It is the seat of the district ofWestern Pomerania-Greifswald, and is located roughly in the middle between the two largest Pomeranian islands ofRugia (Rügen) andUsedom. The closest larger cities areStralsund, Rostock,Szczecin and Schwerin. It lies west of the RiverZarow, the historical cultural and linguistic boundary between West (west of the river) and Central Pomerania (east of the river). The city derives its name from the dukes of Pomerania, theHouse of Griffin, and thus ultimately from the PomeranianGriffin, and its name hence translates as "Griffin's Forest".
TheUniversity of Greifswald, which was founded in 1456, is the second-oldest university in theBaltic Region after theUniversity of Rostock. The city is well-known for the ruins ofEldena Abbey (formerlyHilda Abbey), a frequent subject of the paintings ofCaspar David Friedrich, who was born in the city when it was part ofSwedish Pomerania. Greifswald is the seat of thePomeranian State Museum (Pommersches Landesmuseum). The recently built Ryck Barrier (Rycksperrwerk) protects the city from exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the Baltic.
The city's population was listed at 59,332 in 2021, including many of the 12,500 students and 5,000 employees of theUniversity of Greifswald. Greifswald draws international attention due to the university, its surroundingBioCon Valley, theNord Stream 1 gas pipeline which ends at nearbyLubmin, and theWendelstein 7-X nuclear fusion projects.
Greifswald is located in the northeast ofGermany, approximately equidistant from Germany's two largest islands,Rügen andUsedom. The city is situated at the south end of theBay of Greifswald, the historic centre being about five kilometres (three miles) up the riverRyck that crosses the city. The area around Greifswald is mainly flat, and hardly reaches more than 20 mabove sea level. Two islands,Koos andRiems, are also part of Greifswald. Three of Germany's fourteen national parks can be reached by car in one hour or less from Greifswald.
Greifswald is also roughly equidistant from Germany's two largest cities,Berlin (240 km or 150 mi) andHamburg (260 km or 160 mi). The nearest larger cities areStralsund andRostock.
The coastal part of Greifswald at the mouth of the Ryck, named Greifswald-Wieck, evolved from a fishing village. Today it provides a small beach, a marina and the main port for Greifswald.
Greifswald features anoceanic climate with somehumid continental influence. Summers are pleasantly warm, although chilly at night. Due to its coastal location, heatwaves in Greifswald tend to be less extreme than other nearby locations inland. Winters are mild to cold, with occasional cold fronts coming in fromScandinavia orSiberia. Precipitation is spread throughout the year and comparatively low by German standards, while sunshine hours are above the German average.
Climate data for Greifswald (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1975)
MedievalFangenturm (Prisoners' Tower), GreifswaldEldena Abbey was founded in 1199. Today only its ruins remain.The eastern side of the historic city centre (seen from the cathedral tower)
In medieval times, the site of Greifswald was an unsettled woodland which marked the border between theDanishPrincipality of Rügen and thePomeranianCounty of Gützkow, which at that time was also under Danish control. In 1199, the Rugian PrinceJaromar I allowed DanishCistercian monks to buildHilda Abbey, now Eldena Abbey, at the mouth of the RiverRyck. Among the lands granted the monks was a naturalsalt evaporation pond a short way up the river, a site also crossed by an important south–northvia regia trade route. This site was namedGryp(he)swold(e), which is theLow German precursor of the city's modern name – which means "Griffin's Forest." Legend says the monks were shown the best site for settlement by a mighty griffin living in a tree that supposedly grew on what became Greifswald's oldest street, theSchuhagen. The town's construction followed a scheme of rectangular streets, with church and market sites reserved in central positions. It was settled primarily by Germans in the course of theOstsiedlung, but settlers from other nations andWends from nearby were attracted, too.
Thesalt trade helped Eldena Abbey to become an influential religious center, and Greifswald became a widely known market. When the Danes had to surrender theirPomeranian lands south of the Ryck, after losing theBattle of Bornhöved in 1227, the town succeeded to thePomeranian dukes. In 1241, the Rugian princeWizlaw I and the Pomeranian dukeWartislaw III both granted Greifswald market rights. In 1250, the latter granted the town a charter underLübeck law, after he had been permitted to acquire the town site as a fief from Eldena Abbey in 1248.
When Jazco of Salzwedel from Gützkow founded aFranciscan friary within the walls of Greifswald, the Cistercians at Eldena lost much of their influence on the city's further development. Just beyond Greifswald's western limits, a town-like suburb (Neustadt) arose, separated from Greifswald by a ditch. In 1264, Neustadt was incorporated and the ditch was filled in.
Eldena Abbey and the major buildings of Greifswald were erected in the North GermanBrick Gothic (Backsteingotik) style, found along the entire southern coast of the Baltic.
Due to a steady population increase, Greifswald became at the end of the 13th century one of the earliest members of theHanseatic League, which further increased its trade and wealth. After 1296, Greifswald's citizens no longer needed to serve in the Pomeranian army, and Pomeranian dukes did not reside in the city.
In 1456, Greifswald's mayor Heinrich Rubenow laid the foundations of one of theoldest universities in the world, theUniversity of Greifswald, which was one of the first in Germany, and was, successively, the single oldest inSweden andPrussia.
In the course ofReformation, Eldena Abbey ceased to function as a monastery. Its possessions fell to the Pomeranian dukes; the bricks of its Gothic buildings were used by the locals for other construction. Eldena lost its separate status and was later absorbed into the town of Greifswald. The religious houses within the town walls, the priories of the Blackfriars (Dominicans) in the northwest and the Greyfriars (Franciscans) in the southeast, were secularized. The buildings of the Dominicans (the "black monastery") were turned over to the university; the site is still used as part of the medical campus. The Franciscan friary ("the "grey monastery") and its succeeding buildings are now thePomeranian State Museum.
During theThirty Years' War, Greifswald was occupied by (Catholic) Imperial forces from 1627 to 1631,[6] and thereafter, under theTreaty of Stettin (1630), by (Protestant) Swedish forces.[7]
Bay of GreifswaldGreifswald's lively market square (Marktplatz)
During theThirty Years' War, Swedish forces entered theDuchy of Pomerania in 1630.[6] Greifswald was besieged by Swedish troops on 12 June 1631[6] and surrendered on 16 June.[6]Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden had returned fromBrandenburg to supervise the siege, and upon his arrival received the university's homage for the liberation from Catholic forces.[6] After the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), Greifswald and the region surrounding it became part of theKingdom of Sweden.Swedish Pomerania, as it was then called, remained part of the Swedish kingdom until 1815,[8] when it became part of theKingdom of Prussia as theProvince of Pomerania. In 1871, it devolved to Germany.
The Thirty Years' War had caused starvation throughout Germany, and by 1630 Greifswald's population had shrunk by two-thirds. Many buildings were left vacant and fell into decay. Soon, other wars followed: theSwedish-Polish War and theSwedish-Brandenburg War both involved the nominally Swedish town of Greifswald. In 1659 and 1678, Brandenburgian troops bombarded the town. The first bombardment hit mainly the northeast part of town, wrecking 16 houses. The second bombardment leveled 30 houses and damaged hundreds more all over the city. Cannonballs of this second bombardment can still be seen in the walls of St Mary's Church.
During theGreat Northern War (1700–1721, Greifswald was compelled to house soldiers. Whilebesieging neighboring Stralsund,Russian tsarPeter the Great allied withGeorge I of Great Britain in theTreaty of Greifswald. Large fires in 1713 and 1736 destroyed houses and other buildings, including City Hall. The Swedish government had issued decrees in 1669 and 1689 absolving anyone of taxes who built or rebuilt a house. These decrees remained essentially in force, under Prussian administration, until 1824.[9]
Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) depicted his hometown in several paintings; this isWiesen bei Greifswald (Meadows near Greifswald), 1820.Woman at the 'fishers well', byJo Jastram in the 20th century
During the 19th century, Greifswald attracted many Polish students.[10] AfterBreslau (nowWrocław, Poland) and Berlin, Greifswald hosted the third-largest group of Polish students in Germany.[11]
About 1900, the town – for the first time since the Middle Ages – expanded significantly beyond the old town walls. Also, a major railway connected Greifswald toStralsund and Berlin; a local railway line further connected Greifswald toWolgast.
The city survived World War II without much destruction, even though it housed a large German Army (Wehrmacht) garrison. During the war, in May 1940, the Stalag II-Cprisoner-of-war camp was relocated to Greifswald fromDobiegniew, and it housedFrench, Belgian, Serbian and Soviet POWs with many sent toforced labor detachments in the region.[12] In the spring of 1945, the camp was evacuated to the west.[12] In April 1945, German Army Colonel (Oberst) Rudolf Petershagen defied orders and surrendered the city to theRed Army without a fight.
From 1949 to 1990, Greifswald was part of theGerman Democratic Republic (DDR). During this time, most historical buildings in the medieval parts of the city were neglected and a number of old buildings were pulled down. The population increased significantly, because of the construction of a nominal 1760 MWSoviet-madenuclear power plant inLubmin, which was closed in the early 1990s. New suburbs were erected in the monolithic industrial socialist style (seePlattenbau). They still house most of the city's population.[citation needed] These new suburbs were placed east and southeast of central Greifswald, shifting the former town center to the northwestern edge of the modern town.
Reconstruction of the old town began in the late 1980s. Nearly all of it has been restored. Before that almost all of the old northern town adjacent to the port was demolished and subsequently rebuilt. The historic marketplace is considered one of the most beautiful in northern Germany. The town attracts many tourists, due in part to its proximity to theBaltic Sea.
Greifswald's greatest population was reached in 1988, with about 68,000 inhabitants, but it decreased afterward to 55,000, where it has now stabilized. Reasons for this included migration to western German cities as well assuburbanisation. However, the number of students quadrupled from 3,000 in 1990 to more than 11,000 in 2007 and the university employs 5,000 people; nearly one in three people in Greifswald are linked in some way to higher education.
Despite its relatively small population, Greifswald retains a supra-regional relevance linked to its intellectual role as a university town and to the taking of the central functions of the former PrussianProvince of Pomerania after World War II, such as the seat of the bishop of thePomeranian Lutheran Church, the state archives (Landesarchiv) and the Pomeranian Museum (Pommersches Landesmuseum). Three courts of the state ofMecklenburg-Vorpommern are also based at Greifswald:
the Supreme Administrative Court (Oberverwaltungsgericht);
the Supreme Constitutional Court (Landesverfassungsgericht); and
The energy sector is important to the city's economy. Even the church in the Wieck district of Greifswald hassolar panels on its roof.Shops on the High Street (or Main Street): Greifswald is a shopping destination for the entire region.
Greifswald andStralsund are the largest cities in theVorpommern part ofMecklenburg-Vorpommern. Of great importance to the city's economy is the localuniversity with its 12,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees in addition to many people employed at independent research facilities such as theFriedrich Loeffler Institute and spin-off firms.
Greifswald is also the seat of the diocese of the Pomeranian Evangelical Church as well as the seat of thestate's chief constitutional court, and chief financial court.
Tourism plays a vital role as Greifswald is situated between the islands ofRügen andUsedom on the popular GermanBaltic coast, which brings in many tourists.
One of Europe's largest producers ofphotovoltaic modules, Berlin-basedSolon SE, has a production site in Greifswald. The world's third-largest producer ofyachts worldwide,HanseYachts, is based in Greifswald. In the energy sector, an offshore natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany,Nord Stream 1, stops in Lubmin (near Greifswald).Riemser Arzneimittel is a pharmaceutical company based on the island of Riems, which is part of the city of Greifswald.Siemens Communications F & E produces goods here as well.
In a 2008 study,[13] Greifswald was declaredGermany's most dynamic city. According to another 2008 study, Greifswald is the "youngest city" in Germany having the highest percentage of heads of household under 30 years of age.[14]
The current mayor of Greifswald is Stefan Fassbinder (Greens) since 2015. The most recent mayoral election was held on 12 June 2022, with a runoff held on 26 June, and the results were as follows:
Theater Vorpommern (Theater of Hither Pomerania)Pommersches Landesmuseum (Pomeranian State Museum)
Greifswald has a number of museums and exhibitions, most notably thePomeranian State Museum (German:Pommersches Landesmuseum):history of Pomerania and arts, including works byCaspar David Friedrich, a native of Greifswald. The University of Greifswald also has a large number of collections, some of which are on display for the public.
Events and attractions hosted in Greifswald include:
Theater Vorpommern: theatre, orchestra and opera
Stadthalle Greifswald: medium-sized convention centre
Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Greifswald is one of several sites of the state's classical music festival
Art house is shown regularly at the film club "Casablanca",[17] which has existed since 1992. It puts its focus on the heritage of 35mm films. The Koeppenhaus shows art house cinema as part of its special programmes. The cinema initiative "KinoAufSegeln"[18] screening art house open air on the site of the Greifswalder Museumswerft, Greifswald's shipyard museum. It exists since 2015. All three are active members of theVerband für Filmkommunikation (Association for Film Communication) of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the umbrella organisation of art house cinemas and film clubs.
Among Greifswald'sbrick gothic churches is theDom St. Nikolai (St. Nicholas collegiate church) in the city center, which, with its 100 meters (330 ft) tall tower, is the symbol of the city. The exact date of its founding is unknown, but the original church dates from the late 13th century. The tower was built, and an organ installed in the church, in the late 14th century. In the mid-17th century, when Greifswald was part ofSwedish Pomerania, severe storm damage was repaired with support from the Swedish Crown. Neglect during the earlyDDR period necessitated extensive refurbishment, completed in 1989, the last full year of the DDR.
TheSt.-Marien-Kirche (St. Mary's Church), built adjacent to the Old Town marketplace in the mid-13th century, contains ground-level brick walls four and one-half meters (14 ft) thick. Medieval murals depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ were restored in 1977–84. The church organ, known as theMarienorgel (St. Mary's Organ), was installed by theStralsund organ builder Friedrich Mehmel in 1866, replacing an earlier instrument. It features 37 registers.
St.-Jacobi-Kirche
On the west side of the Old Town stands theSt.-Jacobi-Kirche (St. James's Church), dating from the early 13th century. In 1400 it was rebuilt to contain a nave and two transepts, requiring the addition of four buttresses. The original half-timbered tower, heavily damaged in a 1955 fire, was rebuilt in brick.
Stolpersteine, part of the EuropeanStolperstein (literally "stumbling stone") memorial project, are scattered around Greifswald. The brass plaques, engraved with the names of Jewish residents who were murdered in the Holocaust, are embedded in the sidewalk in front of houses where they once lived. Some of theStolpersteine in Greifswald mark the nationwide November 9, 1938,Kristallnacht pogroms in which members of the NaziSA andSS murdered many German Jews, vandalized Jewish property and burned down synagogues – including the Greifswald Synagogue, dating from 1787. In 2012 all the 13 Stolpersteine were stolen, presumably by pro-Nazi extremists. The following year (2013) they were replaced.[19][20]
A memorial plaque was installed on the site of the synagogue in 2008 in a ceremony attended by German ChancellorAngela Merkel.
According to a 2009 study, 44% of all people in Greifswald use their bicycle for daily transport within the city, which, at the time, was the highest rate in Germany.[25] There are also public local and regional bus operators.Local buses are run bySWG (Stadtwerke Greifswald).
Greifswald is situated at an equal distance of about 250 km (160 mi) to Germany's twolargest cities,Berlin andHamburg, which can be reached via theAutobahn 20 by car in about two hours. There are also train connections to and from Hamburg (viaStralsund andRostock), and Berlin. The popular summer tourist destinationsUsedom andRügen can be reached both by car and train.
Greifswald has a port on theBaltic Sea as well as several marinas. The historic city centre is about 3 kilometres (2 miles) off the shore, and can be reached by yachts and small boats on the riverRyck. TheBay of Greifswald is a popular place for sailing and surfing, with Germany's two largest islands, Rügen and Usedom, just off the coast.
^abcdeLanger, Herbert (2003)."Die Anfänge des Garnisionswesens in Pommern". In Asmus, Ivo; Droste, Heiko; Olesen, Jens E. (eds.).Gemeinsame Bekannte: Schweden und Deutschland in der Frühen Neuzeit (in German). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. p. 403.ISBN3-8258-7150-9.
^Langer, Herbert (2003)."Die Anfänge des Garnisionswesens in Pommern". In Asmus, Ivo; Droste, Heiko; Olesen, Jens E. (eds.).Gemeinsame Bekannte: Schweden und Deutschland in der Frühen Neuzeit (in German). Berlin-Hamburg-Münster: LIT Verlag. p. 397.ISBN3-8258-7150-9.
^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom II (in Polish). Warszawa. 1881. p. 883.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Felix Schönrock's studies in: Frank Braun, Stefan Kroll,Städtesystem und Urbanisierung im Ostseeraum in der frühen Neuzeit: Wirtschaft, Baukultur und historische Informationssysteme: Beiträge des wissenschaftlichen Kolloquiums in Wismar vom 4. Und 5. September 2003, 2004, pp.184ff,ISBN3-8258-7396-X, 9783825873967,[1]
^S. Wierzchosławski, Polskie organizacje studenckie na uniwersytecie w Gryfii w drugiej połowie XIX i początkach XX wieku, Studia Historica Slavo- Germanica T. X — 1981, s. 127 – 140
^Die Universität Greifswald in der Bildungslandschaft des Ostseeraums, page 372Dirk Alvermann,Nils Jörn, Jens E. Olesen
^abMegargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022).The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 397.ISBN978-0-253-06089-1.
^Gerhard Baader, Susan E. Lederer, Morris Low, Florian Schmaltz and Alexander V. Schwerin. 2005. Pathways to Human Experimentation, 1933-1945: Germany, Japan, and the United States (pp 205-231). In: Carola Sachse and Mark Walker, eds.Politics and Science in Wartime: Comparative International Perspectives on the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute (Ser: Osiris, 2nd Series, Vol. 20). Washington DC: Georgetown University. BMW Center for German & European Studies, p 216.
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