Lüneburg — vibrant Hanseatic and student city
Famed in medieval Europe for its salt production, today Lüneburg is well-known as a vibrant Hanseatic and student city, offering a wide range of cultural events. With 71,668 inhabitants, Lüneburg is set on the Ilmenau river in the federal state of Lower Saxony. It borders the 7,400 square kilometre heathland area called Lüneburger Heide.
Things to see and do
Historic Buildings: Town Hall, Am Sande and Old Harbour
Built in 1230 and constantly improved over the last centuries, the historic town hall of Lüneburg is an impressive site. It is deemed to be the biggest mediaeval town hall and known as one of the most iconic buildings of Northern Germany. Public tours are available throughout the year. Among Lüneburg’s more than 1,000 further historic buildings, the historic patrician houses surrounding central Am Sande square are a particular highlight. The idyllic harbour provides additional architectural and historic highlights, including the city’s landmark old port crane Alter Kran.
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Kloster Lüne
The Lüneburg monastery in the north-east of the city hosts a museum and a café. Kloster Lüne offers a wide range of art treasures, unique architectural and textile design. On the weekends, cultural events such as concerts, guided tours and dinners give an impression of the monastery’s nature.
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Salt Museum
“De Sulte dat is Luneborch” (“The Salt is Lüneburg”) said Lüneburg’s then Mayor Hinrik Lange in 1461.
To explain what an important role salt production has played for Lüneburg’s history, the Salt Museum was opened in 1989. Only two years later, the European parliament awarded it for its contribution to the understanding of European cultural variety.
Guided tours in English are possible.
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Set for TV-Telenovela Rote Rosen
As the main shooting location of the daily ARD-telenovela Rote Rosen (red roses), Lüneburg has become known as a city to fall in love with. The filming crew shoots on location twice weekly, making it most likely to run into film sets or actors. The romantic TV show, which mainly addresses the life of a woman in her forties, has already produced more than 1650 episodes and is broadcast in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
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Lively café and pub scene
With one hospitality concession per approximately 200 inhabitants, Lüneburg has the highest pub concentration in Germany and the second biggest in Europe, right after Madrid. Many of the 350 bars, restaurants and pubs are located in the city centre and are set in historic buildings.
British-German Town Twinnings
Town twinnings between British and German cities play an important role in promoting cultural exchange. Lüneburg has been twinned with Scanthorpe in Lincolnshire since 1960.
