Rostock
Hanseatic City and Northern Gateway
Northern Germany has always been a gateway of sorts with her busy ports of trade with Scandinavian countries and prominence in the Hanseatic League. Today the grand medieval homes and public buildings still stand in monument to the booming commerce of the Middle Ages.
Important examples of medieval and Renaissance architecture abound in Rostock’s Old Town. There is the 1490 Hausbaumhaus (Hausbaum House), one of the few wooden structures remaining in the city. The Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church), from the same period, continues to cast a dramatic shadow, although the 355-foot steeple of the Petrikirche (St Peter's Church) tops the skyline (climb the 196 steps or take the half-minute elevator ride). Adjacent to the "Marienkirche" stands the 13th-century Rathaus (Town Hall) with its 18th century baroque makeover. Traditional gabled patrician houses line Wokrenterstrasse.
Some of the original city wall still remains, especially along the park-like Wallstrasse. Beyond the wall, villas and residences were built in the 1850s for an expanding middle class. The lively Kröpelinerstrasse (Kröpeliner Street) in the pedestrian zone is usually bustling with window-shoppers and friends chatting at sidewalk cafes. At its mid-way point, the Universitätsplatz (University Square) is a magnet for students, children and other young people. Typical Rostock hospitality is found above all in the so-called "KTV" (Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt) with its pubs, restaurants and bars - many of them the favorite haunts of Rostock students.
