Ah, those postcard-perfect cities. Places like Lübeck, in northern Germany, with its bridges, pointed cathedrals, and wooden houses with a thousand and one details. Later, you discover that many of the buildings were rebuilt, since Allied bombs destroyed them during World War II. But they had the good sense to rebuild the center exactly as it was, more or less. So, unless they tell you, you might believe that downtown Lübeck has remained roughly the same for centuries. It's not true.