Lübeck and Lüneburg – two North German gems that to this day maintain many strong connections. These close historical ties are reflected in the Old Salt Road. The medieval trade route, which once made our two cities rich, is now a popular long-distance bike trail. The route is around 116 km long and mostly even. We took three days to explore the Old Salt Road. Spending two nights along the way seemed perfect to us. Mölln and Lauenburg are two cultural highlights that indeed deserve a little more attention. This is our travel report for ZWISCHENZEILEN.
The legend of Lüneburg
What was the Old Salt Road all about again? According to Lüneburg’s founding legend, there was a hunter who followed the trail of a wild sow. He tracked her down to a forest clearing. There she was: resting after a bath in a shallow pond. Her fur glittered as white as snow. It was the salt from Lüneburg’s spring. It had crystallized in the wild sow’s black fur after.
The discovery of salt made Lüneburg rich.
Being the queen of the Hanseatic League, Lübeck built its wealth on trade across the North and Baltic Seas. Herring, among other things, came to Lübeck from Northern Europe and here it was preserved with salt from Lüneburg. In line with Christian fasting regulations, people lived on fish every Friday, all through the Medieval Ages. The two Hanseatic cities earned a lot from this lucrative trade.
The journey of Lüneburg’s salt to Lübeck was long and arduous. The roads were bad and the journey by ox cart was not only long but also dangerous. Highway racketeering was common. The city of Lübeck had to employ it’s own military to enforce law and order. At the same time, attempts were made to shorten the journey time by building a canal. From the 14th century onwards, the Stecknitz and Delvenau rivers were gradually made navigable and connected with an 11 km long channel.
On the trail of the Stecknitz bargees
We set off on a Friday afternoon. We had chosen the Till-Eulenspiegel town of Mölln as our first stop on the Old Salt Road.
After weeks of summery heat and sunshine, this Friday was rather cool and windy. The gusty southerly wind drove rain-heavy clouds accross the skies. We crossed the river Trave on the Treidelweg bridge, passed the high-rise buildings of Moisling, the Büssau lock and finally the romantic village of Krummesse. I like the varied landscapes south of our city.
Small woods mix with green meadows where horses graze. Storks stand one-legged in the tall grass.
You will see herons patrolling the reeds. As you are cycling down these trails, you feel the crunching of sand under your tires and you hear the chirping of crickets. In Berkenthin you should take the time to visit the church, which sits on top of a hill , overlooking the village and the canal, surrounded by ancient tombstones. Its interior impresses with elaborated artistic murals.
A short detour to nearby Behlendorf is also worthwhile. Lübeck’s famous writer and Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass did not only spent the last 30 years of his life here. This is where he found his final resting place. If you want to learn more about the later years of his life, we recommend you do the Tour de Grass.
On hot summer days, Lake Behlendorf is a welcome place to cool down. This Friday we were in a hurry. The sky had darkened considerably. The wind picked up and brought rain showers. Just before we arrived to Mölln, the clouds suddenly broke and everything started to glow orange in the warm light of sunset. As we were making our way around lake Ziegelsee towards Mölln’s old town, a perfect rainbow stretched across the lake.
Till-Eulenspiegel-town of mölln
With the construction of the Elbe-Lübeck Canal, traffic along the salt road increasingly shifted to the water. Travel times shortened. The guild of “Stecknitzfahrer” arose (Stecknitz bargees). On their journey to Lübeck, they were forced to stop at many locks and ate, drank and spent the night in taverns, which were appropriately also run by the lock master. These in turn were employed and paid for by the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. I had booked a room at the SeidenStraße Hotel & Restaurant in Mölln.
For a change, we set up camp in the footsteps of Marco Polo.
This guesthouse, run by three Afghans, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. We slept soundly. After getting breakfast prepared especially for us, our extremely friendly host dismissed us for the second day of our trip.
The sun was beating down from a cloudless sky and promised a hot late summer’s day. Mölln’s old town is located on a peninsula between two lakes. St. Nicolai’s Church was built on a hill and can be seen from afar. We followed the chime of it’s bells to the market square. Mölln’s central square is surrounded by beautiful half-timbered houses. It is home to the Old Town Hall and the Eulenspiegel Fountain. The tourist information office and the Mölln Museum are located in the Old Town Hall. As overnight guests of the town, we received a combined ticket for the two most important museums for only €4, which I highly recommend.
The Mölln Museum fills a thematic gap between Lübeck and Lüneburg. It is dedicated to the Stecknitz bargees mentioned above, who transported the Lüneburg salt in so-called Prähmen. This journey took up to three weeks. Their destination was the salt warehouses at Lübeck’s Holsten Gate. Their guild resided in the the office building of the Stecknitzfahrer in the Hartengrube 27.
The Eulenspiegel Museum tells the story of the famous jester who traveled all over Germany in the 14th century. He addressed social injustices. Under the guise of a jester, he could hold up a mirror to people of all classes and estates without risking his neck. Most of the time.
Lauenburg
We set off on the second stage of the Old Salt Road when the sun was at its zenith. There was not a breath of wind and the temperature rose to over 31°C. I gazed longingly at the many lakes that I regurlarly saw flashing up between the trees to the left and right of our path. In the early evening we reached Lauenburg on the river Elbe, the southernmost town in Schleswig-Holstein and former residence of the duchy of the same name.
Here, the Elbe forms the natural border with our neighbouring state Lower Saxony. It has formed an almost 70m high cliff on its northern bank. The castle, which was founded in 1181 as Polabenburg, towers above the town. There may not be left much of it today, but the view is magnificent. The old town lies below the castle on the banks of the Elbe. On the left, the canal flows into the Elbe, a mighty river that flows leisurely towards the North Sea. From the opposite bank, the wooded plain of Lower Saxony stretches as far as the horizon, where we thought we could make out the towers of Lüneburg in the haze.
We pushed our bikes along the cobbled streets of the old town and admired the fantastic half-timbered houses with their intricate wooden decorations and rose bushes. Dazzled by the soft backlight of the sunset, we passed richly laid tables in disbelief and amazement. The people of Lauenburg sat quietly enjoying their evening meal and chatting. In the middle of the street. Our receptionist explained to us that once a year, private life is moved to the street to give newcomers the opportunity to mingle with the locals. This was exactly the day we had chosen for our visit. What luck!
We stayed at the “guest house from the heart” – opposite the Maria Magdalenen Church in the heart of the city. From our cozy double room we had a view of the central church square, the Elbschifffahrtsmuseum and the bell tower. From the breakfast room, a café during the day, you can enjoy a wonderful view over the Elbe.
on a sunday in lower saxony
On Sunday morning, the church bells of Lauenburg rang out as we crossed the Elbe bridge and entered Lower Saxony on the other bank. Here we took a short break. A narrow path led to a small, overgrown peninsula below the dyke.
The gurgling of the waves mingled with the sound of the church bells.
From here you have the most beautiful views of Lauenburg – and of our home state of Schleswig-Holstein.
We were cycling on the back of a dead-straight embankment along the Elbe side canal when the sound of piano and gospel singing tore us from our thoughts. That was the last thing we had expected to hear here. We followed the music. Behind a row of bushes, the view opened up onto a forest lake. Benches had been set up on the opposite bank, where several hundred visitors had taken a seat.
A large cross was set up on the lakeshore, flanked by a gospel choir, a band and a brass band. Pastors in long black robes stood knee-deep in the water. Children played between them. We were unexpectedly caught up in the baptism festival at the Scharnebeck Inselsee burst in. 28 children and young people were supposed to have been baptized there that Sunday. With a coffee in hand, we sat down and enjoyed the cheerful atmosphere for a while.
The end of the journey
In the early afternoon we reached the Hanseatic city of Lüneburg the destination of the Old Salt Road. We visited the Lüne Monastery, which was founded in 1172 and is an impressive ensemble of North German brick Gothic architecture. Time seems to have stood still in the idyllic monastery garden.
The pretty university town of Lüneburg itself deserves a longer visit. Not only because of the numerous historical connections, which are also a journey through time into the past of our own city. The pretty old town with its largely intact medieval townscape and impressive gabled and half-timbered houses made a deep impression on us. In the picturesque waterfront district, a replica of a “salt barge” – one of the boats on which salt was transported to Lübeck via the Stecknitz Canal – is moored opposite the Old Crane.
I would also recommend a visit to Lüneburg Town Hall. The so-called “Old Chancellery” seems to have hardly changed for centuries. In a place of honor, a shoulder bone is displayed in a small glass case. It is attributed to the wild boar mentioned at the beginning, which showed the people of Lüneburg the way to the later salt works with its white fur. This became the foundation stone for the town’s later wealth – and also helped Lübeck to prosper.
On this multi-day hike or bike tour along the Old Salt Road, you will become more aware of your surroundings. And you also have the opportunity to find yourself.
I find it extremely relaxing to see the journey as the destination.
Read more
Old Salt Road: SH-Tourism
Old Salt Road long-distance cycle route: From Lüneburg to Lübeck | NDR.de – Guide – Travel – Cycle tours
