City tour with a fitness factor.

Hechelnd by Salt City: When Sightjoggen Lüneburg run by tourists to the sights over and find out where the expression "vermöbeln", as the old Hanseatic their anger at the church said - and as house walls may be pregnant.

 

Lüneburg - now just do not stumble. On cobblestones is slightly uphill from the valley, below the 30-meter depth is pure salt, the white gold that is rich in medieval Lüneburg made, the traders and their noble magnificent half-timbered houses and brick owe.

Although Jürgen Thies jogs while talking, the City durchtrainierte not out of breath. He has half a dozen inquisitive runners in tow. In an hour they want to explore the city and also something for their fitness to do so.

For the "Sight Jogging", apart from tourists interested primarily participants in meetings and business people. Gern ran even before the breakfast starts, says Thies. "They are otherwise two days here and have seen nothing from Lüneburg." It is shortly after 18:30 clock, a spring day comes to an end. The evening sun bathes the lovingly restored facades of the old town in western golden light. Previously here was the lower middle class at home. "A nice atmosphere, almost like in the Middle Ages," says Thies.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a choir student

On the beams of a house in the Lower Ohlingerstraße a character falls into the eye: "Lord protect me and live here before the planners and Kulturbanausen the 1991st" This is clearly not historically, but the manuscript of the working group Lüneburger old (ALA). This citizens' initiative prevented in the sixties, the demolition of the historic Lüneburg and continues to pursue the preservation of old buildings.

While the runners shuddering to imagine that a hair concrete flat roof and the sins of the city had robbed the soul, appears on the gables of the tower of the church on Michaels. There was Johann Sebastian Bach Choir for two years pupils. Perhaps he also has the iron bar in the house walls noticed at the entrance of the alley "In Techt".

Between these systems spanned the residents in the Middle Ages chains at night to prevent possible attackers on their ride through the city to stop. 80 of these chain points to defend, there was once in Lüneburg. "And up from the first floor are the women then furniture on the attackers heruntergeworfen" says Thies. Someone was vermöbeln such dictum.

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The runners are now facing their first test: The Kalkberg, which despite its name from plaster, is a good 55 meters the highest peak Lüneburg. Slightly out of breath, the Group enjoys the view over the city - like the country gentlemen in their Luniburg the 1371 self-confident citizens destroyed. Thereafter, as the mountain Gipsbruch excuse. Meanwhile goats graze here - the countryside. The habitat is protected.

Locker is downhill, back to the lower area up to the "gateway to the underworld" in the Frommestraße. Two goalposts in the 19th Century show the effects of salt until 1980 operated mining. Through the movements in the soil are the posts already immigrated successive 1,20 meters. On the adjacent land investor plans a modern glass cubes. The residents fear that the excavation by construction could continue to worsen. Many houses in the area have cracks or should be. Over the past 100 years had Lüneburg even demolish some buildings, including a church.

In the near-ground Love can not tarnish the idyll. On the attachment, once outside the city walls was cavort like the couples in the Middle Ages. Walkers enjoy the chirping birds. Of the six city gates today, none more. Over the twelve-meter-wide rest of the oak-lined walls, the group returned to the Old Town. "If the city would still maintain, it would surely have long Lüneburg world," says Thies. But still adorns the Unesco.

This change also allegedly oldest row houses in Germany nothing. In the year 1558, they were for the armed Ratsdiener horse servant in the street were built, with dark brick facade, arms and artfully filmed "Tausteinen", a Lüneburger invention.

"Pregnant walls from plaster

On the market around the elongated runners City Hall. Its bricks are 800 years old - no German city hall is longer in operation. Compared to the scale road curves a centuries-old threat to the outside facade. It is the most famous pregnant wall "of the city, says Thies. "This is the cast of Kalkberg, burnt for too long, and then pours it through heat and cold like a dough."

At the church along Nicolai is back in the alleys and streets of the old town with its splendid trading houses. Some grimace schaurige äugt of a Renaissance portal on the culture of athletes down. In the street tree has Thies on the half-timbered house with the number 3 from 1538. The former owner made his anger against the Catholics with rough carvings air: There are a monk with a wine bottle in his hand and a nun who bared.

Runners jog on, the water district, to the smelt, the former port. Today there are bars and restaurants. A historical Holzkran invited once the salt in the Ewer. On Stint is also the oldest water tower in Germany, the Abtswasserturm of 1530. It also saves water for the once 80 breweries - an impressive figure for 14,000 inhabitants. The "Plempe" was popular, not only in the sweaty salt servants, in large salt pans of boiling brine had.

To an isotonic drinks are now also the runner is no longer a long wait. At the last piece of its seven-kilometer-long tour across the oblong space on the sands. Here is John's Church, a prime example of North German brick Gothic. Here are also the oldest pediment of the city, where the nobles gathered in ballrooms to the roaring celebrations. "As you can imagine, like 500 years ago the Post abging," says Thies and sets up a brisk pace.