CULTURE IS HAPPINESS

Experience the diversity of Lübeck’s museums in the historic Old Town. Whether you are looking for a glimpse of Hanseatic history, medieval or modern art or inspiring encounters with Nobel Prize Laureates – in Lübeck, you will find precisely what you’re seeking. The best idea is to let the flow of the crowds between the historical brick buildings of Lübeck’s Old Town carry you from museum to museum as everything is very central. Rummage in the museum’s own shops and enjoy a refreshing coffee break between visits to let your impressions sink in.

Three personalities of the German cultural and political landscape, all of whom offer a sense of identity, and they all have a house in Lübeck: Visit Lübeck’s Nobel Prize Laureates, Thomas Mann, Günter Grass and Willy Brandt, in the museums dedicated to them in Lübeck’s historic Old Town. Here you can find out everything about their complex lives and works and their close attachment to this Hanseatic city. Besides the stimulating exhibitions on permanent display, you will also encounter numerous small events such as readings, discussions or concerts, spread over the year. Here you can learn more about Thomas, Günter and Willy.

Lübeck’s lively theatre scene is a magnet attracting visitors from far beyond the town’s borders. Whether it’s drama, performances, summertime operettas or opera – here the curtain rises on scenes of high culture but also experimental pieces. Theater Lübeck is the prime venue in the cultural scene of this Hanseatic city. But even the smaller theatres entice visitors with thrilling productions and in some cases unusual locations. Start your stroll through Lübeck’s theatre world here!

The seven spires of the Lübeck’s five major Old Town churches are legendary and have dominated the Hanseatic city’s skyline for centuries. Experience particularly impressive moments when the imposing brick churches become places where people throng. New ways of communication always arise when church and culture go hand in hand in Lübeck and sweep you up on an inspiring journey through music, lyricism and spatial experience.

There’s always something going on in Lübeck! Concerts, readings, drama, parties, traditional events and favourite cultural moments: they will captivate you and bring the historical brick architecture of this Hanseatic city to life with their pure joie de vivre. When are you coming to Lübeck and what awaits you here? The event calendar will help you in your search for your personal highlights.

Every year, Lübeck becomes a major stage for Nordic film culture offering far more than dark thrillers. The Nordic Film Days await you with over 300 events, feature films, documentaries and short films from Northern and North Eastern Europe. The Festival – often interactive, always inspiring – will make you part of this cinematic world. Over the last few years, the festival has become a lively forum for debate on the cinema and cinematic art, offering encounters with film makers and numerous events beyond the movie theatres. Here you can find out more about the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck.

Pure joie de vivre in the narrow lanes, alleyways and courtyards of the Old Town and a true labour of love on the part of Lübeck. Every two years, the HanseKulturFestival transforms one of the historical Old Town districts into a world of adventure with music and dance, fringe theatre and culinary offerings as well as numerous opportunities to meet the people who live here and who make Lübeck the city we love. Get a foretaste here of the HanseKulturFestival to be held in June 2024.

Classical music will surprise you in unusual locations at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Whether it’s idyllic farmhouses, magnificent mansions or blissfully beautiful parks – every location is brought to life by world stars of classical music and rising young talent and raised to the level of an international concert stage. The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival awaits you again with musical delights at the state’s most beautiful locations from 29 June-25 August 2024.

The life’s work of the gifted composer Johannes Brahms lives on worldwide through his music. It brightens up the most beautiful event locations and creates unforgettable moments. But anyone who knows the composer’s life will now be wondering: Brahms in Lübeck? He was a Hamburg lad! Today, however, Brahms “lives” in Lübeck, in Villa Eschenburg on Jerusalemberg – letters, notes, pictures and manuscripts await you in this exhibition of Lübeck’s Brahms Institute. And every year, his musical works are celebrated in Lübeck when the Academy of Music invites visitors to the Brahms Festival in the Hanseatic city. Find out more here about such Brahmsian experiences in Lübeck!

The life’s work of the gifted composer Johannes Brahms lives on worldwide through his music. It brightens up the most beautiful event locations and creates unforgettable moments. But anyone who knows the composer’s life will now be wondering: Brahms in Lübeck? He was a Hamburg lad! Today, however, Brahms “lives” in Lübeck, in Villa Eschenburg on Jerusalemberg – letters, notes, pictures and manuscripts await you in this exhibition of Lübeck’s Brahms Institute. And every year, his musical works are celebrated in Lübeck when the Academy of Music invites visitors to the Brahms Festival in the Hanseatic city. Find out more here about such Brahmsian experiences in Lübeck!

This must be Lübeck’s most delicious ambassador – its marzipan. How did this tasty delicacy come to Lübeck in the first place and what makes Lübeck’s marzipan so special and how can you experience this Hanseatic treat in Lübeck? Get the best tips here on how to indulge yourself on your holiday in Lübeck!

Lübeck’s Old Town shines in its pre-Christmas blaze of light, inviting you to take a leisurely stroll through the famous Lübeck Christmas Market beside the historic Town Hall which forms an impressive backdrop to the lovingly designed Christmas markets. Different Christmas worlds await you in the Old Town, among them three small, exquisite indoor craft markets unparallelled anywhere in the world: at the Hospital of the Holy Spirit from the 13th century, in the radiantly white naves of St. Peter's church and inside the Hoghehus, the largest preserved medieval patrician house in Lübeck. And it’s repeated every year!