The next day, we crossed into Germany with Münster as our first stop. We stayed at a riding stable! It was very close to town and on an easy bike route into the center. It was quite a novel experience watching the horses, and the 85 Shetland ponies, leave the stable each morning and take themselves to the fields, so that their stalls could be cleaned and breakfast set out. Needless to say, they came back quite happily knowing that breakfast was waiting!
Münster proved to be a pleasant town with lots of traditional architecture. We cycled in on Market Day, so we of course had to browse the market.
Denise purchased a some vegetables and looked longingly at the flower arrangements but they really do not hold up well in the camper.
We then visited the Dom St Paul (Cathedral) which sits on the Markt or main square. The Dom was constructed between 1225 and 1265 but suffered extensive bomb damage during WW2.
Inside is an amazing astronomical clock dating from 1540. The first Münster astronomical clock was built in 1408 – but destroyed in 1534 by iconoclasts during the Anabaptist disturbances. It features figures of the Magi who pay tribute to the infant Jesus at noon each day. We unfortunately missed the noon show, but did hear Death (upper right) striking the bell for the half hour!
Astronomical clocks are intended to tell the time and to act as calendars for religious festivals. And, in the Christian Church, these were set from the date of the Spring New Moon, making the transfer to a mechanical mechanism a bit tricky. So Christians face a bit of math with Easter dates, as do Muslims with Ramadan. The new clock was a team effort from 1540 to 1542. A mathematician and a cathedral preacher did the maths. A blacksmith actually built the mechanism, and a painter decorated the whole thing. In 1582 the Pope changed the calendar and leap years had to be added. Easter dates, already challenging, went out the window. Updates kept the clock running until 1927 when it stopped. Rather than being retired, it underwent another restoration from 1929 to 1932. It was removed from the church for safety during World War II and, as its vault was not destroyed in the bombings, it was reinstalled and made to run again at the end of 1951.
Reading the clock takes a four page guide, but this clock, one of the youngest of its type, has an accuracy of 532 years. You could spend hours staring at it.
After leaving the church, we moved on to the market street in search of lunch.
We found a wonderful, if pricy restaurant and had a great meal.
One the way back to the camper, we cycled by the Schloss, formerly the residence of the Prince-Bishops of Münster and now the headquarters of the university. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Münster) Fortunately we returned to the camper before yet another thunderstorm and downpour!
If Münster is infamous for the damage it suffered during WWII, Lüneburg is famous for not having been bombed. We found a stellplatz within easy biking distance, and, as a bonus, it is the parking lot for the Scharnebeck ship lift. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scharnebeck_twin_ship_lift)
This proved most interesting as we watched barges and various other pleasure boats be lifted or lowered 38 meters from one canal level to the other. Having visited the Falkirk Wheel, Fred was fascinated by the different approach to the same problem. The lift or descent takes next to no energy as the gondola is matched with four counterweights. And remember, because of displacement, the gondola always weighs the exactly the same, whether there is a boat in it or not.
The Sunday we arrived we watched a party boat being lifted. Monday it did not appear that a single ship used the lift.
The cycle trip into town was a little longer (about 10Km) but we enjoyed the visit. The town was part of the Hanseatic League based on the salt mined there beginning in 956. We admired the 14th century crane, used for hauling the salt up until the late Middle Ages.
The old crane is Lüneburg’s secret landmark. A crane is mentioned for the first time in 1346. We could not see inside as the crane is only open to formal tours. The German texts say that it is operated by “carrying wheels.” Probably what would be called today “Treadwheels.” People step inside and walk to provide the power.
When Lüneburg was connected to the railway network in 1846, the crane became redundant.
And (of course) we stopped for a coffee and a cake (Kaffee und Kuchen) beside the canal, as we admired the really old houses.
As noted, Lüneburg survived the war without damage so there was no rebuilding.
On the practical side, the camping thinned out after the weekend and was quite pleasant and there is an ALDI within walking distance! The little things, like food, matter!
DiploStrat 