Bremen; Tuesday, 24 May, 2005

An early start today as I wanted to go to Lübeck. Originally I was thinking of spending the day in Hamburg, where you have to change trains to get to Lübeck, but there is so much to do there that I thought I would leave that for a separate holiday.

Lübeck was once one of the most important cities is Germany, a centre of trading with the rest of the world. Much of it's importance is shown in it's magnificent buildings, many of which have had to be rebuilt since the end of the war, the city being all but flattened during a bombing raid on 29th March 1942. A slightly more alarming feature is the subsidence the city suffers from. The area whole of the city is built on swampy ground and as such much of it now leans at precarious angles.

First stop of the day was the Holstentor at the entrance to the city. So famous is it that it used to grace the DM50 bill. This now contains a museum charting the history of the city and it's importance in European history.

Next stop on from there was the canal bank where I picked up one of the many ships that cruise around the rivers and canals of Lübeck. Sadly all of them only offer commentary in German.

From there I walked to the Petrikirche. Almost destroyed during the bombing it has been rebuilt, but is no longer used as a church. Instead it is used as an exhibition space, and as a viewing tower. A lift glides you up to the top of the tower for views over the whole of the city.

The traders of Lübeck decided in the 13th century that it was time for a game of one-up-man-ship against the church and local bishops. They decided to built their own church, in a similar style to the town hall, to be even bigger and more impressive than the cathedral. They succeeded. Another building almost totally destroyed on 29/03/1942 it has been rebuilt, but with a reminder of what happened. At the base of one of the towers the shattered remains of the bells have been left, exactly where they fell.

After a short stop for lunch, I headed off towards the cathedral. Yet another building brought to the ground in 1942 this has been completely rebuilt, and contains a small photographic exhibition on the bombing, the fire (started by the bombing) that caused most damage, it's ruins and rebuilding.

The centre of the city rests on an island surrounded by canals and rivers. Around the edge is a pleasant path that you can walk round. Sadly halfway round the weather decided to take a turn for the worse so I (quickly) wandered back to the city centre to pick up some souvenirs. The local speciality is marzipan, the experts can make it look like anything!

I then headed back to the station, getting on the train just as the rain picked up intensity, and headed back to Hamburg, then Bremen, and a well deserved rest.