Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [553]
A gravestone for Anne Frank and her sister, Margot, has also been erected (not too far from the cemetery gates, on the way to the obelisk). The entire family was initially sent to Auschwitz when their hiding place in Amsterdam was betrayed to police, but the sisters were later transferred to Belsen. Although no-one knows exactly where Anne lies, many pay tribute to their 15-year-old heroine at this gravestone.
Other monuments to various victim groups, including a Soviet memorial, are dotted across the complex.
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Getting There & Away
Driving from Celle, take Hehlentorstrasse north over the Aller River and follow Harburger Strasse north out of the city. This is the B3; continue northwest to the town of Bergen and follow the signs to Belsen.
By public transport the journey is best done on a weekday, when you can take bus 1-15 at 10am weekdays from Schlossplatz in Celle direct to Bergen-Belsen Memorial (€5.60, 48 minutes). At 3.04pm, a direct bus returns to Celle. A few other buses run, requiring an easy change to a connecting bus in Bergen. Ask the driver when boarding. If you need to travel on a Saturday, ask the tourist office to help you with times. It is not usually possible on Sunday.
A taxi ( 05051-5555) to the camp from the village of Bergen will cost about €15.
For further details, ask at the Celle tourist office.
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LÜNEBURG
04131 / pop 72,150
An off-kilter church steeple, buildings leaning on each other and houses with swollen ‘beer-belly’ facades: in parts it looks like the charming town of Lüneburg has drunk too much of the Pilsner lager it used to brew. Of course, the city’s wobbly angles and uneven pavements have a more prosaic cause. For centuries until 1980, Lüneburg was a salt-mining town, and as this ‘white gold’ was extracted from the earth, shifting ground and subsidence caused many buildings to tilt sideways.
Partly because of wobbly comic-book streets, Lüneburg is a lovely town with attractive stepped-gable facades and Hanseatic architecture. It has quite a lively student population, and doubles as a convenient gateway to the surrounding heath.
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Orientation
The Ilmenau River sits between the Hauptbahnhof, which is on its eastern bank, and the city centre to its west. To reach the Markt by foot from the train station, turn left when leaving the station, and take the first right into Altenbrückertorstrasse. This street leads across the river to Am Sande. From here, you’ll find lots of billboard maps all over town.
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Information
Lüneburg Tourist-Information Office ( 207 6620; www.lueneburg.de; Rathaus, Am Markt; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat Jan-Dec, 10am-4pm Sun May-Oct & Dec) Arranges city tours and trips to the surrounding Lüneburger Heide.
Main Post office ( 7270; Sülztorstrasse 21; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) There’s also a branch at the central bus station.
Stadt Krankenhaus (Hospital; 770; Bögelstrasse 1)
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Sights & Activities
ST JOHANNISKIRCHE
At the eastern edge of the square called Am Sande stands the clunky 14th-century St Johanniskirche ( 435 94; Am Sande; 10am-5pm Sun-Wed, to 6pm Thu-Sat Apr-Oct, 9am-6pm Thu-Sat, to 4pm Sun Nov-Mar), whose 108m-high spire leans 2.2m off centre. Local legend has it that the architect was so upset by this crooked steeple that he tried to do himself in by jumping off it. He fell into a hay cart and was saved, but, celebrating his escape later in the pub, drank himself into a stupor, fell over, hit his head and died after all.
The inside of the church is, well, a lot more believable than the legend; there’s an impressive organ and stained-glass windows, both ancient and modern. Explanatory leaflets are provided in many languages.
AM SANDE
Moving westwards,