Lübeck

The end of our whirlwind tour last week took us to Lübeck. Lübeck is in northern Germany, very near the Baltic Sea. It is part of what is called the Hanseatic League, meaning that it was a prominent port city for merchants during the middle ages. The old city of Lübeck is on an island, with access through two very old gates. One of my favorite parts of Lübeck is that they have plaques on every building of interesting explaining what it is in German and English at the very least, often adding in Danish and Swedish, and, rarely, other European languages. Why don't more cities have things like this (in any country. Plaques are cheap and it makes sightseeing a lot more interesting than when you have no idea about the history of a building)

This is the Holstentor (Holsten is just an abbreviated form of Holstein, the area of Germany that Lübeck is in. Tor means gate.). This is the gate on the west end of the island. The church on the right is the St. Petrikirche. Pretty much everything in Lübeck is made out of bricks like this. The upside of this that all of the buildings are very impressive and different from everything I have seen before. The downside of that, is that by the end of the day, everything was starting to look the same. That being said, it was pretty sweet to see something that was drastically different than everything I have ever seen. Also, it was the first city that I have visited that was in West Germany proper. West Berlin may have been part of the BRG, but it was still in the eastern part.
The St. Petrikirche. One problem with photographing the churches in Lübeck is that they are all really tall and surrounded by trees. Also, because this part of the city is on a small island (walking from the Burgtor at the north end to the cathedral at the south end took us less than twenty minutes and we stopped several times to look at stores and stuff) Anyway, you are allowed to take an elevator to the top (I assume that there must be stairs, but we didn't see any and I assume they are only available in case of an emergency.)
The western portions around the island. The Marienkirche.
The old market and Rathaus. Because Lübeck was the main merchant city on the Baltic, there is a large tradition of craftsman and artisans. These people still exist and were in the market at the time that we were there. If one wanted to buy some jewelery or medieval weapons of a sort, then one can buy them from someone who is making them in front of you. Not the kind of thing that you see every day.
The Lübeck Cathedral.
The Rathaus from the market. Unlike other old Rathouses, this one is still in use. The building behind it is the Marienkirche.
The Marienkirche. Apparently, the Devil originally tried to convince them to build a wine cellar. They built this church instead, and, after it was nearly finished, one of the stones at the top fell off and landed next to the church. Now, they have a devil statue on a big stone next to the church. Theoretically, rubbing his horns is good luck. They had a plaque explaining the story, but not why rubbing his horns is good luck, sadly. They also didn't explain how they knew that the Devil tried to convince them to build a wine cellar. Incidentally, Lübeck has a large wine making industry, making a wine called Rotspon. The grapes are grown and fermented in France and then aged in Lübeck. Rotspon is apparently old Deutsch for red wine.
The devil statue.
The Hospital of the Holy Spirit. A hospital that dates back to 1260. It is pretty huge and has all sorts of nifty artwork.
The altar in the first room. You walk in, and there is a giant room. I am not sure what you would call it.
Stained glass window next to the altar.
I am not quite sure what to call this one either. It was all along the wall across from the door. It might have a balcony on top, but I do not remember.
An example patient's room.
The Burgtor (Castle Gate) at the north end of the island.
The Trave river on the north end of the island.
After visiting the north end of the island, we turned south. On the way south, we ran into the Willy Brandt House. He was the Chancellor of West Germany during the late sixties and early seventies. He won the Nobel peace prize for improving east/west relations. Much to my delight, the museum was free.
A piece of the Berlin Wall that was at the museum.
After that, we continued our way south to stop at the Lübeck cathedral.
Once again, there was a wedding going on, and so we were not allowed to stay for very long. I am not sure how much it costs to get married in a cathedral, but I bet it is a whole lot.
The inside of the cathedral.
After dodging the wedding party, we headed back to the train station. This is the Trave just outside of the Holstentor. Two transfers and hours later, we ended up back at home. I am not entirely certain what is next on the trave schedule. If the weather is good and I am feeling up to it, tomorrow might involve some hiking in the Harz mountains. Next weekend might involve a trip to Berlin to meet a professor from Bemidji, but I am not sure. Bis bald. -Marc.