L�beck is famous for its marzipan industry. According to local legend, marzipan was first made in L�beck, possibly in response either to a military siege of the city or a famine year. The story, perhaps apocryphal, is that the town ran out of all food except stored almonds and sugar, which were used to make loaves of marzipan "bread". Others believe that marzipan was actually invented in Persia a few hundred years before L�beck claims to have invented it. The best known producer is Niederegger, which tourists often visit while in L�beck, especially at Christmas time.
The L�beck wine trade dates back to Hanseatic times. One L�beck specialty is Rotspon, wine made from grapes processed and fermented in France and transported in wooden barrels to L�beck, where it is stored, aged and bottled.
The industrial L�beck-Herrenwyk area was until the beginning of 1990s the location of a big metallurgical plant. The gas produced by this plant was used for making electricity in the L�beck-Herrenwyk power station. In 1992, the L�beck-Herrenwyk power station was demolished after the bankruptcy and demolition of the metallurgical plant and since 1994 its site houses the static inverter plant of the HVDC Baltic-Cable
