ages seafaring and trade made Lubeck rich. Due to increase in commerce, space on the Old Town Island became limited as more and more people flocked into the city.

Courtyards behind main buildings were built up as well as small, two-storey buildings to cater for the increasing population. Narrow lanes resulted due to competition for space for putting up buildings.

Today, narrow alleys from main streets lead visitors into a jumble of courtyards which are tourist attractions sites.

6. Lubeck is Famous For Its Marzipan

An oriental cuisine called Marzipan has a long tradition in Lubeck. Marzipan is a sweetmeat made of almond, honey and sugar.

The ingredients which are sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract are always at hand in Lubeck. Since Lubeck was a commercial center, confectioners always had the ingredients available whenever they wanted them.

 Up to this day Lubeck is famous for its Marzipan and tourists visiting the town make a point of enjoying this delicacy during their stay there.

7. Mann鈥檚 Novel on Lubeck Family Won Him a Nobel Prize In Literature

Thomas Mann who lived in years 1875 to 1955 was a German novelist, an essayist, a social critic and a short story writer who was the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate in 1929.

Thomas Mann wrote a novel 鈥�Buddenbrooks鈥� which was about the rise and fall of a merchant family in Lubeck. The writer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his works in writing the novel.

Lubeck hosts a museum devoted to Thomas Mann. Visitors can visit 鈥�叠耻诲诲别苍产谤辞辞办丑补耻蝉鈥� which is aptly furnished to capture the setting of the famous novel by the writer.

8. Lubeck is Home to The European Hanseatic League Museum

The Hanseatic League was an organization set up to safeguard the mutual trading interests of north German towns and German merchant communities living abroad. Between the 13^th and 15^th century, the league dominated commercial activities in northern Europe.

The queen of the Hanseatic League was considered to be Lubeck as the city played a major role in organizing the confederation of north German merchants.   

Due to the critical role played by the city in the Hanseatic League, a museum was opened in Lubeck in 2015. The way of life lived at the time the league flourished is illustrated by specially decorated rooms in the museum.

9. Lubeck鈥檚 Close Proximity to The Sea Enables Visitors To Enjoy The Sea Breeze

The Hanseatic League merchants preferred Lubeck due to its close proximity to the Baltic Sea. In the district of Lubeck there is a seaside resort called Travemunde which lies at the mouth of Trave River.

After sightseeing in the Old Town of Lubeck, tourists can visit the Travemunde seaside resort. The resort lies at the mouth of the Trave from where it flows into the Baltic Sea and the view is magnificent.

Visitors to the resort can enjoy the sea breeze while seated  on the Strandkorb i.e a roofed  wicker beach chair.

10. Lubeck is Considered a Christmas Town in Northern Germany

Lubeck is considered a Christmas town in Northern Germany. In the Old Town visitors are invited to drink mulled wine and buy presents.

Grounds in front of the town hall host the biggest historical Christmas market. The decorated market place is framed in the building which dates back to 1308.

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