Lübeck is one of the cities of the Hanseatic League (Hansestadt). This is evident in the Altstadt, with impressive buildings such as the Holstentor, the Rathaus, the Salzspeicher and the Marienkirche. The Holstentor is the symbol of the city and is the western (and only remaining) gate to the Altstadt. It bears the Latin inscription Concordia domi foris pax - "unity at home, peace abroad" and contains the town museum. The brick-gothic St. Marien zu Lübeck is the third largest church in Germany and was built 1250 to 1350. It is where Dietrich Buxtehude was organist from 1667 to 1707. 

Lübeck is also famous for its marzipan. Niederegger has a famous café in the Altstadt, but it might be a bit genteel for a student group. I've taken a group to Marzipanland, where for a couple of Euros per person, they have a hands-on demonstration for groups. It was a bus-ride out of town, and of course they have a shop they encourage visitors to patronise, but they do have several Guinness Book of Records for their life-size marzipan creations that are on display. See my gallery for a couple of photos.

The DJH youth hostel in Lübeck is well located and had an excellent Stadtrallye for first-timers to the city.

Sierksdorf is very near to Lübeck and its drawcard for student groups is the Hansapark - a theme park next to the East Sea.  We were there in summer, and the weather was perfect for the water rides to be a real hit. A couple of rides were challenging, but most were fairly tame. There is a lot that would appeal to a "family day out". If you are considering combining a day at the Hansapark with a trip to the beach, be warned - the closest beach in walking distance has a skin-exposure level that is not common in Australia! {The circumlocution is to try to avoid attracting unwanted Google ads. :-) } Travemünde might have been a better idea - but we were only in Lübeck for two days.