Fischkutter

Culture at the Baltic Sea

Northern Germans are generally considered taciturn and reserved. And yes, there may be something to that. But if you take the time to look behind the scenes, you will discover a wealth of history, tradition, art and music.

The cultural capital of Schleswig-Holstein is quite clear: Lübeck. With the opening of the European Hanse Museum in May 2015, which has since attracted around 100,000 visitors a year, our second-largest city has reaffirmed this position. As early as 1987, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee designated Lübeck’s “Altstadt” or “Historic Town” as a World Heritage Site. The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, which radiates far beyond the state borders, has its base in Lübeck. The “Holstentor” or “Holsten Gate” and Lübeck’s Christmas market are more cultural highlights.

Holstentor Lübeck
© sh-tourismus.de

Next to Lübeck, the state capital Kiel is Schleswig-Holstein’s most important cultural address: In 2019, more than three and a half million people celebrated Kiel Week, THE country’s major annual cultural event right on the Baltic Sea. A pearl on the cultural Baltic Sea beach is the historic Baltic Sea spa “Travemünde”, with its picturesque old town and fishing harbour. The legendary four-masted barque “Passat” is anchored on the Priwall shore in Travemünde. Below the deck of this majestic tall ship, which is over 100 years old, an exhibition invites visitors to take a journey back to a time when sailing ships were the fastest means of transport available on the world’s oceans. Germany’s oldest lighthouse, which is actually approaching its 500th birthday, also stands at the mouth of the Trave. Today, it houses a small maritime museum that tells the story of beacon technology.

Die Viermastbark Passat in Travemünde liegt hinter einer Wiese mit Blumen im Wasser.
© LTM