Lübeck: History, Former Names & Timeline

‘Queen of the Hanse’ and hub of Baltic trade, its old town lined with brick Gothic buildings.

Map showing Lübeck in 1300 — Border map for 1300. See Europe in 1300.

Embed this interactive map on your site

Free to use on blogs, school pages and course sites. Copy the code below; please keep the credit line.

<iframe src="https://chronicamaps.com/?embed=1#y1300-c-lubeck-l-en" width="100%" height="520" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Lübeck: History, Former Names &amp; Timeline"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Interactive map: <a href="https://chronicamaps.com/en/city/lubeck">Lübeck: History, Former Names &amp; Timeline</a> · Chronica Maps</p>

Former names of Lübeck

From	Name	Note
1143	Lübeck

Timeline of Lübeck

Year	Event
1143	Count Adolf II of Holstein founds the town
1159	Henry the Lion refounds Lübeck
1226	Frederick II makes it a Free Imperial City
1356	The first general Hanseatic Diet meets in Lübeck
1669	The last Hanseatic Diet is held
1937	Lübeck loses its independence and is merged into Prussia

Who ruled Lübeck

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

Period	State
500 BC–401 BC	Unclaimed / no data
400 BC–324 BC	Hallstatt culture
323 BC–499	Unclaimed / no data
500–599	Saxons
600–699	Unclaimed / no data
700–799	Proto-Slavs
800–899	Slavonic tribes
900–999	Slavic tribes
1000–1099	Pomerania
1100–1199	Prussians
1200–1782	Holy Roman Empire
1783–1879	Oldenburg
1880–1913	Germany
1914–1919	German Empire
1920–1944	Germany
1945–1959	Germany (Soviet)
1960–1993	East Germany
1994–today	Germany

Nearby cities

Hamburg · about 58 km
Copenhagen · about 235 km
Berlin · about 235 km

Questions about Lübeck

Which states have ruled Lübeck?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Lübeck lies within 13 different states: Hallstatt culture, Saxons, Proto-Slavs, Slavonic tribes, Slavic tribes, Pomerania, Prussians, Holy Roman Empire, Oldenburg, Germany and others.

What are the key dates in the history of Lübeck?

1143: Count Adolf II of Holstein founds the town. 1159: Henry the Lion refounds Lübeck. 1226: Frederick II makes it a Free Imperial City. 1356: The first general Hanseatic Diet meets in Lübeck. 1669: The last Hanseatic Diet is held.

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.