Lübeck - Anno 1216

The area around Lübeck, today a large city with a population of more than 200,000, had been settled by Slavs since the 7th century. Slavs had a settlement north of the present city called "Liubice", which was razed by the pagan Rani tribe in 1128.

15 years later Adolf II, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, founded the modern town as a German settlement on the river island of Bucu. He built a new castle, first mentioned as existing in 1147. Adolf II had to cede the castle to the Duke of Saxony, Henry the Lion, in 1158. After Henry's fall from power in 1181, the town became an Imperial city. Emperor Barbarossa ordained that the city should have a ruling council of 20 members. With the council dominated by merchants, trade interests shaped Lübeck's politics for centuries.

In the 14th century, Lübeck became the "Queen of the Hanseatic League", being by far the largest and most powerful member of that medieval trade organization. In 1375, Emperor Charles IV named Lübeck one of the five "Glories of the Empire", a title shared with Venice, Rome, Pisa, and Florence.

Conflicts about trading privileges resulted in fighting between Lübeck (with the Hanseatic League) and Denmark and Norway – with varying outcome. While Lübeck and the Hanseatic League prevailed in conflicts in 1435 and 1512, Lübeck lost when it became involved in a civil war that raged in Denmark from 1534 to 1536. From then on Lübeck's power slowly declined. The city remained neutral in the Thirty Years' War, but the devastation from the decades-long war and the new transatlantic orientation of European trade caused the Hanseatic League – and thus Lübeck with it – to decline in importance. However, Lübeck still remained an important trading town on the Baltic Sea.

The "Hotel Anno 1216" was opened just about a decade ago, but the building itself is much older.

The building dates back to the first phase of urban development Lübeck. After the foundation, the town consisted mainly of wooden buildings with a few exceptions (city walls and a few churches). After a great fire of 1276, the city council ruled that all buildings had to be made of stone or brick.

The building stands on the corner of "Alfstraße" and "An der Untertrave", occupying an important strategic position within the original street network. The first written reference to the house dates back to 1305.

Due to its location on the street corner, the building has a unique layout, its main façade being on the long eaves side rather than on the gabled front. The façade, with its Renaissance-style portal, reflects the architectural style of the early 17th century. Thanks to tree ring dating of ceiling timbers in the basement, it is known that the very first parts of the house were built in 1216.

Of course, the building was modified, altered, enlarged and rebuilt many times - and so it is now a posh hotel.

The building to the left houses a "Marzipan Museum". There are more than one of these museums, as already in the 18th century, the marzipan produced in Lübeck was well known for its high quality, due to its high almond content. Marzipan is still the main culinary attraction of the city.