Things to do in Lübeck
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Alte Mühle
In a historic old mill on the banks of the Trave River, this rustic bistro serves fabulous Flammkuchen (Alsatian pizzas) along with steaks and seasonal specialities. There's a clutch of garden-set tables in summer. Definitely worth the detour.
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Miera
You can sit down for a platter of antipasti or pick up gourmet picnic goodies at this sophisticated delicatessen-bistro. Reserve ahead to dine in the formal restaurant on elegant Italian fare.
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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, pe…
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Buddenbrookhaus
The winner of the 1929 Nobel Prize for Literature, Thomas Mann, was born in Lü- beck in 1875 and his family's former home is now the Buddenbrookhaus. Named after Mann's novel of a wealthy Lübeck family in decline, The Buddenbrooks (1901), this award-winning museum is a monument not only to the author of such classics as Der Tod in Venedig (Death in Venice) and Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain) , but also to his brother Heinrich, who wrote the story that became the Marlene Dietrich film Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel). There's a rundown of the rather tragic family history, too.
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Trave River
Just behind the Salzspeicher lies the Trave River, which forms a moat around the old town; and if you arrive between April and September one of the first things to do is to take a boat tour. Sure, you start off viewing an industrial harbour, but the trips soon start passing beautiful leafy surrounds. Boats are scheduled to leave every half-hour, although many wait until they're half-full.
Maak-Linie (www.maak-linie.de) runs good one-hour tours, leaving from the north of the Holstentorbrücke. Quandt-Linie (www.quandt-linie.de) leaves from just south of the bridge.
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Schiffergesellschaft
Schiffergesellschaft Opened in 1535 as the dining room for the Blue Water Captains' Guild, Lübeck's best restaurant is a veritable museum. Ships' lanterns, original model ships dating from 1607 and orange Chinese-style lamps with revolving maritime silhouettes adorn the wood-lined rooms, which include an elevated banquet room up the back. As you sit on long benches resembling church pews, staff in long white aprons bring you Frisian specialities. On balmy nights, head up a flight of steps to the hidden garden out back.
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Christmas Market
You're most likely to enter the four bare walls of the former Heiligen-Geist-Hospital if you're coming to Lübeck's superlative Christmas Market. Although the building is largely an elegant shell these days, there are resonances of Germany's first hospital (dating back to 1227). Through an early-Gothic hall church, you'll come to the hospital hallway, where you'll see the little chambers that were built around 1820 to give the sick and old a certain degree of privacy.
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Rathaus
Sometimes described as a 'fairy tale in stone', Lübeck's 13th- to 15th-century Rathaus is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in Germany. Unfortunately, the impact of its facade is diminished by new buildings around the marketplace, which block previously open views. Inside, a highlight is the Audienzsaal (audience hall), a light-flooded hall decked out in festive rococo.
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Dom
The Dom was founded in 1173 by Heinrich der Löwe when he took over Lübeck. Locals like to joke that if you approach the Dom from the northeast, you have to go through Hölle (hell) and Fegefeuer (purgatory) - the actual names of streets - to see Paradies, the lavish vestibule to the Dom. Otherwise, the building is quite spartan.
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Günter Grass-Haus
he Günter Grass-Haus is filled with the author's leitmotifs - flounders, rats, snails and eels - brought to life in bronze and charcoal, as well as in prose. You can view a copy of the first typewritten page of Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum; 1959), while the man himself occasionally appears for readings.
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Salzspeicher
Just behind the Holstentor (to the east) stand six gabled brick buildings. These are the Salzspeicher, once used to store salt transported from Lüneburg, which was then bartered for furs from Scandinavia and used to preserve the herrings that formed a substantial chunk of Lübeck's Hanseatic trade.
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Theaterfigurenmuseum
If you're travelling with children, or have a particular interest in marionettes, don't miss the TheaterFigurenMuseum, a wondrous private collection of some 1200 puppets, props, posters and more from Europe, Asia and Africa; and try to catch a performance at its theatre.
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Malerwinkel
If you head south along An der Obertrave, you pass the idyllic Malerwinkel, where people sit on garden benches among blooming flowers in summer, looking out at the houses and white picket fences across the water. This is one of Lübeck's most lovely corners, and shouldn't be missed.
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Markgraf
White tablecloths and silverware are laid out under the chandeliers and black ceiling beams of this historic, ochre-coloured 14th-century house. Exquisitely presented dishes include the likes of grain-fed chicken with sherry tomato fondue, and lemon ricotta mousse for dessert.
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Glandorps Gang
Almost 90 such Gänge (walkways) and Höfe (courtyards) still exist, among them charitable housing estates built for the poor, the Stiftsgänge and Stiftshöfe. The most famous of the latter is the beautiful Glandorps Gang.
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St Annen Museum
The St Annen Museum houses a browsable mishmash of ecclesiastical art (including Hans Memling's 1491 Passion Altar), historical knick-knacks and contemporary art in its modern Kunsthalle wing. The latter houses the Andy Warhol print of Lübeck's Holstentor.
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Füchtingshof
Almost 90 such Gänge (walkways) and Höfe (courtyards) still exist, among them charitable housing estates built for the poor, the Stiftsgänge and Stiftshöfe. The most famous of the latter is the beautiful Füchtingshof.
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Grenadine
This narrow, elongated bar leads through to a garden out back. A recent transformation has seen its decor pared down in chic, retro-minimalist style, such as carpet panels cladding the walls. Similarly simple German/Italian dishes are served at lunch (€6 to €12.90).
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Marienkirche
Near the Markt rise the 125m twin spires of Germany's third-largest church, the Marienkirche. It's most famous for its shattered bells, which have been left where they fell after a WWII bombing raid, as a peace memorial.
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Museum für Puppentheater
If you're travelling with children - or have a particular interest in marionettes - don't miss the Museum für Puppentheater. It's a private collection of some 1200 puppets, props, posters and more, from Europe, Asia and Africa.
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Tipasa
International dishes like pizzas and curries are served below the Australian Aboriginal dot paintings and faux caveman frescoes of animals. The eclectic decor comes together surprisingly well to create a relaxed ambience.
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Vai
Glossy, richly grained timber lines the walls, tables and even the alfresco courtyard of this sleek restaurant. Veal braised in red wine with puréed potatoes is a highlight of its contemporary menu.
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Katharinenkirche
Art lovers will enjoy the towerless Katharinenkirche for its sculptures by Ernst Barlach and Gerhard Marcks, plus The Resurrection of Lazarus by Tintoretto.
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Quandt-Linie
Leaves from just south of the Holstenbrücke bridge. One-hour city tours leave every half-hour between 10am and 6pm from May to October (plus limited services November to April).
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Figurentheater
This adorable puppet theatre puts on a children's show at 3pm, and another for adults on some evenings at 7.30pm, as well as occasional performances in English.
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