Moin, my name is Pascal and I am currently an intern in Barbara’s team. She offered me the opportunity to try my hand at writing my first blog post and of course I gladly accepted. As you probably already read in the headline, it’s about beautiful picnic spots in Lübeck. So I wrote this text. At least that was what I had in mind. However, in the course of researching and writing, I quickly realized that it wasn’t as easy as I thought. So let me present my first blog post to you. I hope you enjoy reading and have a sunny day.
7 towers – 7 tips
Summer is here, the sun is shining, it’s warm and the days are long. These are perfect conditions for a picnic to recharge your batteries. Whether as a break during an excursion or a separately planned activity. Whether alone, as a couple, with the family or with friends. Which ever way you choose to design your picnic experience, all have one thing in common, they are all best held in a suitable location. The Old Town has numerous squares that offer you the best conditions to relax with beautiful views. To help you decide, I’d like to introduce you to seven nice spots. The order does not represent a valuation, but I move clockwise from the Castle Gate around the island-shaped Old Town.
Stadtpark
You will find the park in the middle of the villa district of St. Gertrud. There it was laid out in 1897 by the city gardener Metaphius T.A. Langenbuch. The latter had a preference for rare woody plants. The department of urban greenery and transport plants here by tradition woody rarities. All these rarities are clearly signposted. Today you can find about 700 trees of 40 different species in the park. Some of these were even planted by Langenbuch himself. The sandy paths invite you to discover the park, the ponds, the bridges and the meadows by walking.
And if you feel like having break, choose a nice meadow spot. If you prefer to take a seat on a bench, that’s no problem either, as benches are plentiful at beautiful points throughout the park. Either way, you’ll find a place to relax here. A separate dog run area in the park makes the picnic an experience even for four-legged friends. Depending on the season you can admire different flowers in the park.
Falkenwiese
The Falkenwiese offers you probably one of the most extensive offers of recreational activities. Whether you want to lie comfortably on a meadow, look for a cooling in the Wakenitz, visit the playground with your kid or the nice little school garden – which we have already presented here in the blog – or are active on the sports and recreation area. Here you will definitely find what you are looking for. If you fancy swimming in the Wakenitz, the Falkenwiese even offers you two options.
On the one hand, you can jump from the meadow directly into the Wakenitz. The other option is a visit to the natural swimming pool Falkenwiese. Here, in addition to the sunbathing lawn, two diving boards (1 and 3 meters), a water slide, a non-swimmer area, changing rooms and toilets await you. Furthermore, after a visit to the natural swimming pool, which has been in existence since 1899, you can claim to have been in one of the oldest bathing establishments in northern Germany. Prices and opening hours can be found here.
Drägerpark
The range of products on offer at Drägerpark is similarly extensive. Here, in addition to the possibility of jumping from the meadow into the Wakenitz, you will find a natural swimming pool, just like at the Falkenwiese. This one even has a sandy beach. You can find the opening hours here. Centrally located in the Drägerpark is a playground for the little ones and for the grown-ups there are several large green areas that invite you to linger. You can discover the park by walking along the sandy paths, where you can find benches for resting at regular intervals.
The nearby Tor der Hoffnung (Gate of Hope), a listed residential complex, and of course the special panoramic view of Lübeck’s old town could also be exciting for you. Due to its orientation, Drägerpark offers you the perfect location to watch the sun set behind the Old Town. With a bit of luck, you can also see hot air balloons take off on the meadow in front of the Marli natural swimming pool, which is always an impressive experience for me.
Krähenteich Meadow
Vacation feeling also comes up at the Krähenteich meadow. Here you get a bit of a feeling of being on a small cozy island, as on one side is the Krähenteich and on the other is the Trave river. So you can watch the sunrise over the Trave or the sunset over the Old Town and the Krähenteich. The green areas here are relatively small compared to the parks, but this creates a charm all its own.
On the Old Town side of the Krähenteich you will find the Krähenteich swimming pool, which has a similar range of facilities as the Falkenwiese and Marli natural pools. For more info click here. What I think is really cool is that you can dispose of your barbecue ashes directly on the Krähenteich meadow in some sort of box. For cooling off at the Krähenteich meadow please use the Krähenteich, as swimming in the Trave is prohibited.
Kaisertor Playground
Located directly at the Kaisertor and at one of the southernmost points of Lübeck’s green belt, in the Wallanlagen, you will find the Kaisertor playground. So you can easily combine a visit to the playground with a walk along the sandy paths along the Trave through the ramparts. Since 1929, almost 100 years, this playground offers children a place to romp. The Kaisertor playground is actually a water playground, but on my last two visits the pool was empty.
But even without the water, the playground offers plenty of opportunities for the little ones. In addition, there are green areas for picnic blankets as well as seating. The playground is completely fenced, which means that the little ones can not easily leave the premises. The trees surrounding the playground provide shade at all hours. This allows you to avoid the direct sun if needed.
Malerwinkel
A picturesque view of Lübeck’s Old Town and its Cathedral district is offered to you from the Malerwinkel. You can experience one of the most famous picture and postcard motifs live here. The Malerwinkel became popular with photographers and painters in the 20th century. The reason for this is said to be the angle of view of the Old Town, which makes it look as if St. Mary’s is located more to the west than St. Peter’s, although it is to the east of it. The wooden Dankwartsbrücke over the Trave completes the beautiful picture.
While you comfortably spend your time on the green area of the Malerwinkel, you can see many people with their SUPs, canoes or boats on the water of the Trave in good weather. If you want to move your picnic to the water, your path could lead you to BoatNow. Just a few metres away from Malerwinkel you can rent an electric boat with padded seats and a table. You can find more information here.
Drehbrückenplatz
The newly designed Drehbrückenplatz offers you the perfect opportunity to enjoy the sunset and the reflection in the water in the evening. The long, wide concrete and wooden steps along the water invite you to linger, making them ideal for your picnic. In addition, there are a few benches with backrests in the square. If you didn’t bring anything along for a picnic, the local kiosk “Fangfrisch” or the water kiosk “Treibgut” can certainly help you out.
The place is sunny at any time of the day. You won’t really find shade on the stairs. The only shade is offered by a large poplar tree. It has been in place for decades. To cool down, you can sit down by the water. By the way, a barrier-free path leads down to the lowest step at the water’s edge. The Drehbrückenplatz has quickly become a very popular place in Lübeck. So it happens from time to time that dance classes or other events take place there.
I hope this little list helps you find a place for your personal picnic moment. Relaxation is important, especially for those who are very stressed in everyday life. That is, do something good for yourself and enjoy the moment with a nice picnic. So that your picnic is also relaxed here are a few tips. The ground can be damp even in good weather, in which case it is worth having a proper picnic blanket that is waterproof and insulated. If you don’t have one and don’t want to buy one, you can also put a big bag or something similar under your regular blanket. Not only you love good weather and a snack, also insects do. That’s why you should make sure to keep your place clean, because word of a good spot spreads quickly among insects.
In general, you should also make sure the place is clean after your picnic. Others, like you, want to be able to spend a good time in this place. But now enough reading and thinking about it. Grab everything you need for a picnic and head outside.
