Wismar
A Hanseatic port that belonged to Sweden for over a century and a half, with a market square of ten thousand square metres.
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Wismar was a leading Hanseatic port, and its market square covers about ten thousand square metres, one of the largest in northern Germany, with a waterworks pavilion of 1602 at its centre that supplied the town's fountains. Sweden held the town from 1648 until it was pledged to Mecklenburg in 1803, and the pledge was only formally renounced in 1903, so Wismar was technically Swedish for over two and a half centuries. Brick Gothic churches dominate: St Nikolai stands complete, St Georgen was rebuilt after wartime destruction, and of St Marien only the tower remains. UNESCO listed Wismar with Stralsund in 2002.
What you actually see
- The market square - ten thousand square metres with a 1602 waterworks.
- The Swedish period - a town formally Swedish into the twentieth century.
- The brick churches - St Nikolai complete, St Marien reduced to its tower.
- The old harbour - a working basin with the Wassertor gate beside it.
When to go
May to September; the harbour and squares are the focus in summer. The Swedish festival is held in August. Winter on the Baltic is cold and quiet.
Honest expectations
St Marien is only a tower; the church was demolished in 1960. Some quarters are still being restored. The town is small.
Nearby
Schwerin lies south; Bad Doberan is east.
What to pack for Wismar
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
