Photo report of a visit to Wismar in 2015.

1. Wismar,
a jewel of the Baltic

2. Wismar is an old Hanseatic city by the Baltic Sea, in northern
Germany, between two other great medieval ports - Lübeck
and Rostock. Wismar was first mentioned in 1229; since then,
merchants, traders, sailors, fishermen, builders from many
countries all around came and led the city to a rapid growth
and to economic prosperity in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Hanseatic Kogge

3. Wismar was built in a bay on the Baltic coast, with perfect
conditions to have a sheltered harbour. The old medieval
harbour can be seen as a curved inlet in the photo above.

4. An alliance between the cities of Lübeck, Wismar and Rostock was
signed in 1259 to secure the trade routes at sea and on land, in
particular to protect against pirates and privateers. That was the
beginning of the Hansa, formed in 1459.

5. As a Hanseatic port, Wismar prospered and gained power - civil
and religious power. The town’s architecture established a model
for the Baltic area towns and house building.
Wismar began loosing importance only in the 17th century, under
Swedish rule.

6. Wismar and Stralsund were the most influential section of
the League in its urban and architectural style. They both
retained the medieval plan, with street network, squares,
port, and even a drinking water distribution system.
A merchant’s house had four or five floors: a semi-basement
for furs, clothes and utensils; the first floor was the main
living area, the merchant’s office and reception area; the
upper floors used to store perishable goods, like grain, fruit,
and dried, smoked or salted fish and venison.

7. On Lübschestrasse, the main street, medieval gothic
façades are aligned along with others from Renaissance
times.

8. The massive, 80m high
tower of St. Mary church
(Marienkirche) shows up
above the roofs.
Only the tower remains,
the main body destroyed
by air raids during April
1945.

9. Carefully restored houses of the brick gothic style.

10. Lübschestrasse is the shopping heart of Wismar.

11. The Holy Spirit church, a hospital church from the 14th century,
and its clock on the roof.

12. Krämerstrasse - downstreet, after five gabled houses,
the Löwen Apotheke, presently a café and gourmet
bakery.

13. This is one of the best set of
gothic brick houses in town.

15. The Lyon Pharmacy was installed until 2003 in one
of Wismar’s finest medieval gabled houses.

16. One of the most crowded corners, a crossroads to the
port, the main square Marktplatz, and the beginning of
the Lübschestrasse.

17. The Marktplatz

18. The Wasserkunst, or Water Pavilion, a covered well which
served as a reservoir, was built between 1580 and 1602; it’s
styled in the manner of the Dutch Renaissance.

19. The lantern with iron grid windows is surmounted by a copper
dome.

20. Water consumption had
increased, mostly due to
the brewery industry.
Wooden pipes led the water
to the houses as well as the
distilleries.
The drinking water system
worked until 1897.

21. The Alter Schwede (Old
Sweden) from about 1380,
probably the oldest gothic
house in Wismar.

22. Seestern Restaurant
This house from around 1900
was built when Jugendstil was
in vogue.

24. Although most of the population was killed by the outbreaks of
plague in the 14th century, Wismar was still a prosperous port in
the 16th century.
The decline came with the Swedish occupation since 1648, then
confirmed by the Peace of Westphalia at the end of the Thirty
Years' war.
Wismar was submitted to the Swedish Crown until 1903. But the
deepest decline came with the end of the Second World War, when
Wismar was assigned to the Soviet side by the Yalta agreement.

25. In an elevated position, along the canal that runs through the
town, and visible from everywhere, St. Nicholas is one of the
town’s landmarks, impaired by the squat tower which replaced
the tall and slim original after a storm.
St. Nicholas church (1260/1272)

29. The blue organ and the luxurious pulpit make a stunning
visual effect against the red brick walls.

30. Built by Johann G.
Mende (1787-1850)
in late baroque style,
the organ has 2000
tubes.

31. The altar triptych from St. George church, late gothic
(1439).

32. The altarpiece of the Merchants’ Guild
from around 1430, Wismar

33. The Mühlenbach, or Grube
A former freshwater stream, from an old mill to the port,
flows now as a regulated, artificial canal.

34. Water runs in open canal straight through the historic centre.
Mühlenbach means Mill’s River.

35. Also called Wassergrube, it’s a medieval built watercourse,
one of a few remaining in Germany.

37. Gewölbe (vault) is a half-timbered bridge house over the
Grube’s end by the port.

38. The medieval Port of Wismar
The harbour basin has been well preserved since the Middle Ages
and conveys a vivid picture of the real backbone of the maritime
trading town.

39. Currently Wismar has around 40 000 inhabitants. The port kept its
importance , not only as a fishing and leisure port but mostly as a
maritime gateway to Scandinavia; and also for exporting the local
production of beer.

40. This is the pier wheret kogge ships docked, bringing herring in
barrels, furs from the northeast and fabrics from Brabant; they
exported grain and beer.

41. A meeting of hanseatic kogge ships taking place in Wismar.

42. The only remaining section of Wismar’s Wall, the Wassertor.

43. The Wassertor
is a gothic water
tower, the only
entrance door of
the ancient walls
that withstood the
time.
In the Middle Age
it granted direct
access from the
port to the city.

44. In this medieval print you can see the Marienkirche (center),
today in ruins; the Nikolaikirche (left), yet with the original
tower, tall and slender; several Kogge docked at the pier; and
the Wassertor a little further to the right, on the city walls.

46. Selection and slideshow ©Mario Ricca, 2015
Sources:
Some photos and text
excerpts from
http://www.trekearth.com
http://www.pbase.com
http://www.panoramio.com/
http://www.flickr.com/
http://www.wismarer.de
http://www.wismar.de