Antique map - Lübeck 1917

Pharus map of Lübeck in 1917: the former Hanseatic city, its river and maritime port on the Trave, the Elbe–Trave Canal, the central railway station and the suburbs of St. Lorenz and St. Gertrud.

This Pharus map shows Lübeck in 1917. At that time, the city retained its historic status as a Free and Hanseatic City within the German Empire, with its own republican state sovereignty. Today, it is in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, where it is the second most populous city. Its population grew rapidly around the turn of the century, reaching approximately 110,000 in 1917.

Lübeck’s history is intrinsically linked to Baltic Sea maritime trade and the legacy of the Hanseatic League. In the early 20th century, the city underwent major industrial and logistical modernization, notably marked by the opening of the Elbe–Trave Canal (Elbe-Lübeck-Kanal) in 1900, which connected the city directly to the Elbe river network, as well as by the construction of the new central railway station, opened in 1908. In 1917, Lübeck was a strategic port hub for supplying the Reich and trade with Scandinavia.

Places and districts shown:

• The island old town (Altstadt): the historic heart is encircled by the Trave and the canal, bringing together famous medieval buildings, Gothic brick churches and the Holstentor, depicted in perspective.

• The central railway station (Hauptbahnhof) and St. Lorenz: west of the old town, the imposing central station, highlighted in red, serves the bustling district of St. Lorenz.

• The Trave port system: the various port basins (Innerer Hafen, Äußerer Hafen, Klüfthafen, Unterer Hafen and Umschlag-Hafen) stretch along the river as far as Teerhof Island (Teerhof-Insel).

• The Elbe–Trave Canal and the Wakenitz River: the map highlights the course of the Elbe–Trave Canal to the west and the Wakenitz’s winding course along the southern edge of the city.

• The suburb of St. Gertrud: east of the historic island lies the leafy residential district of St. Gertrud, bordered by the municipal park (Stadtpark).

• The northern suburbs: the map extends north to the outlying communities of Krempelsdorf and Vorwerk.

• Railways and regional roads: the railway network encircles the city, and the legend marks the main roads to nearby towns (Ratzeburg, Travemünde, etc.) in orange.

Map reference: this “Pharus-Plan Lübeck” belongs to the same series as the 1917 maps of Berlin, Frankfurt, Hanover, Kiel, Leipzig, Aachen, Bremen, Breslau, Koblenz, Cologne, Darmstadt, Dresden, Duisburg and Düsseldorf, with stations in red and buildings shown in perspective. The masthead of the Magdeburgische Zeitung appears above the map, and the legend marks automobile and bicycle routes out of the city in orange, with orange labels for neighboring towns. A grid of letters and numbers makes it possible to locate each place.

In brief: for anyone with ties to Lübeck or Schleswig-Holstein, interested in Hanseatic history, German waterways or collecting prewar maps from Pharus-Verlag, this map offers a remarkable portrait of the port city in 1917, with a population of 110,000.

What area does this map of Lübeck cover? It covers the Free City of Lübeck and its suburbs: the old island town in the center, St. Lorenz and the central station to the west, St. Gertrud and the Wakenitz to the east, as well as the Trave harbor basins to the north and east.

What year was this map published? This map dates from 1917. It was published by Pharus-Verlag of Berlin.

Reproduction of the “Pharus-Plan Lübeck,” published in 1917 by Pharus-Verlag in Berlin.

Printed on 200 g/m² textured fine art paper. Landscape orientation, standard sizes 50x70 and 70x100: easy to frame.