on 15 october 1851 the line went into operation, although the danish concession for operations from 1848 to 1857 was granted late because of the revolutions of 1848. the lbe station in lübeck was close to the holsten gate ("holstentor"). the line ran by the ramparts of the lübeck city walls. the felling of numerous street trees and the originally planned demolition of the rehbock and scheune bastions met resistance from lübeck's population. the council and the "bürgerschaft" (lübeck's parliament) therefore decided that of the felled trees would be sold with their value going to a fund to be used by the potsdam landscape architect peter joseph lenné to improve the remaining ramparts artistically. the division of the möllner lake by a railway embankment was met with little enthusiasm by lübeck's residents.