Erben Renewal: Lunenburg, NS

Lunenburg, NS

Charming, quaint, colorful are all adjectives for Lunenburg and begin to capture why this town is a UNESCO world heritage site. Instead of dying with the cod fishery, the folks in Lunenburg captured their spirit and bottled it in a living history town. This is not your basic recreation of history as found in Williamsburg, VA or Louisburg, NS where costumed period actors populate a reconstructed city. This is a living town that has stopped the decay of time. In fact, they have turned back the clock to preserve many of the buildings that remain in the 48 block core of the town. (Only a couple minor changes have been made to the original grid plan since it was drawn in 1753) Yet, this is a place where people live, work and play. Yes, there is a lot of touristy stuff and an abundance of restaurants and galleries, but off the main street it is a town where time stands still. The clock stopped in the early 1990s but much remains from the earliest days in the mid 1750s through the boom times of the late 1800s and early 20^th century. This mix of architectural styles only adds to the charm and authenticity. Needless to say, we had a great time here.

examples of the Lunenburg BUMP

Lunenburg is home to the Bluenose 2 – that is the replica of the historic schooner which held the schooner racing cup for many years (1920s and 30s) – much to the chagrin of Gloucester MA fishermen. The rivalry between these two fishing crews in the age of schooner fishing is legendary. Only one ship is reputed to have bested the famous Bluenose – the Columbia but that race series was thrown out for technical reasons – which is why Bluenose could claim to be undefeated. Now the Americans – specifically Eastern Shipyards in Panama City FL has built a replica Columbia - and that very replica is now in Lunenburg being fitted for her sails by the same folks that fit the Bluenose 2. It was quite a surprise to see this beautiful sleek schooner with the historic pedigree sporting our home port of Panama City, FL as we strolled the wharf in Lunenburg. These two tall ships are not the only beauties here… We got a close look at the Picton Castle and Perseverance as well as several smaller sailing lovelies. Still a working harbor, there were also a variety of scallop scrapers marching about – thankfully delivering fresh scallops for our dinner.

While we did not get to see any race action or even friendly sparing between the big schooners, we did catch the 63rd International Dory Races – five heats of dory competition between crews from Lunenburg and visiting Gloucester elite. The crowd cheered for both sides but in the end were delighted to see their Canadian team sweep the day and claim the cup once again.

The dory has a prominent place in the fishing heritage of these seafaring towns. As we learned in the museum here, schooners would take 10 to 12 dory crews out to the fishing banks and each would set hand lines to catch their haul of cod. Seeing the small and vulnerable size of the traditional dories, it is a wonder that anyone survived this life let alone prospered in fishing. Rum Runners, however, did not have it so easy!

Yet Lunenburg did prosper for many years as is seen in the evidence of opulent homes, businesses, and churches built in the heyday of fishing. Many of these fine structures have been refurbished and perhaps even improved with recent attention to keeping the character of this town alive. Some have even taken on a new purpose built on the old one!

A highlight of our stop here was a concert in the Zion Lutheran church – ancient choral music – among the Admiral’s favorites and graciously endured by the Captain. The concert was set in the acoustically superior lofty space of the church built in the late 1800s. It also sports the highest steeple in town – clearly visible on approach to the harbor.

The Anglican Church is also a master piece especially so since it burned nearly to the ground 12 years ago and was rebuilt exactly as the original. This was possible since the building had just been documented in great details for its heritage status. – The story of the stars over the altar is fully explained in a youtube video – worth a watch. (google – youtube stars of St. John’s Church Lunenburg)

Even lost in fog and the occasional rain shower, Lunenburg rates five stars and is a not to be missed stop. (That is not even counting the free dinghy docks - easy access to groceries and other essentials)