Lübeck Museums and Culture

Museums

After you've left the tourist office's Welcome Center, cross the street to the Holstentor. A small museum of Lübeck's Hanseatic history is inside the medieval gate's two towers.

Just inside the Altstadt is the Museum of Theatre Puppets. As you follow the walking itinerary on the tourist office's pocket-size Town Map (see our Sightseeing page), you'll eventually reach St. Anne's Art Gallery and Museum, a former convent that houses separate collections of religious and modern art.

In the northwest part of the Altstadt, you'll reach the Behnhaus / Drägerhaus Museum, which shows how wealthy Lübeck merchants lived in the early 19th Century. Nearby, the 700-year-old Heiligen-Geist-Hospital (see photo above) once housed sick and elderly residents who took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience in return for room and board.

If you're a fan of German literature--or even if you're just mildly curious--take time to visit Günter Grass Haus and Buddenbrookhaus (the latter named after the famous novel by Thomas Mann, whose life is commemorated in both German and English within the attractive, innovative museum).

For more museum listings with descriptions and Web links, visit the Lübeck tourist office's Museums page.

Culture

The best cultural bargain in town is the Musikhochschule, or Music Conservatory, where free rehearsals and recitals take place nearly every weekday evening during school terms. To see what's on for the current week, check the bulletin board outside the school's entrance on An der Obertrave, the street that runs along the water to the right of the Holstentorstrasse as you enter the Altstadt.

Performances range from classical music to rock concerts. We enjoyed a great performance by an American-style group, Party-o-Phonics, during our visit, when we were given a "Lübeck fights for its university" bumper sticker.

(Note: Admission is free at the Musikhochschule, but you'll need to pick up a ticket on the evening of the performance, and it's polite to drop a few euros in the donation box.)

In a city that's famous for its seven great churches, choir and organ concerts are often on tap (and always worth attending).

For other cultural, entertainment, and events listings, check the tourist office's Web site (see our Tourist Information page) or consult the German-language Lübeck Rundum city magazine.