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Lübecker Marzipan
There is no doubt about it that Lübeck has a heart of marzipan. But what are the ingredients for and the story behind the world-famous delicacy?
There is more than one story on the origins and the development of marzipan, and quite a few cities claim that it was their confectioner who invented the sweet. Taking a look at the countries which deliver the necessary ingredients, however, we might agree with Lübeck's Thomas Mann who wrote:
And if one takes a closer look at this sweet, this mixture of almonds, rose-water and sugar, it dawns upon one that the Orient plays a certain role here, that we might be dealing with confectionary from the harem, and that the recipe for this rich sweet, which is heavy on the stomach, came to a certain old Mr Niederegger via Venice.
('Lübeck as a spiritual life-form'1926)
Marzipan as a powerbread—an expensive and sweet medicine
Initially, marzipan was not just a tempting sweet as it was not available to the general public. The mixture of almonds and sugar was said to have all thinkable curative effects:
It was supposed to 'enlarge the spinal cord and the brain and fatten the body' (the latter being true to the present day, unfortunately), and have stimulating effects on the carnal desires when eaten with raisins. So it does not come as a surprise that this precious and expensive medicine was consumed in large amounts among Royals and the rich, while it was denied the common people because of medieval prescription trends.
But there also were economical reasons for the expensive price of this valuable delicacy. If you do some research in the Lübeck files of the 14th century, it becomes obvious that almond imports are quite frequently mentioned, while sugar imports are only mentioned three times, as it was still a rarity—even in the following 15th century. Sugar remained a very expensive good until new grounds for growing cane sugar were cultivated in America. But it was still such a precious luxury item that it was still only to be found on the lavishly packed dining tables of the rich and the noble.
Marzipan was only available at the pharmacist, by the way, who used to add the most dubious substances to it. Allegedly added ingredients like crushed gems and pearls were supposed to be good for the heart, while certain added spices and herbs were good for various diseases.
Marzipan was even used as a love-potion. According to a tale from Rostock, a young woman gives a precious marzipan heart with secret ingredients to the man she fancies. He dislikes the heart, however, and gives it to a pig as a treat. Imagine the young lady's horror when a love-crazed pig tried to enter her house!
From the golden sweet to works of art: Several documents provide vital proof that marzipan was consumed in Europe throughout the centuries. The value of the sweet is revealed in reports like the one which mentions that Karl IV was given gold-plated marzipan loafs on his arrival in Sienna, for example. It is likely that German people already tasted marzipan in the 15th century, but more accurate reports only date the first encounters with the sweet back to 1509. From then on marzipan was often mentioned as a dessert at royal dinners and festive occasions. But the fact that the almond mixture could not only be served as a delicious treat, but could also be used to decorate the dining-tables with the most beautiful and elaborate edible works of art was a crucial discovery in the history of marzipan. Gateaux showing historical events or a portrait of the host were no rarity. Up to the present day people take pleasure in giving each other such misleading gifts which appear to be something else—be it lobsters, sausages, fruit, poultry or bacon—there is a marzipan equivalent for all of them.
But how did marzipan get to Lübeck and what makes this almond mixture such an 'original Lübeck item'?
It is hard to tell or prove exactly from when the city of Lübeck was associated with the traditional production of marzipan. We do know, however, that it only ever became an issue around 1800. The Freeport zones in the ports contributed to the production, as they made it much easier to get hold of almonds and sugar straight after they were harvested, when there was a shortage of these imported goods.
Shortly after that, the sugar production from sugar beets became another important aspect in the history of Lübeck marzipan, as did Lübeck's Mecklenburg district. From then on sugar became less expensive for Lübeck's confectioners, and on November 28th 1795 a certain Mr Maquinet placed an advertisement for his marzipan and all kinds of confectionary—with and without sugar—in the Lübeckische Anzeigen (the classified ads in those days), and asked all his friends and patrons to come, try and praise.
Around 1800, four local confectioners produced marzipan, but the pains taken to make the almond paste only paid at Christmas and other holidays. But when young Johann Georg Niederegger started his own business in 1806, marzipan slowly became very popular. When Niederegger could afford to build his own house facing the Town Hall in 1822, he had already made Lübecker Marzipan a well-known branded product, which was packed, exported and sold in Lübeck. His tender, high quality white Lübecker marzipan tasted different from the former marzipan products. Even after it was destroyed, rebuilt, changed and enlarged more than once, the Niederegger-Haus is still standing in its original place. According to marzipan lovers, a visit to the café Niederegger comes very close to a visit to paradise.
Since 1866, when it was no longer compulsory to be the member of a guild, the first machine production of marzipan began, and it developed quickly. The export business flourished, and the quality of the marzipan, as well as the skilfulness in producing all the gateaux and figures became world-famous, so that Lübecker Marzipan was awarded many prices and honours.
In 1925, a category for 'Rohmassen' (raw materials) appeared in Lübeck´s yellow pages for the first time, and the city's marzipan and baking-dough factory—today the Schwartauer Werke AG—is mentioned there. At the time they only produced and exported the raw marzipan mixture, which saved the little confectioners the painstaking work of producing it themselves.
The actual ingredients used by Lübeck's confectioners remain a well-kept secret passed on from generation to generation up to the present day. But today's marzipan is still based on almonds—sweet almonds that is—sugar and rose-water.
A tour of one of the following Lübecker Marzipan factories is highly recommended:
Carstens Lübecker Marzipan
Marzipan-Land LEU
MEST-MARZIPAN
translated by Susanne Schmelzer
An Old Town tour
In 1987, UNESCO declared Lübeck's Old Town part of the world's cultural heritage, and it really is worth taking a walking tour here with a bit of time to spend here and there. The Old Town is completely surrounded by water, and there are many nice places to stop and take a break.
The tour starts at St. Peter's. Look out, as you can see the entire area at a glance from here. At the bottom of the church, the Kolk with Fritz Frey's puppet theatre and some pits—small narrow alleys—leading towards the river Trave can be found. St. Jürgen Gang and the Kleine Petersgrube are also worth a look. The Kolk takes you to Große Petersgrube, where the merchant houses are perfect examples of the various historical art influences and they give you a good idea of what the typical Lübeck merchant dwellings used to look like. From the upper Trave you can now look across the city Trave and see the picturesque Salzspeicher and Holstentor behind them.
A walk along the upper Trave is next, and you will pass by the Lübeck College of Music and Malerwinkelwith its many aisles and lanes. Effengrube leads up to Lübeck´s most impressive brick building, the Dom. It is surrounded by large old trees, and there is a café inside, which is ideal for a coffee break. You should walk around the Dom once before the tour continues along Musterbahn (with a view of the Mühlenteich), Fegefeuer and Mühlenstraße. You are now in the eastern shopping street, which we cross in order to walk into the little St. Annenstraße, where the former monastery St. Annen Museum offers another nice location for a short break in its idyllic inner courtyard with nice old trees. We can go on a tour of the museum later on. St. Aegidien, the former carpenters' church, is also located in the immediate neighbourhood. Walking across Wahmstraße we follow the Balauerfort and eventually reach Glockengießerstraße, and you should plan to spend some time at Füchtings-Hof. TheMuseum church St. Katharine is located on the corner towards Königstraße. If we follow Königstraße to the west, we will pass by Behnhaus/Drägerhaus and eventually get to Koberg. Several sights are close together in this square—the seafarers' church St. Jacob's, the Schiffergesellschaft and the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital. Those who would like to take a break might do so at the Bürgergarten, which is hidden behind the Heiligen Geist Hospital, as you can enjoy a heavenly silence here.
Following Burgstraße you will get to Burgtor. The bridge behind it provides you with a grand view of Lübeck harbour and the old swing bridge. If you prefer to leave out this little excursion, you can walk up Breite Straße, where you can see the Stadttheater on the right hand side of Beckergrube, before you arrive at Buddenbrookhaus, St. Mary's and the Town Hall near St Peter's. The tour ends on the market square behind the Town Hall and takes about 3 hours, depending on the breaks taken.
Translated by Susanne Schmelzer
Green Lübeck
parks, nature preserves and forests around town
If you would like to take a break in a green space, there are plenty of possibilities for this in and around Lübeck. As the historic city centre is entirely enclosed by waterways, several parks and greens are located nearby. There are beautiful lawns along the river Wakenitz in Lübeck's eastern regions. The Naturfreibad Falkenwiese (Falkenwiese open-air pool) and Marli open-air pool at the other side of the river can be found near the Old Town. Excellent bathing facilities are available in a park-like ambience here. Drägerpark with its large playground was also built in this area and is an ideal place for kids. In winter, they can ride their sledges down the slopes towards the river Wakenitz. While the children are busy playing, you can watch their parents chatting away with the cup of tea or Glühwein (mulled wine) which they have brought along.
There is a path along the river, which you can follow for miles and miles through the pleasant scenery until you reach Eichholz and the bathing place der kleine See on the eastern shore, and the Müggenbush passenger ship berth on the western shore. Falkenhusen forest with the popular Waldrestaurant Absalonshorst on the river is situated in the south. The Wakenitz passenger ships stop here during their romantic tours, and lots of canoeists take a break on their way to the Ratzeburg lake.
The Stadtpark is located in the neighbourhood of St. Gertrud above the Wakenitz. It has beautiful old trees and lavish rhododendron bushes and it is not just locals who appreciate this popular place for walks, jogging tours or a quiet hour on a bench. In winter, you can ride your sledges or skate on the little pond. Within just a few minutes of walking, the Lauer Holz, a widespread area of mixed forest, begins towards the east. It is best reached on one of the small paths leading down to the forest from Heiligen-Geist-Kamp. The woods are a pleasant place in any season, but are particularly beautiful in spring when the ground below the fresh green of the beeches is covered with thousands of wood anemones. You will often encounter riders on horseback here, as the Rittbrook stables are close by.
On the other side of the Wesloer Landstraße, the area of Wesloer Tannen begins, and many hiking trails lead into the woods from Wesloer Forsthaus. Put together, Lauer Holz and Wesloer Tannen form Lübeck's largest forest and recreational area. Another recreational area, the Palinger Heide is situated even further east, outside Lübeck's city limits. Further up north, on the other side of Travemünder Allee, the Lustholz—with a somewhat controversial zoo—is located to the west of Israelsdorf.
This is where the river Trave leads us towards Travemünde in a north-eastern direction. The neighbourhood of Karlshof is the best starting point for a visit to the Schellbruch nature preserve, the Trave flats with many rare birds. The Schellbruch is one of Lübeck´s most beautiful protected areas—lots of trails lead you along moors with reeds as tall as a person, as well as along many lakes and low-lying areas. The Trave shores are particularly nice, as sailing boats and with a bit of luck one of the giant luxurious liners pass by on their way to the cruiser terminal at Lübeck port. The path with reeds and willow trees leads all the way to the former fishermen's village of Gothmund with its lovely thatched houses.
North of Kücknitz, on the other side of the Trave, a roof of leaves is spread over Waldhusen forest, and Travemünde is near. The gardens of the health resort are a nice place for walks, while the landscapes of Brodten cliffs and the Priwall nature preserve are certainly much more dramatic and genuine. The Priwall, a protected area in the north of the city, can be reached by ferry.
While there is a large choice of green spaces and parks along the Trave and the Wakenitz in Lübeck's northern and eastern regions, the situation is a bit different in the west. Apart from the embankments near the Old Town, the Elbe-Lübeck-Kanal in the south provides the most attractive area for outdoor activities. A path which leads along the canal past Büssau lock and out of the city starts at Klughafen. It is very nice for a tour, as you will see a multi-facetted, varied landscape to the left and right of the canal, as well as many rowing boats and ships competing for a position on the water.
Translated by Susanne Schmelzer
Bicycle tour 1: Along the river Wakenitz
Have no fear—it doesn't take a lifetime's experience as a cyclist to manage these tours. If you follow the outlined route, you will experience beautiful day trip locations you can't always reach by car. Equipped with a bicycle pump, a lunch bag and a good mood we will go on a nice and easy bicycle tour.
The tour starts at Kohlmarkt, the southern end of the old market square. As you can tell by the name, charcoal used to be sold here. This is where we mount the bikes and ride along Wahmstraße, Krähenstraße, Rehderbrücke, Moltkestraße and Moltkebrücke.
Here, in the neighbourhood of St. Jürgen, we turn right into Elsässer Straße at the first crossroads. The suburban villas of the 19th and 20th century didn't have to follow a certain architectural style. People wanted to live surrounded by greenery and enjoy the beauty of nature and thus you can admire some dreams made of brick and stone in this street. Towards the end of the street, there is a sign pointing the way to a hiking trail marked with an X. Make sure your brakes are working as we follow this pretty sloping trail, or you might end up in the river Wakenitz. As we go underneath Wallbrechtbrücke, it gets a bit noisy again. The bridge got its name from the chief architect Wallbrecht, who had the Moltkebrücke built for the 'German-Northern Trade and Industries Exhibition' in 1895 at his own expense, and he even let the event take place on his own field on Marli for free.
Now we are on a quiet passage but we must pay attention, as there are many little bends as we drive through the allotments. The quiet and relaxing atmosphere is ideal for a rest on one of the benches or lawns. You may even go swimming here, but the embankment makes it a bit difficult to get out of the water again.
Behind a large field there is a road to the left, which leads us to a housing estate. We turn right into 'Am Schaar' here, but are lead back onto the hiking trail at the end of this street. It takes us on to Kaninchenbergweg (rabbit hill lane), where we turn left and then right into 'Bei den Pappeln'. We follow this road until we catch sight of a swimming pool.
We now have to decide whether we want to take the same way back to Lübeck, or if a shortcut via Ratzeburger Allee sounds like a good idea. In that case we turn right into the hiking trail on leaving the swimming pool, cross the bridge to the allotments and go straight on, until Ratzeburger Landstraße crosses the trail. We turn right there and will soon see the seven naves of Lübeck ahead of us.
translated by Susanne Schmelzer
Bicycle tour 2: Along the Elbe-Lübeck canal to Krummesse
We start our tour at Holstentorplatz, turn right into Possehlstraße and go straight on until we see Wielandbridge to the right of the zebra crossing. We ride along Wielandstraße, turn left into Lachswehrallee and cross the street. From Lachswehrbridge we go left, down to the canal and past Lübeck's public garden 'Auf der Lachswehr'. Originally, there used to be a weir for fishing here but the grounds often changed hands, and the weir lost its purpose as late as in the 17th century, when fishing didn't pay any more. In 1695, a café with an open-air terrace was opened on the premises and became a day trip location for the less wealthy families of Lübeck. The building you can see here today was built in 1777, and people didn´t start building residential houses along this avenue lined by lime trees before the 19th century.
We now follow the hiking and bicycle trail, past the motorboat berths and the allotments.
The neighbourhood of Genin comes into sight on the other side of the water, and towards the shore plenty of old and more recent industrial estates are located. You can see and smell the Erasco canning-factory for miles, so we proceed quickly across the river Trave and along the neighbourhood of Moisling, until we reach Krummesse. On our way we pass poplar trees, lawns and fields, while the odd house can be spotted among the reed on the other side of the water. We can see the unique locks of the Elbe-Lübeck canal, which open, close and pump up the water solely by an intelligent system for compressing and releasing water pressure.
As we arrive in Krummesse, it is time for a rest at one of the many cafés alongside the canal or in town. In good weather, this place is also ideal for a picnic.
It is recommended that less experienced cyclists choose the same way for their return journey, while those who are still fit and who carry decent cycle maps with them may have a go at the tour to Rothausen and Oberbüssau via Kannen Bruch. At Niederbüssau we return to the Elbe-Lübeck canal and go back to Lübeck.
translated by Susanne Schmelzer
Jogging tour 1: A little round trip of the city
If you decide to go on a jogging tour in the early hours of the morning, it can be a unique experience to explore Lübeck and stay fit at the same time. This is an easy tour without any major hilly areas and only short passages of running on asphalt. Fresh air and greenery abound.
This tour takes about 40 minutes and takes us on a little round trip of the city.
The tour starts at Breite Straße and first of all leads us to the left, into Pfaffenstraße, then straight on into Glockengießerstraße and all the way along that street. This is where we cross the street and get to the water at Klughafen. The harbour got its name after Mayor Dr. Heinrich Klug, who opened the Elbe-Lübeck-canal to shipping traffic on June 16th 1900, while the emperor Wilhelm II was present.
A hiking trail appears on the right, and we leave the street behind to follow the artificial stream. The first bridge we pass is Hüxtertorbrücke, which was built to connect the city centre with the suburbs in 1898. A few minutes later, Rehderbrücke and Mühlenbrücke come into sight as well.
The cross-roads ahead are of no importance for us, and we keep running along the side of the water until the remains of an old wall and an arch appear to our right. These are the ruins of the old Kaiserturm, which was part of the citys fortress. Today's School of Navigation was built on its remaining walls in 1826. The school was founded in 1801.
On passing the next bridge, Wipperbrücke, a former bascule bridge, we leave the city centre behind. Ahead of us, we will discover the old embankment with the open-air stage and can afford a short break to enjoy the beautiful panorama of the Mühlendammand the Dom.
After this brief stop we continue running alongside the water with the nice view of the Elbe-Lübeck canal, the berths for sailing and motor boats and the allotments in front of us.
Behind Possehlbrücke we have reached the furthest point of the tour, and we will now run past Wielandbrücke and towards Wallbrücke. If you like, you can take another break here and enjoy the lovely sight of the narrow houses which the Srecknitz seamen used to live in. They went from the upper Trave down to Lüneburg, in order to bring shiploads of a precious white substance to Lübeck—salt. It takes some power of imagination to picture the smell of salt on their old boats, but it is worth a try! Enough daydreaming—on we go now!
We turn left to run in the shade provided by the trees and listen to the rustling leaves. The city is slowly awaking, and it is quite an experience to see it so peaceful and still. But we are now approaching Puppenbrücke.
This former bascule bridge had to be widened and replaced by a concrete bridge due to increasing traffic. After it was finished in 1773, the "dolls" were added to it in 1774. The figures were built by Lübeck´s sculpturer Dietrich Jürgen Boy, who made them according to sketches drawn by the city´s famous architect Soherr.
Behind the Mövenpick Hotel we run across the car park between the SAS Radisson Hotel, and the Music hall and Congress centre until we arrive at Holstenhafen and cross the pedestrian bridge. The city awakes and gets busy. Time to round off our little morning tour. We have seen many bridges and nice views. Let's cross the street at the traffic lights and run up Beckergrube until we reach our starting point—Breite Straße. Ok, how about a good breakfast at the Stadtbäckerei (bakery) now?
translated by Susanne Schmelzer
Jogging tour 2: The Wakenitz run
This tour takes about 50 minutes and could be called 'The Wakenitz run':
So if you would like to combine keeping fit with exploring Lübeck, you can now prepare yourself for the run which starts at Breite Straße.
We turn left into Pfaffenstraße, run straight on into Glockengießerstraße up to the stream, where we cross the pedestrian bridge. This is where we reach a street called An der Falkenwiese (at the falcon lawns) and walk down to the river Wakenitz.
The name of this lawn is actually connected to falcons. In Medieval times, falcons for hunting were kept on the grounds in front of the Hüxter gate. The birds were both valuable trade objects and luxurious gifts for dukes and kings.
Before we reach the open-air swimming-pool at Falkenwiese, we turn right. On entering Falkenstraße we have reached the neighbourhood of St.Jürgen. The Holy Jürgen was patron saint of the lepers, and he symbolises victory over evil (the disease), which is illustrated by the image of him killing a dragon.
So we now run through the greens for a bit in the patron saint's care, and then up the road until we reach Moltkebrücke, which got its name from Marshall von Moltke, who spent his teenage years (1803-1809) in Lübeck and was admitted as a freeman in 1871.
After crossing the bridge we will continue to the left towards the end of Jürgen-Wullenwever-Straße. This street is lined by villas with a view over the river Wakenitz and the Old Town. It was built on the upper grounds in 1894 and named after the councillor and mayor of 1533. We turn left from here, run towards the water and see a well-kept piece of lawn lined by poplars behind the allotments. The 'Tor der Hoffnung' (gate of hope), a residential block in the shape of a horseshoe, built and partly financed by Rudolf Groth in 1936.
A bit further away, the open-air swimming-pool of Marli can be found. It has a little sandy beach and is a very popular bathing place with the children living on Marli.
There is an explanation for living on Marli instead of in Marli, which is as follows—a French commander stationed in Lübeck had bought some land and built his summer cottage with a park-like garden there. He named the place after his hometown Marly (near Paris), and his idea was to turn the estate into a recreational area for the people of Lübeck by adding several fishing ponds and some 5 000 partly exotic trees. But the project failed, and the premises had to be sold in a compulsory auction after he died.
Lets leave this place of bad investment, run along the water and turn left into Roeckstraße. This street is also named after a mayor, namely Dr. Karl Ludwig Roeck, who died in 1869. Near No.50 we discover the old stone cross which used to mark the crossroads which had a road to Mecklenburg. It showed pilgrims of the 14th and 15th century the way to Wilsnach at the Priegnitz, a place of pilgrimage.
We have now reached the neighbourhood of St.Gertrud, by the way, where fans of architecture can admire various styles of houses. The Stadtpark, which is now to the left, invites us to take a break.
At the end of the street we reach Gustav-Radbruch square, where the central bus station is located. Those who are tired can take the bus back to the city centre, and will ask themselves, like everybody else does, if the bus will fit under the Burgtor. Those who are still fit, however, will also manage the last bit of the tour—run through the Burg gate, along Große Petersgrube and up until you reach Koberg.
It is now only a short distance until we arrive at the Stadtbäckerei (bakery), where freshly baked rolls await us as a reward for staying the course.
