The 7Türme+ Foundation and the Kirchenbauhütte represented at the Volksfest parade

The 178th Lübeck Volksfest parade took place last weekend under the motto ‘A Celebration of Freedom’. The occasion marks a significant anniversary for the Hanseatic city: 800 years ago, Lübeck was granted imperial freedom, thereby laying an important foundation for its rise to become the ‘Queen of the Hanse’.

Together with the Lübeck-Lauenburg Church Building Guild, the 7Türme+ Foundation took part in the traditional parade with its own float. Representing the foundation were Guild Director Sven Kalkhorst-Fechner, Hannes Lehmann, and apprentices Amelie Höls (1st year) and Oskar Rißmann (2nd year). Shortly before the start, Mayor Jan Lindenau welcomed the participants on the float, including Dr Jan Verwey, Chairman of the 7Türme+ Foundation.

The appearance in the folk festival parade also marked another anniversary: the Lübeck-Lauenburg Church Building Guild is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

Since its foundation in 1951, the organisation has made a significant contribution to the preservation of Lübeck’s Old Town churches through its expertise in craftsmanship and heritage conservation. The official highlight of the anniversary year will be the celebration on 11 September 2026.

Along the parade route, numerous visitors took the opportunity to find out about the work of the Bauhütte and the remit of the 7Türme+ Foundation. Both organisations are united by the common goal of permanently preserving Lübeck’s Old Town churches and their towers as outstanding examples of Brick Gothic architecture and as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The 7Türme+ Foundation would like to thank H. & J. Brüggen KG, also known as “thecerealfamily”, for their support and for donating the muesli bars to be handed out to visitors at the parade.