Rostock and Wismar Germany

This morning we set off early and drove 75km to Rostock. 

We parked close to the old centre which cost us €5/3hrs.

 It is the largest coastal and important port city in East Germany.  We strolled past St.Peter’s church and then through the old market square. They use a lot of glazed bricks in their buildings.

Then past St.Nicholas church now used as a venue for concerts and exhibitions. It appears they have put rooms in the roof space.

Cow Gate built in 1262 it got its name during the 14th century when only cattle would go through the gate. Later it was used as a prison.

Further along the Renaissance Stone Gate was on the Southside of the fortifications. 

The Standehaus is in the style of historicism and now houses the Higher Regional Court.

The gables and coloured tiles on the facade of Kerkhoffhaus (named after its owners) were quite impressive. 

The New Market square was big and has a road and trams going through it which spoils its vibe a bit. On one side stood the Town Hall. 

 On the other side there were some coloured buildings and St. Mary’s church, which was closed at the moment due to mass being held. We will come back to it later.

Mark had a bite to eat from the bakery before we continued on. 

The Hausbaumhaus testifies to Hanseatic history and architecture. Unfortunately there weren’t too many buildings of this kind left.

The wide modern streets 

Kropelin Gate is considered the most beautiful preserved monument of brick Gothic architecture in the city. 

The university was founded in 1419 making it one of the oldest in Germany. This building was built during the 1800’s. We went have a look at the cultural museum where we learnt a bit more about the town’s history.The square and its fountain was lovely. 

We returned to St.Mary’s to marvel at the huge organ, decretive pulpit and the astronomical clock. People were waiting to see it action at 12noon with the 12 apostles wizzing around and finishing with leaving Judas out.

We strolled back to Bluey via the shopping strip but the shops were closed on a Sunday. The town was full of cruise tourists. We heard lots of Americans. 

It was only 12 noon so we took the motorway to Wismar. 73km later we had parked up and heading into the historical centre. It also lies on the Baltic Sea and is the 3rd largest port city in the former East Germany. 

We made our way to the huge marketplace lined with many significant buildings of different architectural styles. 

In the square stood an elaborate wrought iron fountain imported from Holland in 1602. Which brought up much needed water, especially for the brewery.

We walked towards the port area and crossed Germany’s first urban canal with a lovely old mill building straddling it.

We stopped for lunch at a beer house. The local Pilsner was refreshing and the food was delicious- Mark voted that it was the best pork schnitzel with potatoes and mushroom sauce he has ever had in Europe. My pork ribs were good too.

They even had a menu for your dog!

The port area was bustling with tourists all enjoying the warm weather. 

The fish mongers have stalls on the dock

We spotted replicas of 2 “Swedish Heads” (brightly painted moustachioed figures with lion heads for hats) that, during Swedish occupation, stood at the mouth of the harbour.

We pop into a second/flea market and Amrk buys a toy Paulaner beer truck. We were impressed with the variety of chess sets being sold too.

Then another town gate before returning into the old town. 

We marvelled at the brick grandeur and 37m high interior of St.Nicholas basilica. The photos don’t do it justice.

We then crossed the ‘pig bridge’ with four little pigs on each post.

Our final destination today was Lubeck, another 70km on the motorway way. Bluey was flying at 120kmph. At around 4:30pm we settled in a parking area (free in Sunday) just out on the ring road around the old town. It’s still hot at around 30° so we have a bit of a rest. There’s a cool change coming that appears will mark the end of the summer temperatures. Hooray. 

It was a total of 214km journey today