Rostock (German:[ˈʁɔstɔk]ⓘ), officially theHanseatic and University City of Rostock (German:Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the Germanstate ofMecklenburg-Western Pomerania and lies in theMecklenburgian part of the state, close to the border withPomerania.[a] With around 210,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city on the GermanBaltic coast afterKiel andLübeck, the eighth-largest city in the area of formerEast Germany, as well as the39th-largest city of Germany. Rostock was the largest coastal and most important port city in East Germany.
Rostock stands on the estuary of theRiver Warnow into theBay of Mecklenburg of the Baltic Sea. The city stretches for about 16 km (10 mi) along the river. The river flows into the sea in the very north of the city, between the boroughs ofWarnemünde and Hohe Düne. The city center lies further upstream, in the very south of the city. Most of Rostock's inhabitants live on the western side of the Warnow; the area east of the river is dominated by the port, industrial estates, and the forestedRostock Heath. The city's coastline east and west of the river mouth is relatively undeveloped, with long sandy beaches prevailing. The name of the city is ofSlavic origin.
In the 11th centuryPolabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river calledRoztoc (*ras-tokŭ, Slavic for "fork of a river"); the name Rostock is derived from that designation.
The Danish kingValdemar I set the town on fire in 1161. Afterwards the place was settled by German traders. Initially there were three separate cities:
Altstadt (Old Town) around theAlter Markt (Old Market), which hadSt. Petri (St. Peter's Church),
Mittelstadt (Middle Town) around theNeuer Markt (New Market), with St. Marien (St. Mary's Church) and
Rostock University, the oldest university in continental northern Europe and theBaltic Sea area, founded in 1419
During thefirst partition of Mecklenburg following the death ofHenry Borwin II of Mecklenburg in 1226, Rostock became the seat of theLordship of Rostock, which survived for almost a century. In 1251, the city became a member of theHanseatic League. In the 14th century it was a powerful seaport town with 12,000 inhabitants and the largest city inMecklenburg.Ships for cruising theBaltic Sea were constructed in Rostock. The formerly independent fishing village ofWarnemünde at the Baltic Sea became a part of Rostock in 1323, to secure the city's access to the sea.
Rostock in the 16th centuryRostock in the 17th century
At the end of the 15th century, the dukes ofMecklenburg succeeded in enforcing their rule over the town of Rostock, which had until then been only nominally subject to their rule and essentially independent. They took advantage of a riot known asDomfehde, a failed uprising of theimpoverished population. Subsequent quarrels with the dukes and persistent plundering led ultimately to a loss of the city's economic and political power.
Rostock 1780–90
In 1565 there were further clashes withSchwerin that had far-reaching consequences. Among other things, the nobility introduced a beerexcise that favoured the dukes.John Albert I advanced on the city with 500 horsemen, after Rostock had refused to take the formal oath of allegiance, and had the city wall razed (slighted) to have a fortress built. The conflict did not end until the firstRostock Inheritance Agreement of 21 September 1573, in which the state princes were guaranteed hereditary rule over the city for centuries and recognizing them as the supreme judicial authority; this bound Rostock for a long time. The citizens razed (or slighted) the fortress the following spring.
From 1575 to 1577 the city walls were rebuilt, as was theLagebusch tower and theStein Gate, in the Dutch Renaissance style. The inscriptionsit intra te concordia et publica felicitas ("Let there be harmony and public happiness within you"), can still be read on the gate, and refers directly to the conflict with the Duke. In 1584 the Second Rostock Inheritance Agreement was enforced, which resulted in a further loss of former city tax privileges. At the same time, these inheritance contracts put paid to Rostock's ambition of achievingimperial immediacy, asLübeck had done in 1226.
The strategic location of Rostock provoked the envy of its rivals.Danes and Swedes occupied the city twice, first during theThirty Years' War (1618–48) and again from 1700 to 1721. Later in the early 19th century, theFrench, underNapoleon, occupied the town for about a decade until 1813. In nearbyLübeck-Ratekau,Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who was born in Rostock and who was one of few generals to fight on after defeat at theBattle of Jena, surrendered to the French in 1806. This was only after furious street fighting in theBattle of Lübeck, in which he led some of thecavalry charges himself. By the time of the surrender, the exhaustedPrussians had neither food nor ammunition.
In the first half of the 19th century, Rostock regained much of its economic importance, due at first to the wheat trade, then, from the 1850s, to industry, especially its shipyards. The first propeller-driven steamers in Germany were constructed here.
The city grew in area and population, with new quarters developing in the south and west of the ancient borders of the city. Two notable developments were added to house the increasing population at around 1900:
Steintor-Vorstadt in the south, stretching from the old city wall to the facilities of the newLloydbahnhof (Lloyd Railway Station, nowRostock Hauptbahnhof), was designed as a living quarter. It consisted mostly of large single houses, once inhabited by wealthy citizens.
Kröpeliner-Tor-Vorstadt in the west, was designed to house the working population as well as to provide smaller and larger industrial facilities, such as the Mahn & Ohlerich's Brewery (now Hanseatische Brauerei Rostock). The main shipyard,Neptun, was nearby at the shore of the river.
In the 20th century, important aircraft manufacturing facilities were situated in the city, such as theArado Flugzeugwerke inWarnemünde and theHeinkel Works with facilities at various places, including their secondaryHeinkel-Süd facility in Schwechat, Austria, as the original Heinkel firm's Rostock facilities had been renamedHeinkel-Nord. The world's firstairworthy jet plane prototype made its test flights at their facilities in what used to be named theRostock-Marienehe [de] neighborhood (today'sRostock-Schmarl community, along the west bank of theUnterwarnow estuary).
In the early 1930s, the Nazi Party gained in popularity among Rostock's voters, many of whom had suffered economic hardship during the 1920s. Inelections in the summer of 1932, when the Nazis achieved 37.3 percent, their greatest national showing in a free election, they polled 40.3 percent in Rostock. A year later, after theNazi seizure of power and the suppression of other political parties, the Rostock city council (Stadtrat) was composed entirely of Nazis. DuringKristallnacht on 10 November 1938, the synagogue in Rostock's Augustenstrasse was destroyed by arson and dozens of Jews were beaten and imprisoned.
Feverish rearmament by the Nazi regime boosted Rostock's industrial importance in the late 1930s, and employment soared at theHeinkel andArado factories, and at the Neptunwerft shipyard. The city's population grew from 100,000 in 1935 to 121,192 in 1939.
DuringWorld War II, Rostock was subjected to repeated and increasingly heavy bombing attacks, especially by the BritishRoyal Air Force. Targets included the Heinkel and Arado plants and the shipyard, but churches and other historic structures in the city centre were also heavily damaged, among them the 14th-century Nikolaikirche (St Nicholas Church) and Jakobikirche (St Jacob's Church). The ruins of the latter were pulled down in 1960.
After the war, Rostock – now in theGerman Democratic Republic – became East Germany's largest seaport. The state expanded the national shipyards in the district ofWarnemünde. The city's population, boosted in part by resettled ethnic German refugees who had been expelled from territories in the east, increased in the GDR years to a peak of 260,000. Following thereunification of Germany in 1990, Rostock lost its privileged position as the No. 1 port of the GDR, and the city's population declined to about 200,000. However, after 2006, the population increased again. Today, Rostock and Warnemünde are significant tourist destinations on the Baltic Sea.
In August 1992, Rostock was the site of the xenophobicRostock-Lichtenhagen riots, during which asylum seekers were attacked by right-wing extremists.
Population size may be affected by changes in administrative divisions.[2][circular reference][3]
Rostock has a population of about 210,000 people and is the largest city inMecklenburg-Vorpommern state. Rostock became a member ofHanseatic League in 15th century, which made Rostock a larger city. Rostock reached its peak of over 100,000 in 1935. In theEast Germany era, Rostock was the largest and most important port of East Germany where many sailors and boatmen moved to this city. It also brought many harbour and other industiries to Rostock. Rostock reached its historical peak of population in 1988 with population of about 254,000. After theGerman Reunification, population Rostock decline due to many people who moved to former West Germany. Since 2003, Rostock's population starts to grow again due to students and new companies.
Coat of armsMotto:Within your walls may be harmony and happiness(in Latin)
Rostock has had three different coats of arms, known as theSignum, theSecretum and theSigillum. The Signum, which can be traced back to 1367, was developed last and is to this day the coat of arms of the city.
The Signum depicts a goldengriffin on a blue background, with bars of silver and red, the colours of theHanseatic League, below. It can be seen not only on flags and houses, and at bus stops, but also on bridges, gullies, fences, ships and restaurants.
Restored Rostock City Hall, a mixture of Baroque andBrick Gothic architecture
Since the 13th century, the governing body of the city has been the city council (Rat), first consisting of ten, later of 24 electedaldermen (Ratsherren). The chairman of the city council was the city mayor. In the 19th century there were three mayors. Since 1925, the head of the city has borne the title ofMayor. Having been elected by the city council for centuries, since 2002 this position is now elected directly by the citizens of Rostock, following a reform. If a candidate does not achieve an absolute majority in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes stand in a second round.
Results of the second round of the 2022 mayoral election
The current mayor of Rostock is Eva-Maria Kröger ofThe Left, who was elected mayor in 2022 and took office on 1 February 2023.[4] She won in the second round with 58.4% of votes against senior police officer Michael Ebert, anindependent backed by theChristian Democratic Union, Independent Citizens for Rostock, andFree Democratic Party.[5]
The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 November 2022, with a runoff held on 27 November, and the results were as follows:
Winning party by precinct in the 2019 city council electionSeat distribution in the 2019 city council election
The city parliament (Bürgerschaft) represents the citizens. Representative are elected for five years. The number of representatives is currently 53. The city parliament is presided by thePräsident der Bürgerschaft, who heads and prepares the sessions and, together with the mayor, represents the city. The most recent city council election was held on 26 May 2019, and the results were as follows:
Rostock is the first city region that defines itself not only as a city in its boundaries, but as aregiopolis, with a supra-regional sphere of influence. A regiopolis can be compared to ametropolis, but on a smaller scale. This is a sign for the inter-regional cooperation and economic dynamics that can be found in the Rostock area. A taskforce with different actors such as the hanseatic city of Rostock, the administrativedistrict of Rostock, theRegional Planning Association Middle Mecklenburg/Rostock and the local business organisations are working on the promotion and advancement of the concept.[6]
The seaside part of Rostock, Rostock-Warnemünde, is about 16 km (10 mi) to the north of the historic city centre. The west and the southeast are the most densely populated parts of town. The overseas port is to the east of Rostock. Rostock stretches 21.6 km (13.4 mi) from theBaltic Sea to the south and 19.4 km (12.1 mi) from east to west.
Rostock has anoceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb;Trewartha:Dobk) with strong influence of theBaltic Sea, more similar toDenmark and far southernSweden than to the rest of Germany. The main difference with lower Scandinavia is that the continuous landmass to the south and east enables stronger bursts of heat during summer. In spite of this, theWarnemünde station is generally less warm on the average summer day than on the northern side of the sea. In addition, the maritime influence of the Baltic Sea tempers any Arctic blasts, ensuring slightly milder winters. The Warnemünde station is located on the open sea and thus has a stronger maritime influence and slightly smaller variations than the downtown that is further inland.
The Rostock weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[7]
Its highest temperature was 38.4 °C (101.1 °F) on20 July 2022.
Its lowest temperature was −18.4 °C (−1.1 °F) on 16 February 1956.
Its greatest annual precipitation was 954.6 mm (37.58 in) in 2011.
Its least annual precipitation was 427.1 mm (16.81 in) in 1976.
The longest annual sunshine was 2,190 hours in 2018.
The shortest annual sunshine was 1,456.6 hours in 1998.
Climate data for Rostock (Warnemünde), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1947–present
Panorama of Rostock from the bank of theWarnow river during theHanse Sail
Aerial view of marina andYacht Harbour Residence "Hohe Düne" at theBaltic Sea, close toWarnemündeHeiligengeisthof (Holy Spirit Courtyard)
One of the most picturesque places in Rostock is theNeuer Markt (New Market Square), with the Town Hall – that was originally built in the 13th century inBrick Gothic style, but extensively transformed in the 18th century, with the addition of aBaroque façade and a banqueting hall. The square also preserved six original, carefully restored gable houses from the 15th and 16th centuries. The other historical houses in Hanseatic style that once bordered the square were destroyed in an Allied air-raid in 1942, and rebuilt in a simplified manner.[9]
The 15th-centuryKerkhofhaus (at Große Wasserstraße, behind the Town Hall) is considered the best-preserved brick Gothic house in Rostock.[citation needed]
St. Mary's ChurchMarienkirche, on Ziegenmarkt, is an imposingBrick Gothic church. Built in the 13th century, it was enlarged and modified at the end of the 14th century into the present cross-shaped basilica. The huge tower was not completed until the end of the 18th century. Inside there is anastronomical clock erected in 1472 by Hans Düringer.
Kröpeliner Straße – main shopping street
The main pedestrian precinct isKröpeliner Straße, which runs east from the Neuer Markt to the 14th-centuryKröpeliner Tor, a former town gate. The main buildings ofRostock University lie at Universitätsplatz, near the middle of the street, in front of the lively fountain ofzest for life (Brunnen der Lebensfreude), known colloquially as Pornobrunn (fountain of pornography), for its nude sculptures.
TheKloster St Katharinen (Convent of St. Catherine), is an oldFranciscanmonastery founded in 1243, and extended several times during the 14th and 15th centuries. Now used as the seat of the Academy of Music and Theatre (HMT-Rostock).
The Brick GothicNikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church), which is the oldest church in Rostock, was built in the mid-13th century. Heavily damaged duringWorld War II and subsequently restored, the building is now used as an exhibition centre and concert hall, due to its outstanding acoustics.
Some parts of the medievalcity wall, with fourcity gates, have survived to the present day. The city has a large population of herring gulls that squawk loudly most days throughout the year.
Alexandrinenstraße in WarnemündeWarnemünde BeachSpeicher (office buildings) at night. Headquarters ofAIDA Cruises.
Warnemünde is the seaside part of Rostock and a major attraction of the city. Locals and tourists alike enjoy the maritime flair of old houses, a large beach, alighthouse and the old fisherman's port.
The Academy of Music and Theatre (Hochschule für Musik und Theater) offers graduate degrees in artistic fields. Founded in 1994, the institution combinedErnst Busch, the former drama school, and the outpost school of theHanns Eisler Music School Berlin. Today, the combined school is a member of the Association of Baltic Academies of Music (ABAM), a union of 17 music conservatories at the Baltic Sea and Israel. Unique in Europe is the postgraduate degree in piano duo performance. The school possesses a large opera stage (Katharinensaal) and two chamber music halls. There are concerts every day throughout the year.
Rostock also hosts theMax Planck Institute for Demographic Research and the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, as well as two branches of Fraunhofer Institutes, one for Computer Graphics and one for Large Structures in Production Technology.
The city is home to the annualHanse Sail festival, during which many large sailing ships and museum vessels are brought out to sea, drawing over 1.5 million visitors.
An annual jazz festival,Ostsee-Jazz ("Baltic Sea Jazz"), takes place in June.
The Lichtspieltheater Wundervoll is theart house cinema of Rostock. It opened in 1993 and offers a daily programme in two venues, the Metropol and the Frieda 23 with three cinemas. At Frieda 23 is the Institut für neue Medien (IFNM), Rostock's Institute for New Media, which includes a media workshop.Both Liwu and IFNM are active members of theLandesverband Filmkommunikation Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Special screenings for schools, educational programmes and special programmes are offered as well.It is the central venue for Rostock's Film Festival, the Festival im Stadthafen (FISH), the German Federal Festival for Young German Film.
Stasi Museum (Dokumentations- und Gedenkstätte der Bundesbeauftragten für die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik)
Warnemünde Local History Museum (Heimatmuseum Warnemünde)
Shipbuilding and Shipping Museum (Schiffbau- und Schifffahrtsmuseum)
Rostock manufactures its own local beer, called Rostocker Pilsner, manufactured at the Hanseatische Brauerei Rostock GmbH (Rostock Hanseatic Brewery Ltd.). The beer is well known throughout the city and is also sold in cities nearby. To celebrate Rostock's 800th birthday, a special light beer called Heller Freude was brewed to commemorate the occasion.
Rostock is served by theRostock tramway network, with six tram lines that serve the inner city as well as the suburbs. The city is also served by an extensive bus fleet, as well as a handful of ferries that cross the Warnow.
Rostock is Germany's largest Baltic port. Rostock is also home to a large ferry port. It is a main base for ferry operatorsScandlines andTT-Line, which both connect Rostock with major Scandinavian destinations. Furthermore, Rostock receives the highest number of cruise tourists in Germany every year.
TheRostock–Laage Airport offers seasonal flights toAntalya Airport in Turkey. The nearest larger international airports are inHamburg andBerlin. There are also a number of airfields for smaller aircraft, such as Purkshof.
^Closest border point with Pomerania from Rostock inRibnitz-Damgarten between Ribnitz (Mecklenburg) and Damgarten (Pomerania). Border constituted byRiver Recknitz.
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