Hanseatic City of Lübeck
Lübeck – the former capital and Queen City of the
Hanseatic League – was founded in the 12th century and prospered until
the 16th century as the major trading centre for northern Europe. It has
remained a centre for maritime commerce to this day, particularly with
the Nordic countries. Despite the damage it suffered during the Second
World War, the basic structure of the old city, consisting mainly of
15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, public monuments (the
famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, remains
unaltered.