Inner German Border

For 40 years, from 1949 to 1989, the eastern city limit of Lübeck was the northernmost part of the Iron Curtain that divided Europe and the world into East and West. Though not much remains of the high electric fences, the trenches, the watchtowers and the rest of East Germany's military installations, those who take the time and look closer will discover many less obvious remnants. Among those is the former patrol path of the East German border guards, which is still paved with distinctive, deteriorating concrete plates. It leads through the former death strip on the eastern side of the border, from the Baltic Sea shore near Travemünde down to Lake Ratzeburg. Not all sections of the path are still walkable, so hikers will occasionally have to switch to nearby roads. The untouched flora and fauna that have developed in what used to be no man’s land are worth one or several long walks, with the memorial at the former border crossing in Schlutup being an excellent starting point.