Lübeck - The Queen of the Hanseatic League, Germany (37/418)

The former capital of the Hanseatic League, founded in the 12th century, prospered until the 16th century as the major trading centre for Northern Europe. It remains, even today, a centre for maritime commerce, particularly with the Nordic countries. Despite the damages it suffered during World War II, the structure of the old city, consisting mainly of 15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, monuments (the famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, is still intact.