I stayed in Luebeck for a couple of days about ten years ago, at the suggestion of German friends who'd lived there for years, and enjoyed it quite a bit.
It has a lovely moated old town that was very well restored after WWII and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so if you're at all interested in the history or architecture of the Hanseatic League cities, it's quite interesting. Lots of lovely brickwork and a Baltic atmosphere. At this point, I don't remember too much about specific buildings, except for the Holstentor, the 15th century massive brick gateway that is the town's symbol; the Holy Ghost Hospice, with medieval frescoes in the chapel; and the massive Marienkirche,also with medieval frescoes. And there are a couple of secular "pilgrimage sites": Buddenbrooks for Thomas Mann fans (it's now a museum to Thomas & Heinrich Mann), and the flagship Niederegger shop for marzipan fans (Luebeck is "marzipan city" because it was a center for importing almonds during the Hanseatic days).
So I'd say yes, there's definitely enough to fill up a day trip. And it would be a change from Hamburg--its much smaller and lower-key, for one thing. But I'm always reluctant to say whether or not a place would be "worth it" for somebody else--it depends upon the individual and the overall itinerary. There should be more information in any decent guidebook to Germany, and I'm sure there are plenty of photos on the Web, so I recommend taking a look and seeing whether it appeals to you.
Posts: 820 | Location: San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 28 June 2006
Thank you KT for your response. Your information is very helpful. And to you Shannon, I did read Diana's notes on Hamburg which I found extremely valuable. THANKS!!
we stayed in Lubeck for a couple of days a few of years ago while visiting friends in Germany...the Christmas market was on then. Nice town and a day there could be quite pleasant Jabo
Posts: 164 | Location: Israel | Registered: 07 December 2001
