A day in Lübeck

View of Lübeck from above

Anis Albasha
We've heard a lot about Lübeck, the beautiful ancient city in northern Germany.  And we have always wanted to see this city which is listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site because of its extensive Brick Gothic architecture. On September 23^rd, we went with our neighbor on a trip to Lübeck. We hit the road around 11 am. It was unexpectedly warm and that’s why people here called the last two weeks of last September ‘the extra summer days’!

When we arrived there at the noon, we headed to the old town of Lübeck , Altstadt. We visited St. Peter's Church which was built between 1227 and 1250 and expanded in the 15^th and 16^th century to a five-naved Gothic hall church. The only one elevator there took us to a viewing platform at the top of the Church where people can enjoy a magnificent panoramic high angle view of Lübeck's old town and the surrounding area which looks like an island enclosed by the Trave river.

View of Lübeck from the viewing platform of St.Peter's church

 After that, we walked quietly along narrow streets which lead to the old Town Hall where there were some teeming cafes and restaurants scattered here and there. It is stated that much of the old town of Lübeck has kept a medieval appearance and that was so obvious with all the old buildings which have a distinctive architecture style as well as with the narrow cobblestone streets which make you feel like taking a step back in time.

 Town Hall square 

Besides its unique medieval appearance, Lübeck is famous for its 'Marzipan' industry. Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar or honey and almonds meal, sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. According to some locals, this tasty sweet was first made in Lübeck in response to a siege of the city. Our German neighbor who accompanied us in this trip told us that- based on the legend- the town ran out of all food except stored almonds and sugar which people used to make food and to confront the famine.  However, other sources say that Marzipan actually was invented in Persia and the word 'Marzipan' itself was taken from the Persian language. It is said that around the 13^th century, when the crusaders returned from the orient, they brought with them a host of spices which were generally traded in tiny boxes. The enchanting word "Mataban" (box) gradually came to be used for the contents of the boxes: Mazapane (Italian), Massepain (French), Marzipan (German). The first European to indulge in Marzipan were kings and rich people. Later, Marzipan reproductions of all sorts of fruits, poultry and game were created. 

We visited the famous Marzipan shop in Lübeck which is called Niederegger. Established in 1806 by Johann Georg Niederegger, the shop is still enjoying a great reputation in whole Germany and it is a favorite place which tourists often visit while in Lübeck. Niederegger's recipe for Marzipan "as many almonds as possible, as little sugar as necessary" was the secret behind the growing reputation of that shop which has been passed on from generation to generation. When we were in the shop, we noticed the various Marzipan products that are scattered and placed over many shelves. Everything is made of Marzipan: chocolates, cookies, cakes and also there are different fruit-shaped Marzipan confections which look like real fruits!

Even though we’ve read some reviews about the city suggesting that Lübeck  is only worth visiting in the Christmas season for its special markets, the city seemed so special and amazing even in September! We spent a few hours there but we had a lovely time and we saw a unique German city that enjoys an interesting historical heritage and some of the world’s finest confectionery products.