Salzspeicher
The Salzspeichers, or salt warehouses, stand right next to the Holstenbrücke bridge, forming a marked line of six former warehouses. They are the last remains of a type of trade which meant big business in Lübeck for centuries - the salt trade. Year by year countless wagon loads of salt travelled to Lübeck to be sold to Scandinavia and the Baltic countries from Lüneberg's salt works. Demand was giantic, since in a time when no artificial refrigeration existed, salt was vital for preserving the huge quantities of fish exported to all European countries. On its way from Lüneburg to north Europe, the salt was stored in the Salzspeichers by the Trave, and we can imagine the scale of salt trade by the fact that the warehouse complex had to be enlarged several times in 200 years. The oldest buildings date from 1558, while the last one was erected as late as 1745. In the 19th century, the Salzspeichers became obsolete, dilapidated and were close to being torn down. But in 1921, they were restored and Lübeck kept its landmarks. However, there was one victim - two of the old warehouses were badly mutilated when transformed into a clothing department store.
Address: An der Obertrave / Holstenstraße

Burgtor
There are streets named after the German word for castle (Burg), a former monastery, even an old town gate - but where is the castle itself? It's no use searching for it - the castle disappeared as early as in 1225. Danish soldiers controlled occupied Lübeck from their fortress for 23 years and when they left, the Lübeckers tore down the castle - except for the gate which now served as the northern town gate. Around the Danish centre, a Romanesque building was erected, and in 1444 it was given the Gothic face we can see today. Only the roof seems a bit unusual because of the curved Baroque copper cap which replaced the high Gothic roof. Some clumsy artillery soldier - the Burgtor used to be an artillery tower - set the Gothic roof on fire in 1685.
As the only one of all the Lübeck town gates, the Burgtor was part of military action. In 1806, a Swedish battalion from Lauenburg was trying to escape advancing French troops and demanded ships for the voyage home from the neutral state of Lübeck, but did not get permission to enter the city at all. So a Swedish cannon opened the gates of the Burgtor by force, the Swedes got into the city, took the ships in the harbor and disappeared. It was a narrow escape because the very next day 20,000 French and Prussians killed each other on the Burgfeld. The Burgtor's military role was thus already over before it had really begun...
Today, large parts of the Medieval town walls at the Burgtor, which date from 1320, have been preserved and the gate itself has largely kept its original appearance. Seen from the Große Burgstraße, the former municipal mews (1450) are on the left, and the customs house (1571) is on the right, decorated with elaborate clay tiles.
Address: Große Burgstraße, Altstadt

Kaisertor
Even with most residents of Lübeck the name 'Kaisertor? doesn't ring a bell. It is half buried in the bastions and hidden under trees, this is the least striking, least impressive and least known of Lübeck´s three remaining town gates. When was it built? No document tells us. And - even more importantly - why was it built at all? The Mühlentor was only 100 metres away. The Kaisertor presumably dates from around 1290, and the Bishop of Lübeck may have ordered it. It is possible that he wanted to demonstrate his independence from the city by having an entrance to the cathedral quarter of his own. In some unknown year the gate was closed, and when the fortifications were renewed in 1532, the lower half was buried. The upper floors were torn down in 1644. It was not until 1826 that the remains of the Kaisertor were restored when the new navigation school was built on top of it, and the gate was re-opened in 1899. But no-one knows the real reason for the construction of this town gate.
Address: Wallstraße, Altstadt

Glandorpshof / Glandorpsgang
When walking through the Old Town streets, one will soon recognise the passages in the house fronts, some very narrow and low, some rather large, all looking a bit like tunnels. Following them leads into the world of corridors and yards typical for Lübeck. In past centuries, the small free spaces between or behind the high, slim gable houses were used to erect modest residential buildings. So, as time went by, a picturesque maze of corridors, which were difficult to survey, emerged in some blocks, and many of them still exist today.
One of the most beautiful examples is Glandorpshof / Glandorpsgang. The mighty face with the entrance reminding of a Roman triumph arch dates from the early 17th century, when yards and corridors were expanded to be a ild peoples' residence. The big arms above the gate belonged to the city council member Johann Glandorp, who died in 1612, and who made a donation for this project in his bequest. Obviously it was worth it, since his name is not forgotten. The small houses inside the complex, one standing close to the other, still give a nice impression of idyllic homeliness in these yards and corridors, despite their paltry atmosphere.
Address: Glockengießerstraße 41-53, Altstadt

Teufel von St. Marien
When many centuries ago St. Mary's was built, the Devil noticed the construction site. Being curious, he asked the architect what kind of building was in progress, and the architect - who liked the idea of misleading the Devil - answered: 'A big inn!? That pleased the Lord of darkness, because plenty of sinning was done in inns. So he helped the building with his devilish powers. After some time, he got suspicious when the walls were growing higher and higher. He talked to a little boy who told him the truth. The Devil became furious and threw the block of stone he carried in the direction of the church, and then vanished. That is only a legend, of course. The block of stone still lies in St. Mary's churchyard, and no historian can explain what it might be doing there.
Address: Marienkirchhof, Altstadt

Große Petersgrube
If youd like to travel through time by seeing architecture from the 14th to the 20th century without missing a style...the best place to do so would be the Große Petersgrube. Without any boring ordinary faces, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classic and Modern Age facades line the street, creating an extremely charming view. The rich patrician families once lived here, building their houses in a unique combination of understatement and representation. If you ignore the example created in the 20th century - a frightening garage complex - the buildings from so many centuries make a wonderful ensemble, providing a nice impression of what old Lübeck was like.
Address: Altstadt

Holstentor
a useful introduction to the city and Hanseatic history. On the waterfront to the right of the Holstentor is a row of lovely gabled buildings – the Salzspeicher (salt warehouses).
Address: Holstentorplatz
tel.=+49 451 122 41 29,

Rathaus
When standing on the Markt square, the Town Hall is withount any doubt a very impressive building, even though (or maybe because?) generation by generation has added new parts in the most up-to-date style of their time over the centuries. The northern building, with its two striking holes in the face, dates from 1230 and is the centre, the original Town Hall. However, the holes were broken into the walls before 1425 to give the strong winds of north Germany less surface to attack. As early as 1298, the Town Hall appeared too tiny to to the city's heads and so the "Long House" was added, standing on gothic arcades. And in 1442 the members of council liked the idea of getting a nice posh building, which was soon built in addition to the Long House - the Kriegsstubenbau, or War Room Building, named after the main hall. The last enlargement was the stylish Dutch renaissance limestone attachment in 1570, with a fitting representative flight of steps in the Breite Straße (1594).
The Town Hall is still the residence of the mayor and senate (the city council) today, yet it can be visited in guided tours. The Audienzsaal from 1760 is particularly worth seeing.
Address: Breite Straße 62, Altstadt
tel.=+49 451 122 41 29
fax=+49 451 122 13 31