Hey, it’s Tati again, this time our series "Day tripping into Street Art with Tati" leads me to the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg, Germany.
Compared to my last day trip to Lübeck, Germany, I got lucky this time - when I stepped out at the main station in the former "Salt Capital" Lüneburg, sun kissed my face and the entire city welcomed me with a warm, bright atmosphere. Located about 50 kilometers from the Northern German city of Hamburg, the medieval city is popular with young and old alike:
Many young students live in the 80.000 inhabitant town and elderly people flood the city center on their quest for the Telenovela "Rote Rosen" (=Red Roses’) film locations. Since 2006, the popular TV show gets filmed in Lüneburg - this is why many fans come and visit the city. There are special tours for it even: You can walk or bike.
This time the weather played along, but I had to overcome yet another challenge: Due to train chaos which involved me having to switch from train to bus, I forgot my phone and charger in the train. Only after having arrived in Lüneburg, I realized it was missing. Fortunately, I brought my spare phone with me, so I was able to capture the below photos of this blog post for you.
Lüneburg’s Town Hall.
Beautiful view of the old Merchants Houses and the "Old Crane".
One of the busiest places in the city center: Am Sande.
Overview Map of the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg.
The Street Art scene in Lüneburg is emerging and growing, too. A little walk past the old Merchant's Houses of which some date back to the 16 hundredth Century, the first Street Art shows up. There is a yellow paste up monster by Spe.Kunst at the corner Kaufhausstraße/Lünetorstraße.
Near this artwork is also a bridge of the Lünetorstraße - a very popular spot where students sit in the sun while eating their home made food or takeaway. I enjoyed a very delicious Falafel from the Bodrum Restaurant there (so delicious, I forgot to take a picture in the beginning…ooopsie ;).
Almost all gone: Yummy Falafel in the sun.
A selfie on the sunny side, even though the message of the graffiti couldn’t be more alarming: Northern Germany in 2050 - the green landscape is flooded.
Street Art in Lüneburg: Spot the Graffiti Ghosts
Since 2010, a collective of artists or just one artist (different sources tell different stories) going by the name of "Ande" which is the Swedish word for ghost. There are more than 500 ghosts mostly scattered throughout the city of Lüneburg - you can find many locations of them here.
While many people enjoyed "ghost hunting", others felt like the art works were vandalism and needed to be taken down. There has been an on-going controversial debate in local media about the creatures ever since.
Urban Art in Lüneburg: Dosenfutter
What I noticed when strolling the city:
Apart from the ghosts, many power boxes held colourful pictures - sceneries, animals, plants. This is a project by the professional graffiti artist crew Dosenkunst who were commissioned to spray 70 power boxes throughout the city. I caught a few for you:
A bit of inception vibes: A powerbox by Dosenfutter showing a scenery of the city center located in the city center near Rote Straße: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pXBVxnzaFNzfPky7A
Power box with graffiti by Dosenfutter alongside the Willy-Brandt-Straße/Amselweg.
Another powerbox by Dosenfutter alongside the Willy-Brandt-Straße.
Beautiful landscape scenery by Dosenfutter near the Restaurant FRIEDAs close to the Water Tower: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2MV1TS3AkVHzUpTN9
Technically, the above project is not considered "Street Art" but Urban Art for it has been commissioned. But, just to facilitate things, I’ll stick to the term Street Art for now.
Street Art in Lüneburg: Where the City offers an Open Air Canvas
When continuing my walk towards the little river Ilmenau, I passed a few bridges that the city chose to turn into open air canvases. Close to the Willy-Brandsstraße, underneath the Wandrahm Bridge one can spot a lovely work in yellow which I particularly like because of its reflection in the water - see:
Wandrahmbrücke - reflection in the water by various unknown artists.
Street Art in Lüneburg: Big bright yellow burger.
Street Art in Lüneburg: Details
Tigerente ("Tiger duck") of Aksid running wild near Wandrahmbrücke
Street Art in Lüneburg: Legal Walls and a Graffiti Association
What I found very striking when diving into Lüneburg’s Street Art scene is that there are many people who really pour their hearts into this subculture:
For instance, Claas Hoffmann and Björn Lindner of "each one teach two e.V.", who founded an association for legal graffiti walls within the realms of Lüneburg in 2024. One can check out the walls here.
I walked by one of them:
Legal Graffiti at Wilschenbruch.
A lovely whale knowing where home is at.
Inside…
Flashy scripture inside the passage.
Big intertwined bold letters inside the passage.
Multifaceted Street Art: A tree face on one of the walls at the passage.
Outside of the passage a cat with a message - "Cat against Catcalls".
There is plenty: Some more Street Art in Lüneburg
On my sunny walk next to the river Ilmenau I passed by various more Street and Urban Art spots: Some entrances were decorated colorfully and one bridge at Illmenaugarten struck me in particular for it held a political message: Fight the Climate Crisis!
Street Art in Lüneburg: House Entrance / Cellar Entrance
Besides the Urban Art Walk: A Coffee spot to check out
I ended my exploration with a delicious espresso in the sun and a lovely view of the Ilmenau river at the Coffee Shop and Roastery Avenir.
I really liked the philosophy of the café Avenir - they are organized as a collective, source all the products regionally and organically. They are selling their own coffee and offer their products at a solidarity price for those who cannot afford the regular one.
Coffee Shop Avenir: Outside terrace in the sun
Inside of the coffee shop - during weekdays laptops are allowed.
In front of the Café Avenir my getaway horse was waiting for me.
Idyllic view from the coffee shop’s porch.
Closeby the Coffee place at Lösengrabenwehrbrücke, there is another spot dedicated to Street Art.
The Coffee Spot in the Little Blue House
Apart from the above mentioned coffee spot, there is another coffee place closer to the city center, near the Town Hall that caught my attention: The Markt Café. It is located in a bright blue house and offers a wonderful selection of traditional pastries and - of course - good coffee!
Cute Coffee Spot near the Town Hall: Markt Café.
Ghosts, good Coffee and hidden Gems: Street Art in Lüneburg
To sum it up, I enjoyed the day trip to Lüneburg to the fullest - I was surprised how passionate people were propelling Street and Urban Art forward and I loved the symbiosis of a busy old historical town and calming, grounding nature surroundings which really helped me immerse myself in the city’s art scene. Plus, I really enjoyed being on the lookout for cute little ghosts.
What about you, are you joining in on the hunt?
On a side note: I can provide you with a happy ending - my phone has been found and returned to me unharmed. Thank goodness, I was this lucky!
Thanks for sticking around and until our next adventure!
Love,
Tati
Author and PR professional Tatjana Büchler (Photo Credits: Sarah Buth)