Attractions

Lübeck's Altstadt is surrounded by the Trave River and connecting canals, giving it an islandlike appearance. It suffered heavily during World War II, when about one-fifth of the city was leveled. Damaged buildings have been restored or reconstructed, and Lübeck still offers a wealth of historic attractions.

Just across the west bridge from the Altstadt, the Holstentor (Holsten Gate) is the first monument to greet visitors emerging from the Bahnhof. Once the main town entrance, it was built in the 15th century as much to awe visitors with the power and prestige of Lübeck as to defend it against intruders. To the outside world, the towers look simple and defiant, rather like part of a great palace. But on the city side, they contain a wealth of decoration, with windows, arcades, and rich terra-cotta friezes. Within the gate is the Museum Holstentor (tel. 0451/1224129), housing a model of Lübeck as it appeared in the mid-15th century. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Admission is 5€ ($8) for adults and 1€ ($1.60) for children 17 and under.

Der Salzspeicher (Salt Lofts), viewed from the riverside, near the Holstentor, are among Lübeck's most attractive sights. In the 16th century, these buildings stored the salt from Lüneburg before it was shipped to Scandinavia. Each of the six buildings is different, reflecting trends in Renaissance gabled architecture.

The Rathaus, Rathausplatz (tel. 0451/1221005), traces its origins from 1230. It has been rebuilt several times, but remains of the original structure are in the vaulting and Romanesque pillars in the cellar and the Gothic south wall. The towering walls have been made with open-air medallions to relieve the pressure on the Gothic-arcaded ground floor and foundations. Tours are Monday to Friday at 11am, noon, and 3pm, costing 3€ ($4.80) for adults and 1.50€ ($2.40) for children.

Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church; no phone), across Marktplatz from the Rathaus, is the most exceptional church in Lübeck, possibly in northern Germany. Built on the highest point in the Altstadt, it has flying buttresses and towering windows that leave the rest of the city's rooftops at its feet. Some of its greatest art treasures were bombed and destroyed in 1942, but after the fire was put out, earlier painted decorations on the walls and clerestory were discovered. The bells fell in a World War II air raid and became embedded in the floor of the church, where they remain to this day. Organ concerts take place during the summer months, carrying on the tradition established by St. Mary's best-known organist and composer, Dietrich Buxtehude (1668-1707).

Buddenbrookhaus, Mengstrasse 4 (tel. 0451/1224192), near Marienkirche, is the house where author Thomas Mann's grandparents lived. It's a big, solid stone structure with a gabled roof and a recessed doorway. Above a leaded-glass fan over the heavy double doors is the date 1758. This is the house Mann (1875-1955) described as the home of the family in Buddenbrooks. The museum also highlights Thomas's brother, Heinrich Mann (1871-1950), author of Professor Unrat, the inspiration for the movie The Blue Angel. The house is open daily 10am to 5pm; admission is 5€ ($8) for adults, 2.60€ ($4.20) for students, 9€ ($14) for a family ticket, and free for children 13 and under.

In addition to Thomas Mann, Lübeck was also the home of Germany's most prominent living writer, Günter Grass (born in 1927). He is still known all over the world for his most famous novel, The Tin Drum, published in 1959. Grass won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1999. The museum at the Günter Grass-Haus, Glockengiesserstrasse 21 (tel. 0451/1224190), explores the author's "double gifts" in literature, sculpture, graphics, and music -- or, in the words of the curator, "we are a crossroads forum where literature and the visual arts meet." Exhibits include manuscripts of Grass -- with bold corrections -- and even the machines on which he wrote, going from an old-fashioned Olivetti typewriter to computer. In the courtyard garden, you'll get a rare look at some of his sculptures. Admission is 5€ ($8). It is open April to December daily 10am to 6pm, January to March daily 11am to 5pm.

It's said that within an area of 5 sq. km (2 sq. miles) around the Marktplatz stand 1,000 medieval houses. Nearby is Petersgrube, the finest street in Lübeck, lined with restored houses. A walk through the old streets of Lübeck reveals a continuing use of brick (the city insisted on this after fires in the 13th c.). The effect is one of unity among all the houses, churches, shops, and guildhalls.

Haus der Schiffergesellschaft (Seamen's Guild House), on Breitestrasse, is one of the last of the elaborate guild houses of Hanseatic Lübeck, built in 1535 in Renaissance style, with stepped gables and high-Gothic blind windows. It's worth seeing just for the medieval furnishings and the beamed ceilings in the main hall, now a restaurant.

Museen Behnhaus/Drägerhaus, Königstrasse 9-11, north of Glockengiesser Strasse (tel. 0451/1224148; www.die-luebecker-museen.de), was formed from two patrician houses. Like many such houses in the town, they are tall and narrow, constructed that way to avoid heavy taxes based on frontage. The museum displays mostly German Impressionists and paintings from around 1900. There is an outstanding collection of German Romantic and "Nazarene" paintings and drawings, especially by Johann Friedrich Overbeck and his school. The Behnhaus has a permanent exhibition of contemporary paintings, including Schumacher, Schultze, Rainer, Antes, and Kirkeby, along with such 20th-century artists as Kirchner, Beckmann, Lehmbruck, and Barlach. Both houses are open April to September Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm; October to March hours are Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Admission is 5€ ($8) for adults, 2€ ($3.20) for students, 1€ ($1.60) for children 6 to 18, and free for children 5 and under.

You can take an excursion boat around Lübeck Harbor, departing from Trave Landing, right in front of the Jensen hotel. In season, departures are every half-hour daily, 10am to 6pm.