Holiday in Wismar

About Wismar

Wismar on the Baltic Sea is one of the best-preserved Hanseatic cities in Northern Germany and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002, along with Stralsund. The city on the southwestern Baltic coast impresses with monumental brick Gothic architecture, a huge marketplace, and a historic harbor that still thrives on fishing. The marketplace of Wismar is one of the largest in Northern Germany, measuring 100 by 100 meters. The Wasserkunst, a Renaissance fountain from 1602, forms its center and once supplied the city with drinking water. Surrounding the square are magnificent gabled houses from various eras, including the baroque merchant house "Alter Schwede" from 1380. The three large brick churches shape Wismar's skyline: St. Nikolai with its 37-meter-high nave (one of the tallest brick church naves in the world), the tower of St. Marien (the church itself was destroyed in the war, only the 80-meter tower remains), and St. Georgen, which serves as a cultural church after decades of reconstruction. Wismar's Swedish past is unique: from 1648 to 1903, the city belonged to Sweden — 255 years under the Swedish crown. The landmark known as Schwedenköpfe at the harbor, the Schabbellhaus (city museum in a Renaissance building), and the annual Schwedenfest in August remind us of this era. The Old Harbor, with its fishing boats, historic tree house, and smoked eel stalls, is the maritime heart of the city.