UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Schleswig-Holstein
After introducing Bavaria’s UNESCO World heritage sites in the first part of our series, we now move to Germany’s northernmost Federal State, Schleswig-Holstein. The two sites located here are a manifestation of the area’s historical importance as a trading hub and intercultural facilitator.
Hanseatic City of Lübeck (1987)
The city of Lübeck was founded in 1143 and became a major trading hub for Northern Europe between 1230 and 1535. It functioned as the former capital and “Queen City” of the Hanseatic League, a group of merchant cities that came to hold a monopoly over the trade of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Until today, the city has remained a centre for maritime commerce, mainly with its Nordic neighbours.
Lübeck’s Old Town island is an eye-catching highlight with its historical alleyways and criss-crossed lanes. It is surrounded by two parallel routes of waterways. Traditionally, the western part was home to the richest quarters with the trading houses and homes of wealthy merchants, whilst small businesses and artisans were located on the east side. According to UNESCO, the very strict socio-economic organisation emerges through the singular disposition of the “Buden” — small workshops set in the back courtyards of the rich houses. The Old Town further contains a number of architectural masterpieces, such as the “Burgkloster”, a Dominican convent built in fulfilment of a vow made at the battle of Bornhöved (1227), as well as the salt storehouses and the “Holstentor”.
During the Second World War, Lübeck endured severe bombings, destroying about 20 percent of the town, including its famous Cathedral, the churches of St Peter and St Mary and the “Gründungsviertel”, a hilltop district where the gabled houses of the rich merchants clustered. Selective reconstruction has permitted the replacement of the most iconic buildings.
Today roughly 220,000 people are honoured to call this vibrant, beautiful and historical Hanseatic city their home. Lübeck was announced UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
Archaeological Border complex of Hedeby and the Danevirke (2018)
Inscribed in 2018, the complex of Hedeby and the Danevirke is one of the most recent German additions to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Due its unique geo-strategic location, Hedeby was one of the largest and most important trading cities of the Viking era. Built during the 1st and early 2nd millennia CE, the town facilitated commerce between mainland Europe and the Nordic countries, linking the land masses via a narrow land bridge — the shortest and safest route across the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. In the 10th century, Hedeby became embedded in the defensive earthworks of the ‘Danevirke’, a line of Danish fortifications, which controlled the borderland and the portage.
Today, well-preserved traces of roads, buildings and a harbour are some of the many archaeological remains that provide a unique insight into developments in Europe during the Viking Age.
