Mölln

Mölln sits among lakes on the old salt road between Lüneburg and Lübeck, with a brick Gothic church, St Nicolai, on a rise above the market square and a town hall of the fourteenth century. A stone set into the church wall records the death of Till Eulenspiegel in 1350; the figure appears in a printed collection of tales from about 1510 and whether he existed at all is unresolved, with the stone itself of uncertain date. The town has built a museum around him. The Elbe-Lübeck canal passes nearby, and the surrounding Lauenburg lakes are a nature park with paddling and walking routes.

History

The town was founded in the 12th century and grew fast on the Old Salt Route, which carried salt from Lüneburg to the Baltic port of Lübeck, and on the Stecknitz Canal, forerunner of the Elbe-Lübeck Canal. Although it lay within the duchy of Lauenburg, it was mortgaged to Lübeck, which ruled it from 1359 to 1683, and its shooting guild of 1407 still exists; Till Eulenspiegel, the legendary trickster, is said to have spent his last year here and died of plague in 1350, though his existence is not proven (Wikipedia, Mölln, Schleswig-Holstein).

Highlights

• The Eulenspiegel stone - a memorial slab in the church wall dated 1350.
• St Nicolai - a brick Gothic church above the market square.
• The museum - displays on the tales and their printed history.
• The lakes - a nature park of connected waters around the town.

When to go

April to October; the museum closes Mondays. Lake activities run in summer. The town is small and quiet outside the season.

Practical notes

Whether Eulenspiegel existed is unknown and the stone's date is uncertain. The town is small. The museum is modest.

Nearby

Ratzeburg lies north; Lauenburg is south on the Elbe.

Key facts