Trave in the context of Elbe–Lübeck Canal

Lübeck (German: [ˈlyːbɛk] ; Low German: Lübęk or Lübeek [ˈlyːbeːk]; Latin: Lubeca), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (German: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and the second-largest city in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, after its capital of Kiel. It is the 36th-largest city in Germany.

The city lies in the Holsatian part of Schleswig-Holstein, on the mouth of the Trave, which flows into the Bay of Lübeck in the borough of Travemünde, and on the Trave's tributary Wakenitz. The island with the historic old town and the districts north of the Trave are also located in the historical region of Wagria. Lübeck is the southwesternmost city on the Baltic Sea, and the closest point of access to the Baltic from Hamburg. The city lies in the Holsatian dialect area of Low German.

Travemünde (German: [tʁaːvəˈmʏndə] ) is a borough of Lübeck, Germany, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, and the Danes subsequently strengthened it. It became a town in 1317 and in 1329 passed into the possession of the free city of Lübeck, to which it has since belonged. Its fortifications were demolished in 1807.

Travemünde has been a seaside resort since 1802, and is Germany's largest ferry port on the Baltic Sea with connections to Sweden, Finland, Russia, Latvia and Estonia. The lighthouse is the oldest on the German Baltic coast, dating from 1539. Another attraction of Travemünde is the Flying P-Liner Passat, a museum ship anchored in the mouth of the Trave.

The Bay of Lübeck (German: Lübecker Bucht, German pronunciation) is a basin in the southwestern Baltic Sea, off the shores of the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein. It forms the southwestern part of the Bay of Mecklenburg.

The main port is Travemünde, a borough of the city of Lübeck, at the mouth of river Trave. The Elbe–Lübeck Canal connects the Baltic Sea with the Elbe River. The bay is surrounded by the land strips of Ostholstein and Nordwestmecklenburg. Located in the North of the Bay, the Hansa-Park amusement park creates a popular sight for families all around the region and Southern Denmark. The Pötenitzer Wiek Lake splits the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and got historical attention, as it gave East Germany refugees the possibility to flee from East Germany into West Germany.

The Wakenitz (Middle Low German Wakenisse ) is a river in southeastern Schleswig-Holstein and at the border to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The Wakenitz's source is the Ratzeburger See in Ratzeburg. It is about 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) long and drains into the Trave in Lübeck. The majority of its eastern bank forms the border between Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. After the end of World War II this river formed part of the Iron Curtain between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic. The Wakenitz drains an area of about 445 km (172 sq mi).

The Lübeck Marienkirche (officially St Marien zu Lübeck) is a medieval basilica in the city centre of Lübeck, Germany. Built between 1265 and 1352, the church is located on the highest point of Lübeck's old town island within the Hanseatic merchants' quarter, which extends uphill from the warehouses on the River Trave to the church. As the main parish church of the citizens and the city council of Lübeck, it was built close to the town hall and the market. The church was almost destroyed by Royal Air Force bombs in 1942, and reconstructed between 1947 and 1959.

The church was built as a three-aisled basilica with side chapels, an ambulatory with radiating chapels, and vestibules like the arms of a transept. The westwork has a monumental two-tower façade. The height of the towers, including the weather vanes, is 124.95 metres (409.9 ft) and 124.75 metres (409.3 ft), respectively. It has the tallest brick vault in the world, the height of the central nave being 38.5 metres (126 ft).