Status: 07/21/2023 08:50 a.m
The Travemünde Week will take place from July 21st to 30th, 2023. Half a million visitors are expected.
Ole and Leevke can be found everywhere: the mermaid with the long mane and the fur seal with the wild beard. Little yellow sailing ships sway in her hair. Ole and Leevke on a sea-blue background are the new logo of the Travemünder Woche (TW), which has a new look: the two leading figures can be seen on the Priwall ferries, on buses, on posters and even on the new coffee pots. Advertisements are made in Hamburg, Rostock and Kiel as well as in the towns along the Baltic Sea coast. True to the new motto: “World Ahoy!”
Ferris wheel “White Wheel” in a new place
Leevke is one of the two omnipresent leading figures at the Travemünde Week.
The Travemünder Woche (TW) is repositioning itself this year. Lübeck and Travemünde Marketing GmbH (LTM) is now responsible for the new marketing, which wants to integrate the TW into the “Overall Tourism Concept 2030” of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. The “reconstruction” is to take three years and already includes a lot of new things this year: The Ferris wheel will no longer be placed on Trelleborgallee, but will be a quasi-flagship on the beach in the direction of Nordermole. The “White Wheel” will have enclosed cabins and will be illuminated with soft white LED light so as not to disrupt shipping traffic.
The new promenade circuit begins in the Harbor Lounge at the small ferry terminal and runs along the Trave promenade to the large ferry terminal. After crossing over to the Priwall, it goes along the Passathafen, past the four-masted barque and the sailing club to the new beach club stage. There will be a lot of handmade music there and the Classical Beat Festival is also held here.
Bus, train and ferry with additional trips
From the Priwall it goes back to the promenade – with the small Priwall ferry, which as well as the bus lines and special trains Head for Travemünde longer and more frequently. At the weekend even until two o’clock in the morning.
- Monday to Friday (July 21, July 24-28): from 1 p.m. trains every half hour from Lübeck Hbf to Travemünde and back
- weekend (July 22/23 and July 29/30): All-day trains every half hour from Lübeck Hbf to Travemünde
Ole and his maritime-style beard also welcome visitors to the Travemünde Week.
All this is included in the 49-euro ticket. Good for the environment and also good for your own nerves, which could be strained when looking for a parking space due to the lack of mass.
TW also wants to become sustainable. The organizers do without print products and rely on digital information and reusable concepts. The country program promises a diverse selection of music and culinary delights, on the beach promenade again with an unobstructed view of the water, with a wine carré, children’s playground, beach clubs and the large festival stage.
Fishing village instead of Bavarian village – matjes instead of white sausage
In the future, there will be a maritime fishing village with fish rolls and many a shanty where people have eaten snacks with wheat beer over the years, where many visitors to a folk festival on the coast reacted slightly irritated to lederhosen, dirndls and swaying music. The sailors’ village is also returning to its place at the regatta station. The village will once again become the meeting place for the athletes at the award ceremonies and DJs will play there. The dance palace for everyone is being built in the front row, as is the glass port gallery for those interested in maritime art.
Sailing remains traditionally high-class
Around 1,400 sailors from 30 nations with a dozen international championships, including four world championships, provide the sporting supporting program. The Lübecker Yacht-Club eV (LYC), as the organiser, assures traditionally high-class, which already took a load off their minds in advance. For the first time, the state is supporting the sailing regattas with 150,000 euros from the sports funding pot, so that the promised protection for the Hanseatic city for the infrastructure of the competitions can drop from 450,000 euros to a maximum of 300,000 euros.
Rotspon regatta: Mayor Lindenau against Prime Minister Günther
In the middle of the week it will be (politically) traditional again: The “Rotspon-Cup”, which is reminiscent of the beginnings of the Travemünde Week, offers a show race between Lübeck’s mayor Jan Lindenau (SPD) and the challenger, Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU). The two duel on historical 12er yachts in the mouth of the Trave. The daily trave races also take place there, directly under land: sailing you can touch, by seafarers for “seafarers”.
Fireworks to conclude on July 30th
On Sunday, the Travemünde week traditionally ends with the final fireworks. It starts at 10:45 p.m. at the Nordermole. The organizers promise a “colourful spectacle in the sky over the Baltic Sea”.
VIDEO: Rotspon Regatta 2022: The political duel of the Travemünde Week (3 min)
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