Historic Centers of Stralsund and Wismar

Stralsund and Wismar are two cities in the Northern part of Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg- Vorpommern.  The cities are known for lending a hand in the formation of brick construction techniques from the 13^th to the 15^th centuries.  This can be seen in many of the churches and cathedrals throughout the city.  In the 17^th and 18^th centuries these towns were under the control of the Swedish.  The Swedish used the cities as administration and defense centers for the German territories.

City Hall of Stralsund

Both Stralsund and Wismar have a large number of gothic religious buildings, having six major Gothic Brick churches between them.  They also have unchanged medieval ground plans, and city centers that survived WWII almost untouched.  The architecture in the cities also has a Swedish ‘twist’ on it with brightly painted houses and buildings.  We can see the gothic architecture in the city hall above.

One reason Stralsund and Wismar have the title of being a World Heritage Site is their Swedish heritage.  The other most important reason these cities were inducted into the World Heritage Site was because of the role they had in the Hanseatic League.  The Hanseatic League was a group of trade posts stretching from London to Novogorod (Russia), with most trading posts in Germany.  This group was affiliated with each other and had a monopoly on the market.  Here you can see some of the major trading posts in Europe.

Stralsund and Wismar are located right of Lübeck