Hanseatic City of Lübeck

The Hanseatic City of Lübeck, located in the northern-most state of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, is home to around 214,000 people making it the second largest city in the state. Traces of the Hanseatic League are thought to have come from the city of Lübeck which originated in 1159. In 1226 the area became the free city of Lübeck which later became the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. In the 14th century Lübeck became the “Queen of the Hanseatic League.” It was the largest member of the Hanseatic trade organization.


The Hanseatic City of Lübeck was the 8th location to be added to the list of World Heritage Sites from Germany in 1987, mainly because of its gothic style architecture. The nomination of Lübeck into the List of World Heritage sites was first denied in 1983 because of the destruction caused by WWII. However, the old part of Lübeck still remains. Two of the original four gates that lead into the city of Lübeck still remain, the Burgtor built in 1444 and the Holstentor built in 1478.

Lübeck is located on the Trave River and is the largest port on the Baltic Sea in Germany. The Trave River also encloses an island which is the old part of Lübeck. It is well known for its’ old gothic brick architecture. Lübeck still has the look of medieval times by also keeping the streets narrow. It still has many original structures from the origination of the city including church steeples dating back to as early at the 13th century.

The city of Lübeck is also home to 3 universities; Fachhochschule Lübeck (University of Applied Sciences), University of Lübeck and Musikhochschule Lübeck (Academy of Music).