Wismar: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
English|
EUR 50 - 110 Phoenix Hotel Reuterhaus
 Located directly opposite the Wasserkunst fountain on the Wismar market square, this historic hotel offers classical-style rooms with internet access … MoreEUR 29 - 79 Pension Apostel
 This guest house offers quiet rooms and apartments with free Wi-Fi. It stands in the centre of Wismar, within a 5-minute walk of the historic market s… MoreEUR 29 - 77 Pension Am Wassertor
 Stay the night and dine in a maritime atmosphere near the old harbour. Cosy pension in the heart of the Wismar old part of town. The old part of town … MoreEUR 49 - 110 Phoenix Hotel Seeblick
 This 4-star hotel is located in a small park beside Wismar Bay, just a few steps from the beach. It offers a restaurant with sea views and private par… MoreEUR 30 - 99 Schwedenhaus Wismar
 This hotel is peacefully located to the south of Wismar, just a 5-minute drive from the town centre. Parking spaces and Wi-Fi internet are both avail… MoreEUR 34 - 115 Steigenberger Hotel Stadt Hamburg
 This 4-star hotel is centrally located in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Wismar. It has a spacious spa area and a terrace café on the historic mar… MoreEUR 54 - 165 Stadthotel Stern
 Stadthotel Stern lies in Wismar’s historic Old Town, and is a 10-minute walk from Wismar Train Station. Featuring free Wi-Fi, it offers colourful ro… MoreEUR 38 - 60 Pension Am Haffeld
 This guest house is in a quiet location in the town of Wismar, 2.5 km from Wismar Harbour. Wi-Fi is free in all parts of the Pension am Haffeld.
Das … MoreEUR 50 - 86 Hotel Willert
 This 3-star hotel is an Art Nouveau villa, steps from historic part of Wismar. It offers rooms with free wired internet, a daily breakfast buffet and … MoreEUR 53 - 160 City Partner Hotel Alter Speicher
 This family-run hotel is a 4-minute walk from Wismar’s market square and historic Nikolaikirche church. It offers excellent Mecklenburg cuisine, a s… MoreEUR 55 - 130 City Apartments Altstadt Wismar
 These large, non-smoking apartments include a fully equipped kitchen and cable TV. They are located in the centre of Wismar’s old town, close to the… MoreEUR 50 - 120 Best Western Grand City Hotel Wismar
 This 4-star hotel in Gägelow offers free Wi-Fi, a pool and a spa. It is a 10-minute drive from Wismar Bay and the centre of Wismar.
The Best Western… MoreEUR 35 - 85 Hotel Altes Brauhaus
 This cosy, 3-star hotel offers comfortable accommodation and great food in the centre of Wismar, just a 5-minute walk from the old market place and 50… MoreEUR 38 - 77 Hotel Am Alten Hafen
 Offering free Wi-Fi and free parking, this hotel in the old port in Wismar, is just a short walk from the main railway station and Germany´s lar… MoreEUR 50 - 96 Hotel Reingard
 This hotel offers free Wi-Fi, organic cuisine, a garden, an orchard and private parking. It is located in the heart of the Old Town of Wismar.
All ro… MoreEUR 59 - 90 Hotel New Orleans
 This hotel is situated centrally, across from Wismar´s old harbour, and looks out over the bay leading to the Baltic Sea. Start your day with t… MoreEUR 29 - 90 Altstadtpension Wismar
 This welcoming 3-star guest house in Wismar is just a 10-minute walk from the historic Market Square. Offering free Wi-Fi, it is just a 20-minute walk… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wismar: Guide
Wismar is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar 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 Gothic|brick construction as well as the Eastern German brick churches, it is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 2002.
The town was the setting of the 1922 vampire movie Nosferatu.
History
Wismar is said to have received civic rights in 1229, and came into the possession of Mecklenburg in 1301. In 1259 it had entered a pact with Lübeck and Rostock, intended to defend against the numerous Baltic sea pirates, which developed into the Hanseatic League. 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 Imperial Diets. 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 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.
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.
Main sights
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 edifice, built in the first half of the 13th century|13th. It suffered heavy damage in World War II, and was deliberately destroyed in 1960 under the East Germany|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.
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 duke|ducal residence, and later occupied by the municipality|municipal authorities, is a richly decorated specimen of the Italian early Renaissance style. Built in 1552-1565, it was restored in 1877-1879. The "Old School", dating from about 1300, has been restored, and used as a museum. The town hall, rebuilt in 1829, contains a collection of pictures.
References
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Wismar". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.