Old Town Isle South

Lübeck lies in southeastern Schleswig-Holstein on the Trave river and was once the main city of the Hanseatic League. Its Old Town is perched on a roughly 140-hectare hill, which the Trave and Kanal-Trave transform into an island. Around three-quarters of its buildings survived World War II, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987.The city is known for its seven towers and Lübeck marzipan. From the Holstentor, you'll walk past the Salt Warehouses up to St. Mary's Church and the Town Hall, discovering hidden passageways and courtyards. At the European Hanseatic Museum, you'll learn how the Hanseatic League shaped Baltic Sea trade.

The northern part of Lübeck's Old Town island clusters around the Koberg, the city's second large square after the market. Here stand the Jakobikirche, consecrated in 1334 as the church of seafarers and fishermen, the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital, and the Haus der Schiffergesellschaft. In the very north, the late Gothic Burgtor from 1444 closes off the island, the only remaining of the once four city gates besides the Holstentor. On Glockengießerstraße lie some of the approximately 80 preserved Gänge and Höfe, including the baroque Füchtingshof, which merchant Johann Füchting founded for widows of merchants and seafarers.You can visit the Willy-Brandt-Haus on Königstraße, which has free admission, the Günter Grass-Haus, and the Europäisches Hansemuseum on the Untertrave. In the Gänge, please be considerate of the residents, as they are still inhabited today. The Old Town island measures just under two kilometers from north to south, so you can easily reach the district on foot from the market.

Travemünde, part of Lübeck since 1329, was recognized in 1802 as the second seaside resort on Germany's Baltic Sea coast. Approximately 13,900 people live here at the mouth of the Trave, along the 1.7-kilometer long beach promenade, and on about four kilometers of bathing coastline.Since 1960, the four-masted barque Passat, built in 1911 by Blohm & Voss, has been located on Priwall, opposite the Travepromenade. At Leuchtenfeld, the Old Lighthouse, dating from 1539, is Germany's oldest preserved lighthouse. You can reach the town from Lübeck by regional train to Travemünde Strand station.

Lübeck was the main city of the Hanseatic League and is still called the Queen of the Hanse. Since 1987, the preserved Old Town, with over a thousand cultural monuments, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site, including the Holstentor, St. Mary's Church, Town Hall, and Cathedral. About 17 kilometers from the Old Town, the Trave river empties into the Baltic Sea in Travemünde.From there, the Bay of Lübeck opens up with a string of seaside resorts like Timmendorfer Strand, Scharbeutz, Haffkrug, and Niendorf, connected by the Baltic Sea Cycle Route. The bay is primarily a swimming and sailing area; marinas are located in Travemünde, Niendorf, Neustadt, and Grömitz. At the end of July, the Travemünde Week attracts sailors from all over the world.

Wismar is located at the southern tip of Wismar Bay, which is protected by Poel Island. The Hanseatic city was under Swedish rule from 1648, which ended in 1803 with a pledge to Mecklenburg. Since 2002, its Old Town, together with that of Stralsund, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site.The heart of the city is the 100 by 100-meter market square, featuring the Wasserkunst of 1602 and the Alter Schwede citizens' house from 1360. From there, you walk to the brick churches St. Nikolai, St. Georgen, and the tower of St. Marien, and down to the Old Harbor.