Holstentor City Gate & City Museum

Lübeck's small Holstentor city gate really is quite stunning. It captivated Andy Warhol (his print of it is in the St Annen Museum) and it's a sight where people sit and stare. Its twin, pointy-roofed circular towers, tilting together across a stepped gable, have made it a true German icon, which has graced postcards, paintings, posters, marzipan souvenirs and even the old DM50 note, as you'll discover in the engaging City History Museum inside.

Built in 1464, the gate been under renovation recently, but should be out of its trompe l'oeil wraps by now, so that its famous Latin inscriptions are visible: 'Concordia Domi Foris Pax' (roughly translated as 'Harmony within, peace abroad') on one side, and 'SPQL' (Senate and People of Lübeck) on the reverse.