Rostock (; Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

and lies in the

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

ian part of the state, close to the border with

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

. With around 210,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city on the German

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

coast after

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

and

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

, the eighth-largest city in the area of former

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, as well as the 39th-largest city of Germany. Rostock was the largest coastal and most important port city in East Germany. Rostock stands on the estuary of the River Warnow into the Bay of Mecklenburg of the Baltic Sea. The city stretches for about along the river. The river flows into the sea in the very north of the city, between the boroughs of

Warnemünde (, literally ''Mouth of the Warnow'') is a seaside resort and a district of the city of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Mecklenburg, Germany. It is located on the Baltic Sea and, as the name implies, at the estuary of the river Warnow (river ...

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 forested

Rostock Heath Rostock Heath () is a wood and heathland region northeast of the German city of Rostock. It has a total area of about 6000 hectares and, since 1252, has been owned by the Hanseatic city of Rostock. As a result of its ownership of the Rostoc ...

. 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 of Slavic origin. Rostock is the economic center of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the state's only

regiopolis In Germany, a regiopolis is a city outside the core of a metropolitan area, that serves as an independent driving force for development within a larger region. The concept is used to develop midsized urban regions within regional, national and g ...

(a city outside the core of a metropolitan area). The port of Rostock is the fourth largest port in Germany after the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

ports of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...

, and

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

, and the largest port on the German Baltic coast. The ferry routes between Rostock to

Gedser Gedser is a town at the southern tip of the Denmark, Danish island of Falster in the Guldborgsund Municipality in Region Sjælland, Sjælland region. It is the Extreme points of Denmark, southernmost town in Denmark, and also the southernmost poin ...

in Denmark and to

Trelleborg Trelleborg () is a town in Skåne County, Sweden, with 43,359 inhabitants as of 31 December 2015. It is the southernmost town in Sweden located some west from the Smygehuk, southernmost point of Sweden and the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is one ...

in Southern Sweden are among the busiest between Germany and

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

Rostock–Laage Airport Rostock Airport, German: ''Flughafen Rostock-Laage'' , is the airport of Rostock, the largest city in the German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and is named after Laage, within the boundary of which it is located. Laage is a town in the Rostock di ...

lies in a rural region southeast of the city. The city is home to the oldest university in the

Baltic region The Baltic Sea Region, alternatively the Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states, refers to the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, including parts of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Un ...

and one of the oldest universities in the world, the

University of Rostock The University of Rostock () is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Se ...

, founded in 1419. The university's hospital, ''Universitätsmedizin Rostock'', is one of two university hospitals in the state, along with ''Universitätsmedizin Greifswald'' of the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; ), formerly known as Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Founded in 1456, it is one of th ...

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (; ), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania, located mostly in north-eastern Germany, with a small portion in no ...

History

Early history

In the 11th century

Polabian Slavs Polabian Slavs, also known as Elbe Slavs and more broadly as Wends, is a collective term applied to a number of Lechites, Lechitic (West Slavs, West Slavic) tribes who lived scattered along the Elbe river in what is today eastern Germany. The ...

founded a settlement at the Warnow river called ''Roztoc'' (*''ras-tokŭ'', Slavic for "fork of a river"); the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar 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 the ''Alter Markt'' (Old Market), which had St. Petri (St. Peter's Church), * ''Mittelstadt'' (Middle Town) around the ''Neuer Markt'' (New Market), with St. Marien ( St. Mary's Church) and * ''Neustadt'' (New Town) around the ''Hopfenmarkt'' (Hop Market, now University Square), with St. Jakobi (St. James's Church, demolished after World War II). In 1218, Rostock was granted

Lübeck law The Lübeck law () was the family of codified municipal law developed at Lübeck, which became a free imperial city in 1226 and is located in present-day Schleswig-Holstein. It was the second most prevalent form of municipal law in medieval and e ...

city rights by Heinrich Borwin, prince of Mecklenburg.

Hanseatic League

During the first partition of Mecklenburg following the death of Henry Borwin II of Mecklenburg in 1226, Rostock became the seat of the Lordship of Rostock, which survived for almost a century. In 1251, the city became a member of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

. In the 14th century it was a powerful seaport town with 12,000 inhabitants and the largest city in

Ships A ship is a large vessel that travels the world's oceans and other navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished from boats, ...

for cruising the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

were constructed in Rostock. The formerly independent fishing village of

at the Baltic Sea became a part of Rostock in 1323, to secure the city's access to the sea. In 1419, the

was founded, the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the

area.

15th to 18th centuries

At the end of the 15th century, the dukes of

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 as ''Domfehde'', a failed uprising of the impoverished population. Subsequent quarrels with the dukes and persistent plundering led ultimately to a loss of the city's economic and political power. Plan von Rostock gez 1780-1790 J

In 1565 there were further clashes with Schwerin that had far-reaching consequences. Among other things, the nobility introduced a beer

excise file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...

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 first Rostock 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 the ''Lagebusch'' tower and the ''Stein'' Gate, in the Dutch Renaissance style. The inscription ''sit 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 achieving

imperial immediacy In the Holy Roman Empire, imperial immediacy ( or ) was the status of an individual or a territory which was defined as 'immediate' () to Emperor and Empire () and not to any other intermediate authorities, while one that did not possess that stat ...

, as

had done in 1226. The strategic location of Rostock provoked the envy of its rivals.

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

and Swedes occupied the city twice, first during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

(1618–48) and again from 1700 to 1721. Later in the early 19th century, the French, under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, occupied the town for about a decade until 1813. In nearby

Ratekau Ratekau is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 10 km northeast of Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), ...

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earned his greatest ...

, who was born in Rostock and who was one of few generals to fight on after defeat at the

Battle of Jena A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, surrendered to the French in 1806. This was only after furious street fighting in the Battle of Lübeck, in which he led some of the

cavalry charge A charge is an offensive maneuver in battle in which combatants advance towards their enemy at their best speed in an attempt to engage in a decisive close combat. The charge is the dominant shock attack and has been the key tactic and decis ...

s himself. By the time of the surrender, the exhausted

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

ns had neither food nor ammunition.

19th century

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 new ''Lloydbahnhof'' (Lloyd Railway Station, now Rostock 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.

20th century

In the 20th century, important aircraft manufacturing facilities were situated in the city, such as the Arado Flugzeugwerke in

and the

Heinkel Heinkel Flugzeugwerke () was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight, wit ...

Works with facilities at various places, including their secondary ''Heinkel-Süd'' facility in Schwechat, Austria, as the original Heinkel firm's Rostock facilities had been renamed ''Heinkel-Nord''. The world's first airworthy jet plane prototype made its test flights at their facilities in what used to be named the ''Rostock''- neighborhood (today's ''Rostock''- ''Schmarl'' community, along the west bank of the

Unterwarnow Unterwarnow is the estuary of the Warnow River in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. It connects with the Baltic Sea in Warnemünde. The city of Rostock is located on its banks. References

Rivers of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania B ...

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. In

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

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 the

Nazi seizure of power The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...

and the suppression of other political parties, the Rostock city council (''Stadtrat'') was composed entirely of Nazis. During ''

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

'' 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 the

and Arado factories, and at the Neptunwerft shipyard. The city's population grew from 100,000 in 1935 to 121,192 in 1939. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Rostock was subjected to repeated and increasingly heavy bombing attacks, especially by the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. 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. The city was eventually captured by the Soviet

2nd Belorussian Front The 2nd Belorussian Front (, ''Vtoroi Belorusskiy front'', also romanized "Byelorussian SSR, Byelorussian"), was a Front (military formation), major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. I ...

on 2 May 1945 during the Stettin-Rostock offensive operation. After the war, Rostock – now in the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

– became East Germany's largest seaport. The state expanded the national shipyards in the district of

. 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 the reunification 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 xenophobic Rostock-Lichtenhagen riots, during which asylum seekers were attacked by right-wing extremists. Lisch-Rostock Beginenberg.jpg, Depiction of Rostock in 1845 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0306-032, Rostock, zerstörte Krämerstrasse.jpg, Rostock bomb damage, 1942 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H28029, Rostock, Marktplatz mit Rathaus.jpg, City hall, Market Square after war Rostock Panorama Nikolaikirche nach Norden 2011-03-08.jpg, Rostock in 2011 Rostock asv2018-05 img47 Steintor.jpg, The 16th-century ''Steintor'' city gate Rostock Marienkirche 2011-03-08.jpg, St. Mary's Church (''Marienkirche''), 2011

Population

Rostock has a population of about 210,000 people and is the largest city in

state. Rostock became a member of

in 15th century, which made Rostock a larger city. Rostock reached its peak of over 100,000 in 1935. In the

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 the

German Reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, 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.

Politics

Districts

Symbols

Rostock has had three different coats of arms, known as the ''Signum'', the ''Secretum'' and the ''Sigillum''. 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 golden

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

on a blue background, with bars of silver and red, the colours of the

, below. It can be seen not only on flags and houses, and at bus stops, but also on bridges, gullies, fences, ships and restaurants.

Administration

Since the 13th century, the governing body of the city has been the city council (''Rat''), first consisting of ten, later of 24 elected

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

(''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 of

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

. 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. The current mayor of Rostock is Eva-Maria Kröger of The Left, who was elected mayor in 2022 and took office on 1 February 2023. She won in the second round with 58.4% of votes against senior police officer Michael Ebert, an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

backed by the Christian Democratic Union, Independent Citizens for Rostock, and Free Democratic Party. The most recent mayoral election was held on 13 November 2022, with a runoff held on 27 November, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Eva-Maria Kröger Eva-Maria Kröger (born 16 June 1982) is a German politician of The Left who is serving as Mayor of Rostock, the largest city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, since February 2023. She was previously a member of the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern sin ...

, align=left, The Left , 18,885 , 25.3 , 36,546 , 58.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Ebert , align=left,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

( CDU/UFR/ FDP) , 17,598 , 23.6 , 26,082 , 41.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Carmen-Alina Botezatu , align=left,

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

, 12,339 , 16.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Claudia Müller , align=left,

Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens (, ), often simply referred to as Greens (, ), is a Green (politics), green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Ger ...

, 6,414 , 8.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Michael Meister , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

, 4,812 , 6.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jörg Kibellus , align=left,

, 3,836 , 5.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Jens Kaufmann , align=left,

, 3,007 , 4.0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Robert Uhde , align=left,

, 1,807 , 2.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Karol Langnickel , align=left,

, 1,442 , 1.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Holger Luckstein , align=left,

, 1,182 , 1.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Niels Burmeister , align=left,

, 1,109 , 1.5 , - , , align=left, Rebecca Thoß , align=left, German Beer Drinkers Union , 669 , 0.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Niklas Zimathis , align=left,

, 453 , 0.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Roland Ulrich , align=left,

, 369 , 0.5 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Matthias Bräuer , align=left,

, 312 , 0.4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Kai Oppermann , align=left,

, 196 , 0.3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alina Kreis , align=left,

, 155 , 0.2 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 71,585 ! 99.4 ! 62,628 ! 99.1 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 476 ! 0.6 ! 563 ! 0.9 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 75,061 ! 100.0 ! 63,191 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 171,884 ! 43.7 ! 171,464 ! 36.9 , - , colspan=7, Source: City of Rostock
1st round
2019 Rostock City Council election - Wahlbezirke

2019 Rostock City Council election - Wahlbezirke

2019 Rostock City Council election - Results

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 the ''Präsident 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: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 58,405 , 19.9 , 6.5 , 11 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(Grüne) , 55,616 , 19.0 , 7.5 , 10 , 4 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 42,422 , 14.5 , 6.0 , 8 , 3 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(SPD) , 42,269 , 14.4 , 2.5 , 8 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

(AfD) , 28,294 , 9.6 , 5.2 , 5 , 3 , - , , align=left, Independent Citizens for Rostock (UFR) , 21,483 , 7.3 , 0.8 , 4 , ±0 , - , , align=left, Rostock Alliance (RB) , 12,086 , 4.1 , 0.5 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 9,645 , 3.3 , 0.8 , 2 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazine ...

(PARTEI) , 7,373 , 2.5 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Free Voters Free Voters (, FW) is a political party in Germany. It originates as an umbrella organisation of several Free Voters Associations (), associations of people which participate in an election without having the status of a registered party. These a ...

(FW) , 3,790 , 1.3 , New , 1 , New , - , , align=left, New Start 09 (A'09) , 2,897 , 1.0 , 0.5 , 1 , ±0 , - , colspan=7 bgcolor=lightgrey, , - , , align=left, The Grays - For All Generations (Graue) , 1,869 , 0.6 , 0.1 , 0 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Pirate Party Germany (Piraten) , 1,714 , 0.6 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, National Democratic Party (NPD) , 1,633 , 0.6 , 1.2 , 0 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Independents , 3,779 , 1.3 , , 0 , ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 293,275 ! 98.6 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid votes ! 4,179 ! 1.4 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ! 102,304 ! 100.0 ! ! 53 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 173,650 ! 58.9 ! 18.4 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Rostock
Regiopole Rostock Verflechtungen

Regiopolis Rostock

Rostock is the first city region that defines itself not only as a city in its boundaries, but as a

, with a supra-regional sphere of influence. A regiopolis can be compared to a

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

, 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 administrative district of Rostock, the ''Regional Planning Association Middle Mecklenburg/Rostock'' and the local business organisations are working on the promotion and advancement of the concept.

Geography

Geographic location

Rostock is located nearly centrally on

coast. The city is crossed by the

Warnow The Warnow () is a river in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. It flows into the Baltic Sea near the town of Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock ( ...

. The seaside part of Rostock, Rostock-

, is about 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 from the

to the south and from east to west.

Climate

Rostock has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfb''; Trewartha: ''Dobk'') with strong influence of the

, more similar to

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and far southern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

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, the

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: * Its highest temperature was on 20 July 2022. * Its lowest temperature was on 16 February 1956. * Its greatest annual precipitation was in 2011. * Its least annual precipitation was in 1976. * The longest annual sunshine was 2,190 hours in 2018. * The shortest annual sunshine was 1,456.6 hours in 1998.

Main sights

Rostock

One of the most picturesque places in Rostock is the ''Neuer Markt'' (New Market Square), with the Town Hall – that was originally built in the 13th century in

Brick Gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

style, but extensively transformed in the 18th century, with the addition of a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

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. The 15th-century ''Kerkhofhaus'' (at Große Wasserstraße, behind the Town Hall) is considered the best-preserved brick Gothic house in Rostock. St. Mary's Church ''Marienkirche'', on Ziegenmarkt, is an imposing

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 an

astronomical clock An astronomical clock, horologium, or orloj is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. Definition ...

erected in 1472 by Hans Düringer. The main pedestrian precinct is ''Kröpeliner Straße'', which runs east from the Neuer Markt to the 14th-century ''Kröpeliner Tor'', a former town gate. The main buildings of Rostock University lie at Universitätsplatz, near the middle of the street, in front of the lively fountain of ''zest for life (Brunnen der Lebensfreude)'', known colloquially as Pornobrunn (fountain of pornography), for its nude sculptures. The ''Kloster St Katharinen'' (Convent of St. Catherine), is an old

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

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 Gothic ''Nikolaikirche'' (St. Nicholas Church), which is the oldest church in Rostock, was built in the mid-13th century. Heavily damaged during

and subsequently restored, the building is now used as an exhibition centre and concert hall, due to its outstanding acoustics. Some parts of the medieval

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

, with four

city gate A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. It is a type of fortified gateway. Uses City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods ...

s, have survived to the present day. The city has a large population of herring gulls that squawk loudly most days throughout the year.

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, a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

and the old fisherman's port.

Economy

The economy is mainly characterised by maritime industries (especially

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

), high-tech industries ( IT,

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...

medical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare applications (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic purposes). BME also integrates the logica ...

), the

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

and the service sector. Major companies include: ;Maritime Industry *

Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar Inc., also known as Cat, is an American construction, mining and other engineering equipment manufacturer. The company is the world's largest manufacturer of construction equipment. In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 73 on the ' ...

, manufacturer of diesel engines for ships * Deutsche Seereederei Rostock, transport, cruises, property and tourism holding * F. Laeisz *

Neptun Werft Neptun Werft (; ') is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Rostock. Since 1997, it has been part of the Meyer Neptun Group, together with Meyer Werft in Papenburg. History The company was founded as the "Schiffswerft und Maschinenfab ...

, shipyard belonging to Meyer Neptun Group * Nordic Yards Warnemünde, shipyard * Schiffselektronik Rostock * Tamsen Maritim shipyard *

AIDA Cruises AIDA Cruises is a German cruise line founded in the early 1960s and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Costa Crociere S.p.A., which in turn belongs to Carnival Corporation & plc. Based in Rostock, Germany, AIDA Cruises caters primaril ...

;Other engineering * Nordex SE, a major producer of

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

s *

Suzlon Suzlon Energy is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational wind turbine manufacturer headquartered in Pune. History Tulsi Tanti was a Gujarati people, Gujarati businessman managing a small textile company. Due to the erratic availa ...

, world's 5th largest wind turbine manufacturer *

Liebherr Liebherr () is a German-Swiss multinational corporation, multinational equipment manufacturer based in Bulle, Switzerland, with its main production facilities and origins in Germany. Liebherr consists of over 130 companies organized into 11 divi ...

, manufacturer of cranes ;Tourism industry *

, German company for cruises * Scandlines, German-Danish ferry operator (by ''Scandferries Holding'') ;Others * Hanseatische Brauerei Rostock, German brewery belonging to the Oetker-Gruppe * Rostock University Hospital (''Universitätsmedizin'') *

Yara International Yara International ASA is a Norwegian chemical company. It produces, distributes, and sells nitrogen-based mineral fertilizers and related industrial products. Its product line also includes phosphate and potash-based mineral fertilizers, as we ...

, supplier of plant nutrients

Education

Rostock is home to one of the oldest universities in the world. Founded in 1419, the

is the third oldest university in Germany in continuous operation, and one of the oldest universities of the world. It also maintains a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

, the Botanischer Garten Universität Rostock. The Academy of Music and Theatre (''Hochschule für Musik und Theater'') offers graduate degrees in artistic fields. Founded in 1994, the institution combined ''Ernst Busch'', the former drama school, and the outpost school of the Hanns 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 the

Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is located in Rostock, Germany. It was founded in 1996 by James Vaupel and moved into new buildings in Rostock in 2002. It is one of approximately 80 institutes of the Max Planck Society ...

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.

Culture

Theatre

The municipal theatre is the Volkstheater Rostock where the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock plays.

Events

The city is home to the annual Hanse 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.

Cinemas

The Lichtspieltheater Wundervoll is the art 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 the ''Landesverband 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.

Museums and zoo

* Rostock Art Gallery (''Kunsthalle Rostock'') * Museum of Cultural History (''Kulturhistorisches Museum'') * 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 Zoo * Walter Kempowski Archive * Max-Samuel-Haus, Rostock Jewish Heritage Centre

Food and drink

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.

Sport

Transport

Car

Rostock can be reached by motorway (''

Autobahn The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. Much of t ...

'') A 1 from

via

on A 20 and by A 19 from

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and A 20 from

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

in Poland.

Public transport

'' Rostock Hauptbahnhof'' offers fast rail connections to

and

and from there to almost any other European city. Rostock is served by the Rostock 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.

Ferry/ship

Rostock is Germany's largest Baltic port. Rostock is also home to a large ferry port. It is a main base for ferry operators Scandlines and TT-Line, which both connect Rostock with major Scandinavian destinations. Furthermore, Rostock receives the highest number of cruise tourists in Germany every year. Ferries leave for *

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, Finland *

, Denmark *

, Sweden *

Nynäshamn Nynäshamn is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Nynäshamn Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 13,510 inhabitants in 2010. While interest in the area as a potentially useful port grew from the mid-19th century, it was only ...

, Sweden *

Visby Visby () is an urban areas in Sweden, urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic League, ...

, Sweden

Air

The

offers connections to major German and international destinations; regular flights to e.g.

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

are offered. The nearest larger international airports are in

and

. There are also a number of airfields for smaller aircraft, such as Purkshof. Rostock is also directly connected to

Berlin Brandenburg Airport Berlin Brandenburg Airport () () is an international airport in Schönefeld, just south of the Germany, German capital and state of Berlin, in the state of Brandenburg. Named after the former Mayor of West Berlin, West Berlin mayor and Chance ...

by the IC 17.

Twin towns - sister cities

Rostock is twinned with: *

, Poland (1957) *

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

, Finland (1959) *

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

, France (1960) *

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, Latvia (1961) *

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, Belgium (1963) *

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

, Denmark (1964) *

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden (1965) *

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, Norway (1965) *

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

, Croatia (1966) * Varna, Bulgaria (1966) *

, Germany (1987) *

Dalian Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...

, China (1988) *

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, United States (2001) * Guldborgsund, Denmark (2014)

Notable people

Public service & thinking

* Henry Borwin I, Lord of Mecklenburg (??–1227), Lord of Mecklenburg * Carl Friedrich Behrens (1701-1750), German sailor and soldier, landed in

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

Franz Aepinus Franz Ulrich Theodor Aepinus (13 December 172410 August 1802) was a German mathematician, scientist, and natural philosopher residing in the Russian Empire. Aepinus is best known for his researches, theoretical and experimental, in electricity and ...

(1724–1802), German-Russian natural philosopher *

(1742–1819), Prussian field marshal * Moritz Wiggers (1816–1894), politician, lawyer and notary * Rudolph Sohm (1841–1917), jurist, Church historian and theologian * Mathilde Mann (1859–1925), prominent German translator and editor *

Carl Brockelmann Carl Brockelmann (17 September 1868 – 6 May 1956) German Semitic studies, Semiticist, was the foremost Orientalism, orientalist of his generation. He was a professor at the universities in University of Wrocław, Breslau, Berlin and, from 1903, ...

(1868–1956),

semiticist Semitic studies, or Semitology, is the academic field dedicated to the studies of Semitic languages and literatures and the history of the Semitic-speaking peoples. A person may be called a ''Semiticist'' or a ''Semitist'', both terms being equi ...

and orientalist * Hans Paasche (1881–1920), politician and pacifist *

Ernst Heinkel Dr. Ernst Heinkel (24 January 1888 – 30 January 1958) was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, '' Wehrwirtschaftsführer'' in Nazi Germany, and member of the Nazi Party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, th ...

(1888–1958), aviation pioneer, worked in

* Erika Fuchs (1906–2005), translator * Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg (1918–2019), member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin * Berndt von Staden (1919–2014), diplomat, Ambassador to the United States 1973–1979 * Peter Schulz (1930–2013), politician (SPD) and first

Mayor of Hamburg The government of Hamburg is divided into Executive (government), executive, Legislature, legislative and judiciary, judicial branches. Hamburg is a city-state and municipality, and thus its governance deals with several details of both state and ...

1971–1974 * Klaus Kilimann (born 1938), politician (SPD), physicist and Mayor of Rostock 1990–1993 *

Joachim Gauck Joachim Wilhelm Gauck (; born 24 January 1940) is a German politician who served as President of Germany from 2012 to 2017. A former Lutheran pastor, he came to prominence as an anti-communist civil rights activist in East Germany. During the P ...

(born 1940), politician, civil rights activist and President of Germany 2012–2017 * Heinz Eggert (born 1946), theologian and CDU politician *

(born 1982), politician, Mayor of Rostock since February 2023

Science and academia

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, ; 14 December 154624 October 1601), generally called Tycho for short, was a Danish astronomer of the Renaissance, known for his comprehensive and unprecedentedly accurate astronomical observations. He ...

(1546–1601), Danish astronomer and alchemist. Student and scientist at the

. *

Simon Paulli Simon Paulli (6 April 1603 – 25 April 1680), was a Danes, Danish physician and Natural history, naturalist. He was a professor of anatomy, surgery and botany at the University of Copenhagen. The genus ''Paullinia'' is named after him.Matthias Christian Sprengel (1746–1803), geographer and historian * Christian Martin Frähn (1782–1851), German-Russian numismatist and historian * Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller (1825–1896), German-Australian physician, geographer and botanist * Clara Wehl (1833–1901), Australian botanist * Johann Georg Noel Dragendorff (1836–1898), pharmacist and chemist * Hermann von Maltzan (1843–1891),

malacologist Malacology, from Ancient Greek μαλακός (''malakós''), meaning "soft", and λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (molluscs or mollusks), the second-largest ...

, worked in the field of

conchology Conchology, from Ancient Greek κόγχος (''kónkhos''), meaning "cockle (bivalve), cockle", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is the study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of mollus ...

Albrecht Kossel Ludwig Karl Martin Leonhard Albrecht Kossel (; 16 September 1853 – 5 July 1927) was a biochemist and pioneer in the study of genetics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1910 for his work in determining the chemical ...

(1853–1927), biochemist and pioneer in genetics, recipient of 1910

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

for determining the chemical composition of nucleic acids * Paul Walden (1863–1957), Latvian-German chemist, lived and worked in Rostock * Gustav Mie (1868–1957), physicist, worked on electromagnetic waves * Karl Leo Heinrich Lehmann (1894–1960), American art historian, archaeologist and professor * Arthur R. von Hippel (1898–2003), German-American materials scientist and physicist *

Hans von Ohain Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain (14 December 191113 March 1998) was a German physicist, engineer, and the designer of the first aircraft to use a turbojet engine. Together with Frank Whittle and Anselm Franz, he has been described as the co-invent ...

(1911–1998), physicist and engineer, worked in

* Egbert Brieskorn (1936–2013), mathematician who introduced Brieskorn spheres *

Sibylle Günter Sibylle Günter (born 20 April 1964) is a German theoretical physicist researching tokamak plasmas. Since February 2011, she has headed the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. In October 2015, she was elected a member of the Academia Europa ...

(born 1964), theoretical physicist, since 2011 heads the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics

The Arts

Francis Cleyn Francis Cleyn (or Francesco Cleyn or Clein; also Frantz or Franz Klein) (c. 1582 – 1658) was a German-born Painting, painter and tapestry designer who lived and worked in England. Life and career Francis Cleyn was born in Rostock in Germany, ...

(c. 1582 – 1658), painter and tapestry designer * Johann Heinrich Bartholomäus Walther (1734–1802), Baltic-German architect, worked in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

* John Brinckman (1814–1870), poet and short story writer in

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

* Brothers Friedrich Eggers (1819-1872, art historian & Karl Eggers (1826–1900), lyric poet * Paul Tischbein (1820–1874), illustrator and painter primarily of landscapes; part of the Tischbein family * Adolf Wilbrandt (1837–1911), German novelist and dramatist *

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

(1863–1944), Norwegian painter, lived in Rostock 1907/08 * Heinrich Tessenow (1876–1950), architect, professor and urban planner * Paul Wallat (1879–1964), landscape artist, draftsman and sculptor * Margarete Scheel (1881–1969), artist, specializing in sculpture and ceramics * Bruno Gimpel, (DE Wiki) (1886–1943), painter and illustrator * Egon Tschirch (1889–1948), painter and illustrator. * Dörte Helm (1898–1941),

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

artist, painter and graphic designer * Jessie Rindom (1903–1981), Danish film actress * Marianne Hoppe (1909–2002), actress * Peter Borgelt (1927–1994), actor * Jo Jastram (1928–2011), sculptor *

Walter Kempowski Walter Kempowski (; 29 April 1929 – 5 October 2007) was a German writer. Kempowski was known for his series of novels called ''German Chronicle'' ("Deutsche Chronik") and the monumental ''Echolot'' ("Sonar"), a collage of autobiographical rep ...

(1929–2007), writer *

Erik Smith Erik George Sebastian Smith (25 March 19314 May 2004) was a German-born British record producer, pianist and harpsichordist. He produced over 90 opera recordings. His greatest legacy is the 1991 complete recording of the entirety of Wolfgang A ...

(1931–2004), British record producer, pianist and harpsichordist * Mario Frank (born 1958), writer, CEO of

Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

2007/8; now a political biographer * Franziska Knuppe (born 1974), fashion model * Hinnerk Schönemann (born 1974), actor *

Marteria Marten Laciny (born 4 December 1982), better known by his stage name Marteria, is a German rapper. He has met with success in Germany (his 2012 collaboration with Yasha and Miss Platnum, "Lila Wolken", reached Number 1 in the German music char ...

(born 1982), hip hop artist * Vicke Schorler (born 1560), German merchant Jan Ullrich 2016 01

Sports

* Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe (1888–1949), tennis and field hockey player * Siegfried Brietzke (born 1952), German rower and Olympic team gold medallist * Hansjörg Kunze (born 1959), track and field athlete, bronze medallist at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

* Frank Rohde (born 1960), footballer and coach, played over 250 games and 42 for

* Martina Proeber (born 1963), diver, silver medallist at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

* Christian Schenk (born 1965), decathlete, gold medallist at the

* Ramona Portwich (born 1967), canoe sprinter and multiple team medallist at three Summer Olympics *

Andreas Tews Andreas Tews (born 11 September 1968) is a German former amateur boxer. Tews won the Flyweight Silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the Featherweight Gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. His first international success came with his ...

(born 1968), flyweight boxer, won two medals at two Summer Olympics * Jörn Lenz (born 1969), footballer who played over 430 games * Jan Quast (born 1970), light flyweight boxer, bronze medallist at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

* Steffen Baumgart (born 1972), football manager and former player who played 535 games * Rolf Kohnert (born 1938), cyclist, 3 times Australian Masters Champion *

Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich (; born 2 December 1973) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. Ullrich won gold and silver medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Sydney. He won the 1999 Vuelta a España and the HEW Cyclassics in fro ...

(born 1973), cyclist,

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

winner, won two medals at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Dörte Lindner (born 1974), diver, bronze medallist at the

* Annika Walter (born 1975), diver silver medallist at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* Britta Kamrau (born 1979), long-distance swimmer *

André Greipel André Greipel (born 16 July 1982) is a German cyclist, who rode professionally in road bicycle racing between 2005 and 2021. Since his retirement from road racing, Greipel has worked as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental teams and , and in ...

(born 1982), road bicycle racer * Jennifer Zietz (born 1983), footballer, played 278 games and 15 for Germany women * Hannes Ocik (born 1991), rower, three-time world champion, twice an Olympic team silver medallist

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Official WebsiteOfficial tourism siteEuropean Route of Brick Gothic: Rostock
* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Mecklenburg Denmark–Germany border crossings Members of the Hanseatic League Port cities and towns in Germany Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Populated coastal places in Germany (Baltic Sea) 1218 establishments in Europe Populated places established in the 11th century Holocaust locations in Germany Urban districts of Germany