Historical Bardowick

Easily accessible, Bardowick rose up as a trade hub. Many merchants settled here, helping the own to achieve city status, as well as the right to issue currency 200 years earlier than Lüneburg. As a result of political and economic changes, Lüneburg ended up overtaking Bardowick in terms of importance. In the 12th century, Lübeck took the reigns from Bardowick as a trade centre and many merchants moved to the up-and-coming Hanseatic city. Henry the Lion sealed Bardowick's fate with the city's violent destruction in 1189. Today you can gain insight into the town's history via the "Pfennig", a replica of the medieval Bardowick coin, and also with the help of display boards in twelve different locations. Well worth seeing are the St. Peter und Paul Cathedral, the Gildehaus local history museum, the Hollander windmill from 1813 and the St. Nikolaihof. This former leper hospital for the city of Lüneburg has been retained in its original state. A central focus for the ensemble of medieval houses and barns is provided by the brick chapel from 1435, featuring northern Europe's oldest organ.