Private Shore Excursion to the Hanseatic Cities of Lübeck and Wismar

The Holstentor is one of Lübeck’s most famous landmarks. The city gate was built between 1464 and 1478 based on Dutch models.
The Holstentor became the proud symbol of Lübeck as a free imperial city. But it is not only the exterior that is a popular subject for photos. The "Holstentor Museum" is located inside the famous monument and presents the history of the Hanseatic League, trade, power, and wealth.

The Hospital of the Holy Spirit is the best-preserved medieval building of its kind in Central Europe. The hospital was built in 1280 with donations from Lübeck merchants and was designed to accommodate 170 elderly and poor people. The building continued to serve this purpose until 1970.

The 80-meter-high tower of St. Mary’s Church is the only remaining part of the original Brick Gothic structure from the first half of the 13th century. It was severely damaged during the Second World War and partially demolished by the GDR government in 1960. The tower of St. Mary’s Church is a major landmark of Wismar, visible from the sea in the distance, together with St. George’s Church.

Lübeck Town Hall is a beautiful building that combines a variety of architectural styles. It is considered the oldest surviving town hall in Germany. Lübeck Town Hall is located in the Old Town on the Market Square, next to St. Mary’s Church.

Buddenbrook House is an elegant townhouse at Mengstraße 4 in Lübeck. Built in 1758, the house is famous for the writers Thomas and Heinrich Mann, who were born and lived here. Located opposite St. Mary’s Church, the house was almost completely destroyed during the bombing raids of the Second World War; only the façade survived. Rather than being restored as before, the façade was preserved and a museum dedicated to Thomas Mann was built behind it.

St. George’s Church, the third so-called structure on the site, dates from 1404. It was severely damaged in 1945, three weeks before the end of the Second World War. The church is a major landmark of Wismar, visible from the sea in the distance, together with St. Mary’s Church.

As Wismar was the second founding city of the Hanseatic League, the center of the Old Town is the huge Market Square, one of the largest in northern Germany. It is surrounded by elegant buildings ranging from 14th-century northern German Gothic to 19th-century Romanesque Revival and Art Nouveau. At the center of the square is the Wasserkunst, an ornate wrought-iron fountain imported from Holland in 1602.

Fürstenhof, once a ducal residence and later occupied by the city administration, is a richly decorated example of the Italian Early Renaissance style.

The north side of the Market Square is occupied by the Town Hall. Another remarkable building on the square is the Brick Gothic town house known as the Alter Schwede.
18:00–19:00 – You will be returned to the ship.