Lübeck Hanseatic City - Panorama at the Mühlenteich, with a view of the old town, the cathedral (left) and St.-Aegidien Church (right) The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is a large city in the north of Germany and in the south-east of Schleswig-Holstein on the Bay of Lübeck, an inlet of the Baltic Sea. Founded in 1143, it is regarded as the "Queen" and "Mother of the Hanseatic League", a trade association which from the 12th century until modern times ensured great prosperity for Lübeck and other member cities through free trade and peaceful cooperation.