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 construction as well as the German brick churches, the city has been included in the
UNESCO 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 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
Peace of Westphalia in 1648 Wismar passed to Sweden, with a lordship to which it gives its name. Through Wismar and the other
dominions in the
Holy Roman Empire, the
Swedish monarchs in their roles as princes, or
Reichsfürsten, took part in 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.
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 aviation plant and railway - factories. Throughout
World War II Wismar was heavily damaged by
Allied air raids and occupied by
British and
Canadian Forces on May 2, 1945, who retreated again on July 1, 1945 due to the agreements of the
Yalta Conference making Wismar a part of the
Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany.
Main sights
Wassertor (Water Gate).
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. It suffered heavy damage in
World War II, 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.
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 residence, and later occupied by the
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. 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
