Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [554]
RATHAUS & MARKT
The name Lüneburg hails from the Saxon word hliuni (refuge), which was granted at the Ducal Palace (right) to those fleeing other territories. However, many sources mistakenly assume the town’s name has something to do with Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon. The city authorities at one time seem to have liked this idea, erecting a fountain with a statue of the Roman goddess in the town’s Markt.
The statue sits in front of the medieval Rathaus, which has a spectacular baroque facade, added in 1720, decorated with coats of arms and three tiers of statues. The top row of statues on the facade represents (from left to right): Strength, Trade, Peace (the one with the staff), Justice and Moderation. The steeple, topped with 41 Meissen china bells, was installed on the city’s 1000th birthday in 1956.
Rathaus tours (adult/concession/family €4.50/3.50/11.50) of the interior leave daily at 10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm from the entrance on Am Ochsenmarkt.
Other buildings around the Markt include the Court of Justice, the little gated-in, grotto-like area with paintings depicting scenes of justice being carried out throughout the centuries; and the former Ducal Palace, now a courthouse. West of that, on the corner of Burmeisterstrasse and Am Ochsenmarkt, is the Heinrich Heine Haus, the home of the poet’s parents. Heine, who hated Lüneburg, wrote the Loreley here (for more on the Loreley rock, Click here).
AUF DEM MEERE & ST MICHAELISKIRCHE
If you continue west along Waagestrasse from the Markt and veer left, you’ll come to Auf dem Meere, a particularly striking Lüneburg street. Here the wavy pavements have pushed facades sideways or made buildings buckle in the middle. All the way to St Michaeliskirche ( 314 00; Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Platz; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm Sun May-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Apr) the street feels wonky, like it’s something from the 1919 German expressionist movie The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Look at the steps leading to the church!
SPA BATHS
With Lüneburg having made its fortune from salt, where better to try the mineral’s therapeutic properties than at the town’s SaLü Salztherme (Spa Baths; 723 110; www.kurzentrum.de, in German; Uelzener Strasse 1-5; adult/child from €7.90/4.90; 10am-11pm Mon-Sat, 8am-9pm Sun). You can bathe in saltwater at 36°C, and try out the single-sex or mixed sauna area, water fountains and whirlpool.
CARRIAGE RIDES & CYCLING
Traditional horse-drawn carriage rides ( 04178-8542; adult/child €9/4.50; at 11.30am, 1pm & 2.30pm Tue, Thu & Fri) leave from the Markt. Call ahead or simply turn up.
Many tourists come to the Lüneburger Heide to go cycling; Lüneburg’s tourist office has dozens of different pamphlets outlining routes.
MUSEUMS
The Deutsches Salzmuseum ( 450 65; www.salzmuseum.de; Sülfmeisterstrasse 1; adult/child/student €6/4/5; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun May-Sep, 10am-5pm Oct-Apr) explains (in German only) how Lüneburg’s precious food preservative made the town such an important player in the Hanseatic League.
There’s also a Brauereimuseum ( 448 04; Heiligen-geiststrasse 39; admission free; 1-4.30pm Tue-Sun) looking at the history of beer-making in this city, which once housed more than 80 breweries.
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Sleeping
Rote Schleuse Lüneburg ( 791 500; www.camproteschleuse.de, in German; per adult/car & tent €5/6) This camping ground is about 3.5km south of the centre and offers a woodsy terrain scattered with fruit trees. Take bus 5600 to Rote Schleuse.
DJH hostel ( 418 64; www.jugendherberge.de/jh/lueneburg; Soltauer Strasse 133; dm under/over 27yr €23/26; ) After sundown, the lights glow a warm welcome from