Rostock
Welcome to Rostock
Rostock is a city belonging to the former Hanseatic League of merchant cities and lies on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast. It is the perfect place for a relaxing holiday. The city was shaped by its position on the sea, by the harbour, the Hanseatic League and its Brick Gothic architecture, as well as the University of Rostock, founded in 1419, one of the oldest in Northern Europe.
Places of interest
The brick facades of the buildings in the centre rise up almost like churches. The gabled houses from different eras and the mighty churches testify to the merchants’ wealth in the Middle Ages. Most visitors to the city get a good view of the 117-metre high tower of St Petri Church from afar. Other things worth seeing are the botanical garden, the university, the exhibition centre and the site of the former International Gardening Exhibition, as well as Rostock Heath with its “Gespesnsterwald” or eerie forest, and last but not least, Rostock Zoo.
Shopping
There are many shops in the central Rostock. The most popular shops are in Kröpeliner Street, Lange Street and on Doberaner Square. Amongst the other shops you’ll find there is the “Galeria Rostocker Hof”, a huge shopping centre for shopping and wandering around.
Events
There are many regular events in Rostock. In the second week of August Rostock hosts the “Hanse-Sail” event, the largest maritime event in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Around 300 traditional tall ships as well as cruise liners, ferries and other large vessels from all over the world visit the city during the event. In winter Rostock is also the site of North Germany’s largest Christmas market and in Warnemünde there is a huge fish market every weekend of the year.
Excursions
When the people of Rostock bought the coastal town of Warnemünde in 1323 it was still a small fishing village, but it already offered them an medieval piece of paradise – right on their doorstep. With its wide, smooth white beach Warnemünde became a sophisticated seaside resort in the last century. Things not to be missed in Warnemünde include the small fishermen and skippers’ houses along the Alter Strom (Old Channel), the grand villas on the beach promenade, the 100-year old lighthouse at the foot of the Westmole, the cranes at the Kvaerner Warnow shipyard and of course the smell of the fishermen’s freshly smoked catch. East of Warnow is Rostock Heath, extending over 6,000 hectares, one of Germany’s largest municipal forests. When the weather’s not so good, the cycle and hiking paths here are a popular alternative to sunbathing. Other places Rostockers and visitors like to visit include the sea resorts, Hanseatic towns, peninsulas, islands, bays and bights along the Baltic coast, known as the Switzerland of Mecklenburg, as well as the lake district, castles and stately homes of Mecklenburg and Vorpommern.
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