The first monument you encounter when you emerge from the train station was for centuries the main entrance to town, looming over a bridge leading into the Altstadt. The twin cylindrical towers rising above a steeped gable are mightily impressive, which is the point—built in the 15th century, the gate was meant to announce Lübeck’s power and prestige rather than defend the city. An inscribed motto brings home the city’s traditionally noncombattive nature and reads, “Harmony at home and peace abroad.” Within the tower is the Museum Holstentor, worth a quick stop to see a made-to-scale replica of mid-17th-century ü, along with some beautifully made scale models of Hanseatic Kogge (cogs, or single-sail vessels). Just to the south are the Salzspeicher (Salt Lofts), a group of six gabled Renaissance buildings; the oldest dates from 1579, the newest from 1745. Merchants stored salt (considered “white gold”) from nearby Lüneburg in these buildings before shipping it to Scandinavia, where it was used to preserve fish. Each of the six buildings is different, reflecting trends in Renaissance gabled architecture.