Rostock

Rostock has been writing town history for around 800 years. Once an important member of the Hanseatic League, the city has retained much of its original charm, but at the same time never shied away from progress. Rostock is the largest city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Here, cosmopolitanism blends with harbour city tradition, incessant activity and touristic hustle and bustle. Brickwork facades are practically a thing of worship here - and not only in the city centre. High-gabled buildings of various epochs tell the story and history of mighty churches and powerful merchants during the Middle Ages.

Rostock’s old city is characterised by gothic brickwork facades dating back to the times of the Hanseatic League. These include the old city walls, of which remnants can still be found today. The historic sites include the southern part of the city, with so-called ‘Wiek’ houses and a part of the city ramparts, which were built by Wallenstein at the time of the Thirty-Years War. Three of the former four monumental city churches remain in the confines of the city wall today, as does a cloister church for which construction began in the 13th century. The largest of the churches is the gothic Marienkirche in the city centre; the other churches are located in the so-called Eastern Old City quarter: the early gothic Nikolaikirche, and of course the St. Petri church at the Alter Markt square, which is considered to be the heart of Rostock.