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| The weekend of April 25 - 26, we decided
to stay in the Hamburg area. Although we (I) originally thought we
might take a couple day trips to the surrounding towns, Russ thought it
would be really nice to have a day without driving. (For those of you
who haven't heard, our car has a standard transmission, so I can't drive
anywhere. The rental agency is still looking, but it's been 4
weeks...) Saturday morning found us heading north (very thankful
we weren't heading south through the standstill traffic), towards Lübeck.
When we were there earlier, there were a number of things we didn't get
to see, most notably the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church).
Although the forecast was for light clouds mixed with sun, during the
whole trip north, the sky looked like it was going to open up and rain.
We decided someone must be looking after us, because minutes after we
parked the car *, blue sky appeared - not all over, but enough to let
some sunlight in.
The Marienkirche is indeed pretty, but not quite as spectacular as I
had hoped. I realized why as I wandered around, looking at the
stained glass and sculptures.... the Marienkirche was almost destroyed
in WWII bombing. There were pictures of the church with a gaping
hole where the steeple had been, and the church was missing its roof,
open to the sky above. In fact, the bells now lie where they fell.
The next chapel had brightly colored stained-glass windows, but not the
ornate biblical patterns I had come to expect. These were outlined
in bright red, with some kind of twisted mesh portrayed across the
windows. I then realized the windows were portraying the
destruction of the original stained glass - the metal framework which
holds the glass in place all warped and twisted by the flames. The
stained glass in the rest of the church - which has been painstakingly
restored - was also unusual - lots of bright colors in abstract
patterns, many scenes with skulls - not quite my taste (which is why you
won't find any pictures of them here).
The Hauptbahnhof (train station) of Lubeck Another view of the Hauptbahnhof The Holstentor, with the Salzpeicher on the right and the Petrikirche in the background The entrance to the Holstentor park. Panoramic view of the west side of the Altstadt. The Marienkirche, with its twin spires, is on the left. Again, more of the Rathaus, surrounding the markt. There was actually a market on Saturday! The most spectacular wall of the Rathaus, with the Marienkirche behind. The Rathaus facade included these large holes to allow wind to pass through. View of the Marienkirche from the markt. One of the painted ceilings. Many of the walls and columns were also painted. The bells of St. Mary's... The towers of the Marienkirche Believe it or not, this is one of the doorknobs. Of the Marienkirche. In the shadow of the Burgtor, the northern gate to the city. The Burgtor was originally part of the city's defenses. Other than the copper roof, the Burgtor retains much of its original structure. The original roof was replaced in 1685 after an accidental fire. The Burgtor and the city's mews.
The Hauptbahnhof (train station) of Lubeck
*This would be after parking the car to wander through the Aldstadt,
not parking the car to go shopping for computer gizmos at the
electronics store we also found in town. It was still very cloudy
then. |
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