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Wismar is a small port and Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League was an Military alliance of Trade cities and their guilds that established and maintained trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea and inland, during the Late Middle Ages and Early modern period ....
 town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, about 45 km due east of Lübeck
Lübeck

L?beck is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites....
, and 30 km due north of Schwerin
Schwerin

Schwerin is a city in northern Germany and the capital of the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . The population as of end of 2007 was 95,855....
. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar
Bay of Wismar

The Bay of Wismar or more commonly Wismar Bay is a well sheltered multi-sectioned Headlands and bays in the southwestern Baltic Sea, in Germanys' Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and is considered the south-central part of the much larger arm of the Baltic known as the Bay of Mecklenburg — a long fingerlike gulf oriented to the west-so...
 is well-protected by a promontory. The population was 45,414 in March 2005, more than doubled from 21,902 in 1905.

Representative of Hanseatic League city brick construction
Brick Gothic

Brick Gothic is a reduced style of Gothic architecture common in Northern Europe, especially in Northern Germany and the regions around the Baltic Sea without natural rock resources....
 as well as the German brick churches, the city has been included in the UNESCO
UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945....
 list of World Heritage Sites since 2002.

The town was the setting of the 1922 vampire movie Nosferatu (in the film however, the town is named "Wisborg").

ar is said to have received civic rights in 1229, and came into the possession of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg....
 in 1301.






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Wismar is a small port and Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League was an Military alliance of Trade cities and their guilds that established and maintained trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea and inland, during the Late Middle Ages and Early modern period ....
 town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53?N to 66?N latitude and from 20?E to 26?E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Denmark islands....
, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, about 45 km due east of Lübeck
Lübeck

L?beck is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites....
, and 30 km due north of Schwerin
Schwerin

Schwerin is a city in northern Germany and the capital of the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . The population as of end of 2007 was 95,855....
. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar
Bay of Wismar

The Bay of Wismar or more commonly Wismar Bay is a well sheltered multi-sectioned Headlands and bays in the southwestern Baltic Sea, in Germanys' Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and is considered the south-central part of the much larger arm of the Baltic known as the Bay of Mecklenburg — a long fingerlike gulf oriented to the west-so...
 is well-protected by a promontory. The population was 45,414 in March 2005, more than doubled from 21,902 in 1905.

Representative of Hanseatic League city brick construction
Brick Gothic

Brick Gothic is a reduced style of Gothic architecture common in Northern Europe, especially in Northern Germany and the regions around the Baltic Sea without natural rock resources....
 as well as the German brick churches, the city has been included in the UNESCO
UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945....
 list of World Heritage Sites since 2002.

The town was the setting of the 1922 vampire movie Nosferatu (in the film however, the town is named "Wisborg").

History

Wismar is said to have received civic rights in 1229, and came into the possession of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg....
 in 1301. In 1259 it had entered a pact with Lübeck and Rostock
Rostock

Rostock is the largest city in the north Germany States of Germany Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Rostock is located on the Warnow river; the quarter of Warnem?nde 12 km north of the city centre lies directly on the coast of the Baltic Sea....
, intended to defend against the numerous Baltic sea pirates, which developed into the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League

The Hanseatic League was an Military alliance of Trade cities and their guilds that established and maintained trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea and inland, during the Late Middle Ages and Early modern period ....
. During the 13th and 14th centuries it was a flourishing Hanseatic town, with important woollen factories. Though a plague carried off 10,000 of the inhabitants in 1376, the town seems to have remained tolerably prosperous until the 16th century.

Under Swedish rule

By the Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia

The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two Peace treaty of Osnabr?ck and M?nster, signed on May 15 and October 24, 1648, respectively, and written in Latin, that ended both the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Revolt between Spain and the Dutch Republic....
 in 1648 Wismar passed to Sweden, with a lordship to which it gives its name. Through Wismar and the other dominions
Dominions of Sweden

The Dominions of Sweden or Svenska besittningar were territories that historically came under control of the Swedish The Crown, but never became fully integrated with Sweden....
 in the Holy Roman Empire
List of states in the Holy Roman Empire

This is the main page for the list of States which were part of the Holy Roman Empire, as alphabetized in the adjacent template, at any time within the empire's existence between 962 and 1806....
, the Swedish monarchs in their roles as princes, or Reichsfürsten, took part in the Imperial Diets
Reichstag (institution)

The Reichstag was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945. The main chamber of the German parliament is now called Bundestag , but the building in which it meets is still called "Reichstag" ....
. From 1653 it was the seat of the highest court for that part of Sweden. In 1803 Sweden pledged both town and lordship to Mecklenburg for 1,258,000 Riksdaler, reserving, however, the right of redemption after 100 years. In view of this contingent right of Sweden, Wismar was not represented in the diet of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg....
 until 1897. In 1903 Sweden finally renounced its claims. Wismar still retains a few relics of its old liberties, including the right to fly its own flag.

Modern times


At the turn of the 19th century the most important manufactures of Wismar were in iron, machinery, paper, roofing-felt and asphalt. There was also a considerable trade, especially by sea, with exports including grain, oil-seeds and butter, and the imports coal, timber and iron. The harbour was deep enough to admit vessels of 5 m draught, and permitting large steamers to unload along its quays. Wismar was the location of the Norddeutsche Dornier-Werke
Dornier Flugzeugwerke

Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a Germany aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets....
 aviation plant and railway - factories. Throughout World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 Wismar was heavily damaged by Allied Air raids
Strategic bombing during World War II

Strategic bombing during World War II was greater in scale than any wartime attack the world had previously witnessed. The strategic bombing campaigns conducted by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Empire of Japan used conventional weapons, Incendiary bomb, and nuclear weapons....
 and occupied by British and Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces

The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces." This singular institution consists of thre...
 on May 2, 1945, which retreated again on July 1, 1945 due to the agreements of the Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference

The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and Code name the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from 4 February 1945 to 11 February 1945 among the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union?President of the United States Franklin D....
 making Wismar a part of the Soviet Occupation Zone
Soviet occupation zone

The Soviet Occupation Zone was the area of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union from 1945 on, at the end of World War II. On 7 October 1949, the Soviet occupation zone became the German Democratic Republic ....
 of Germany.

Main sights

Wassertor
The centre of the old town is the huge Market Place, the largest in Germany (10,000 square metres), surrounded by elegant buildings with styles ranging from 14th-century North German Gothic to 19th-century Romanesque revival. The square's focal point is the Wasserkunst, an elaborate wrought-iron fountain imported from Holland in 1602. The northern side of the square is occupied by the Town Hall, built in neoclassical style in 1817–1819. Another notable building in the square is an ancient Gothic warehouse called Alter Schwede (The Old Swede), erected around 1380.

The 80 m high tower church of St Mary (Marienkirche) is the only remainder of the original Brick Gothic
Brick Gothic

Brick Gothic is a reduced style of Gothic architecture common in Northern Europe, especially in Northern Germany and the regions around the Baltic Sea without natural rock resources....
 edifice, built in the first half of the 13th century. It suffered heavy damage in World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, and was deliberately destroyed in 1960 under the East German Communist government.

The church of St Nicholas (Nikolaikirche), built in 1381–1460, with very lofty vaulting, together with the Marienkirche, are regarded as good examples of the influence exercised in these northern provinces by the large church of St Mary in Lübeck
Lübeck

L?beck is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites....
.

The elegant cruciform church of St George (St Georgen-Kirche) dates from the first half of the 13th century. It was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt in 1990.

The Fürstenhof, at one time a ducal
Duke

A duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy or a dukedom. The title comes from the Latin language Dux Bellorum, which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed by both the Germanic peoples themselves and by the Ancient Rome authors covering them to r...
 residence, and later occupied by the municipal
Municipality

A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them....
 authorities, is a richly decorated specimen of the Italian early Renaissance
Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe....
 style. Built in 1552–1565, it was restored in 1877–1879. The "Old School", dating from about 1300, has been restored. The town hall, rebuilt in 1829, contains a collection of pictures. The main gallery for fine arts is the Municipal Gallery "Baumhaus" located in the old harbour area of Wismar.

Notable people from Wismar


  • Klaus Störtebeker
    Klaus Störtebeker

    Nikolaus Storzenbecher, or Klaus St?rtebeker , was a leader and the best known representative of a companionship of privateers known as the Victual Brothers ....
     (c1360-1401), privateer
  • Anna von Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1485–1525), countess of Hesse
  • Reimar Kock, chronicler
  • Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (1557–1631), queen of Denmark
  • Bernhard Latomus (1560–1613), historian
  • Daniel von Plessen (1606–1672), Landrat of Mecklenburg
  • Daniel Georg Morhof
    Daniel Georg Morhof

    Daniel Georg Morhof , was a Germany writer and scholar.He was born at Wismar. He first studied jurisprudence and then literae humaniores at the University of Rostock, where his elegant Latin versification procured for him in 1660 the chair of poetry....
     (1639–1691), historian
  • Joachim Gerstenbüttel (c1650-1721), composer
  • Johann Christian Quistorp (1737–1795), justice, councelor in Wismar
  • Christian Heinrich Kindler (1762–1845), Lübeck major
  • Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann
    Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann

    Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann was a Germany historian and politician.He came of an old Hanseatic family of Wismar, then controlled by Sweden. His father, who was burgomaster of the town, intended him to study theology, but Friedrich preferred classical philology, which he studied from 1802 to 1806 at the University of Copenhagen, Universit...
     (1785–1860), historian, statesman
  • Friedrich Bernhard Christian Maassen (1823–1900), law professor
  • Gottlob Frege
    Gottlob Frege

    Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob Frege was a Germany mathematics who became a logician and philosophy. He helped found both modern mathematical logic and analytic philosophy....
     (1848–1925), mathematician, philosopher, logician
  • Wilhelm Plüschow (1852–1930), photographer
  • Karl Scharfenberg (1874–1938), train ingenieur
  • Wilhelm Müller-Wismar
    Wilhelm Müller-Wismar

    Wilhelm M?ller-Wismar was a German ethnographer who was a native of Wismar. In 1905 he graduated from the University of Berlin, where he studied ethnography and anthropology under Felix von Luschan ....
     (1881–1916), ethnograph und Expedition traveler
  • Hans Sivkovich (1881–1968), politician (DDP)


External links