Rostock

Rostock
From top: Skyline of Rostock with St. Mary's Church,
St. Peter's Church, Rostock, Fishermen houses in the oldtown of Warnemünde., View over seaside resort Warnemünde

Flag
Coat of arms
Rostock

Coordinates: 54°5′0″N 12°8′0″E / 54.08333°N 12.13333°E / 54.08333; 12.13333Coordinates: 54°5′0″N 12°8′0″E / 54.08333°N 12.13333°E / 54.08333; 12.13333
Country Germany
State Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District Urban district
Government
 • Lord Mayor Roland Methling (Ind.)
Area
 • Total 181.44 km2 (70.05 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
 • Total 203,431
 • Density 1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 18001–18147
Dialling codes 0381
Vehicle registration HRO
Website www.rostock.de

Rostock (German pronunciation: [ˈʁɔstɔk] is the largest city in the north German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Rostock is on the Warnow river; the district of Warnemünde 12 kilometres (7 miles) north of the city centre is directly on the Baltic Sea coast.

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

The city territory of Rostock stretches for about 20 km (12 mi) along the Warnow to the Baltic Sea. The largest built-up area of Rostock is on the western side of the river. The eastern part of its territory is dominated by industrial estates and the forested Rostock Heath. Rostock is considered as the only regiopolis in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

History

Early history

In the 11th century Polabian Slavs 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 aflame in 1161. Afterwards the place was settled by German traders. Initially there were three separate cities:

Confirmation of Lübeck law city rights, 1218

In 1218, Rostock was granted Lübeck law city rights.

Hanseatic League

University of Rostock, one of the world's oldest universities, founded in 1419.

The rise of the city began with its membership of the Hanseatic League, beginning in 1251. In the 14th century it was a powerful seaport town with 12,000 inhabitants and the biggest city of Mecklenburg. Ships for cruising the Baltic Sea were constructed in Rostock. The formerly independent fishing village of Warnemünde at the Baltic Sea became a part of Rostock in 1323, to secure the city's access to the Baltic Sea.

In 1419, one of the earliest universities in Europe, the University of Rostock, was founded.

15th to 18th century

Rostock in the 16th century
Rostock in the 17th century

At the end of the 15th century the dukes of Mecklenburg 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 economic and political power.

Rostock 1780-90

In 1565 there were further clashes with Schwerin that which had far-reaching consequences. Among other things, was the introduction of a beer excise 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 slighted in order to have a fortress built. Not until the first Rostock Inheritance Agreement of 21 September 1573, in which the state princes were guaranteed hereditary rule over the city for centuries, binding Rostock for a long time, and recognizing them as the supreme judicial authority, was the conflict ended. The citizens 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, which can still be read on the gate, refers directly to the conflict with the Duke. In 1584 it finally came to the Second Rostock Inheritance Agreement, which resulted in a further loss of former tax privileges. At the same time, these inheritance contracts put paid to Rostock's ambition of achieving imperial immediacy as Lübeck had done in 1226.

The strategic location of Rostock provoked the envy of its rivals. Danes and Swedes occupied the city twice, first during the Thirty Years' War (1618–48) and again from 1700 to 1721. Later, the French, under Napoleon, occupied the town for about a decade until 1813. In nearby Lübeck-Ratekau Blücher (who was born in Rostock and who was one of few generals to fight on after the Battle of Jena) 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 charges himself; the exhausted Prussians had, by the time of the surrender, neither food nor ammunition.

19th century

Typical colourful gable houses of Rostock

In the first half of the 19th century Rostock regained much of its economic importance, at first due to the wheat trade, and, from the 1850s, to industry, especially to its shipyards. The first propeller-driven steamers in Germany were constructed here.

The city grew in size and population, with new quarters emerging 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:

20th century

In the 20th century, important aircraft manufacturing facilities were situated in the city, such as the Arado Flugzeugwerke in Warnemünde and the Heinkel Works with facilities at various places, including their secondary Heinkel-Süd facility in Schwechat, Austria — the original Heinkel firm's Rostock facilities being named Heinkel-Nord. It was at their facilities in Rostock-Marienehe (today's Rostock-Schmarl) that the world's first airworthy jet plane prototype made its test flights.

In the early 1930s, the Nazi Party began to gain among Rostock's voters, many of whom had suffered economic hardship during the 1920s. In elections in the summer 1932, when the Nazis achieved their greatest national showing in a free election of 37.3 percent, they polled 40.3 percent in Rostock. A year later, after the Nazi seizure of power and the suppression of other political parties, the Rostock city council (Stadtrat) was composed entirely of Nazis. In the so-called "Crystal Night" Kristallnacht of Nov. 10, 1938, the Jewish synagogue in Rostock's Augustenstrsse 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 Heinkel 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, Rostock was subjected to repeated and increasingly heavy bombing attacks, especially by the British Royal Air Force. Targets included the Heinkel and Arado plants and the shipyard, but churches and other historic structures in the city center also were heavily damaged – among them the 14th century Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church) and Jakobikirche (St. Jacob's Church). The ruins of the latter were torn down in 1960.

After the war, the city – now in the German Democratic Republic – became East Germany's largest seaport, and the now state-owned shipyards in the district of Warnemünde were expanded. Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, Rostock lost its privileged position as the No. 1 port of the GDR, and the city's economy declined during the 1990s. Its population, boosted in part by resettled refugees from former German territories in the east, increased in the GDR years to a peak of 260,000, but after 1990 declined to about 200,000. Today, Rostock and Warnemünde are significant tourist resorts on the Baltic Sea. Since 2006, the population increases again.

Politics

Districts

Districts of Rostock

Symbols

Coat of Arms
Motto: Within your walls may be harmony and happiness

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

Administration

Since the 13th century, the governing body of the city has been the city council (Rat), first consisting of ten, later of 24 aldermen (Ratsherren). The chairman of the city council was the city mayor. In the 19th century there were even three mayors. Since 1925, the head of the city has borne the title of Lord Mayor. Having been elected for centuries by the city council, he is now elected directly by the citizens of Rostock, following a reform in 2002.

Restored Rostock City Hall, a mixture of Baroque and Brick Gothic architecture.

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. He heads and prepares the sessions and, together with the Lord Mayor, represents the city.

Roland Methling (Independent), was elected Lord Mayor of Rostock in the first round by 58.2% of the voters on 27 February 2005.

Partner cities

Rostock has signed partnership agreements with the following cities:[2]

Rostock is a member of the international network New Hanse.

Geographical position of the Rostock Regiopolis

Regiopolis Rostock

Rostock is the first city region that defines itself not only as a city in its boundaries, but as a regiopolis, with a supra-regional sphere of influence. A regiopolis can be compared to a metropolis, 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.[8]

Geography

Rostock is located nearly centrally on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Baltic Sea coast. The city is crossed by the Warnow.

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 the Baltic Sea to the south and 19.4 km (12.1 mi) from east to west.

Climate

Rostock has an oceanic climate typical of the South Baltic Sea region, and the climate has more in common with that found in southern Sweden and in Sealand, Denmark than the typical German oceanic climate that usually has milder winter days.

Climate data for Rostock
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11
(52)		 15
(59)		 21
(70)		 26
(79)		 31
(88)		 33
(91)		 34
(93)		 32
(90)		 29
(84)		 22
(72)		 15
(59)		 14
(57)		 34
(93)
Average high °C (°F) 2
(36)		 2
(36)		 7
(45)		 11
(52)		 17
(63)		 20
(68)		 22
(72)		 21
(70)		 18
(64)		 12
(54)		 7
(45)		 3
(37)		 12
(54)
Average low °C (°F) −2
(28)		 −3
(27)		 −1
(30)		 3
(37)		 7
(45)		 10
(50)		 13
(55)		 13
(55)		 9
(48)		 6
(43)		 2
(36)		 −1
(30)		 5
(41)
Record low °C (°F) −18
(0)		 −20
(−4)		 −18
(0)		 −5
(23)		 −3
(27)		 2
(36)		 6
(43)		 5
(41)		 1
(34)		 −5
(23)		 −9
(16)		 −16
(3)		 −20
(−4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 46
(1.81)		 36
(1.42)		 30
(1.18)		 42
(1.65)		 48
(1.89)		 60
(2.36)		 79
(3.11)		 71
(2.8)		 69
(2.72)		 65
(2.56)		 39
(1.54)		 45
(1.77)		 630
(24.8)
Source: BBC Weather [9]

Main sights

Rostock

Panorama of Rostock from the bank of the Warnow river during the Hanse Sail
Aerial view of marina and Yacht Harbour Residence "Hohe Düne" at the Baltic Sea, close to Warnemünde.
Heiligengeisthof (Holy Spirit Courtyard).

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 style, but extensively transformed in the 18th century, with the addition of a Baroque 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.[10]

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 Brick 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 an astronomical clock built in 1472 by Hans Düringer.

Kröpeliner Straße - the main shopping street.

The main pedestrian precinct is Kröpeliner Straße, that 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).

The Kloster St Katharinen (Convent of St. Catherine), an old Franciscan monastery 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, built in mid-13th century. Heavily damaged during World 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 medieval city wall, with four city gates, have survived to the present day.

Warnemünde

Alexandrinenstraße in Warnemünde.
Speicher (office buildings) at night. Headquarters of AIDA 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, a lighthouse and the old fisherman port.

Economy

The economy is mainly characterized by maritime industries (especially shipbuilding), high-tech industries (IT, biotechnology/life sciences, Medical engineering), the University of Rostock, tourism and the service sector. Major companies include:

Maritime Industry
Other engineering
Tourism industry
Others

Education

Historical Botanical Garden of Rostock University, greenhouse

Rostock is home to one of the oldest Universities. Founded in 1419, the University of Rostock 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, 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 the former drama school Ernst Busch and the outpost school of the Hanns Eisler Music School Berlin. Today, the 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 through the whole year.

Rostock hosts also the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis as well as two branches of Fraunhofer Institutes, one for Computer Graphic and one for Large Structures in Production Technology.

Culture

Volkstheater Rostock

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.

There is an annual jazz festival taking place in June called Ostsee-Jazz ("Baltic Sea Jazz").

Cinemas

The Lichtspieltheater Wundervoll is the art house cinema of Rostock. It opened in 1993. It offers a daily programme in two venues, the Metropol and the Frieda 23 with three cinemas. At Frieda 23 there 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

Walter Kempowski archives

Sport

Ostseestadion, home ground of Hansa Rostock
Club Sport Founded League Venue Head Coach Website
F.C. Hansa Rostock Football 1965 3. Bundesliga Ostseestadion Christian Brand
Rostocker FC 1895 Football 1895 Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Sportpark am Damerower Weg Jan Kistenmacher
HC Empor Rostock Team handball 1946 2. Bundesliga Rostocker Stadthalle Maik Handschke
SV Warnemünde Volleyball 1990 3rd league (men and women team) Sporthalle Gerüstbauerring
Piranhas Rostock Ice hockey 1953 Oberliga (3rd division) Eishalle Rostock Henry Thom
EBC Rostock Seawolves Basketball 1994 Regionalliga Nord (3rd league) OSPA-Arena Sebastian Wild
Rostocker Nasenbären Skater hockey 2005 Inline-Skaterhockey-Bundesliga (1st league) OSPA-Arena Dimitri Kramarenko[11]
HSG Warnemünde Water polo 1971 Oberliga SH-MV (3rd league) Neptun-Schwimmhalle

Transport

Rostock Hauptbahnhof (main station)
The cruise ship A'Rosa Blu leaving Rostock in summer 2003

Car

Rostock can be reached by motorway (Autobahn) A 1 from Hamburg via Lübeck on A 20 and by A 19 from Berlin and A 20 from Stettin in Poland.

Public transport

Transit map of Rostock (4 January 2012)

Rostock Hauptbahnhof offers fast rail connections to Hamburg and Berlin and from there to almost any other European city.

Within the city the Rostock tramway network is available, along with a wide network of buses and ferries. The first privately financed tunnel in Germany crosses the Warnow river and thus connects the eastern part of Rostock with the western part.

Ferry/Ship

Rostock harbour at sunset

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 numbers of cruise tourists in Germany per year.

Ferries leave for

Plane

The Rostock–Laage Airport offers connections to major German and international destinations; regular flights to e.g. Munich are offered. The nearest larger international airports are in Hamburg and Berlin. There are also a number of airfields for smaller aircraft, such as Purkshof.

Notable people

This is a list of notable people who were born or lived in the city of Rostock:

References

  1. ↑ "Bevölkerungsstand der Kreise, Ämter und Gemeinden in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 31.12.2013". Statistisches Amt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (in German). 23 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Partnerstädte" (in German). Hansestadt Rostock. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  3. ↑ "Kontakty partnerskie Miasta Szczecin". Urząd Miasta Szczecin (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  4. ↑ "Dunkirk International" (in French). Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Twin cities of Riga". Riga City Council. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  6. ↑ Frohmader, Andrea. "Bremen - Referat 32 Städtepartnerschaften / Internationale Beziehungen" [Bremen - Unit 32 Twinning / International Relations]. Das Rathaus Bremen Senatskanzlei [Bremen City Hall - Senate Chancellery] (in German). Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  7. ↑ "Auszug - Vereinbarung einer Städtepartnerschaft zwischen der Hansestadt Rostock und der Gemeinde Guldborgsund/ Dänemark" (in German). Hansestadt Rostock. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  8. ↑ Regiopole Rostock (German)
  9. ↑ "Average Conditions Rostock, Germany". BBC Weather. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  10. ↑ Bomben auf Rostock; H.-W. Bohl, B. Keipke, k. Schröder; Konrad Reich Verlag 1995
  11. ↑ Rostocker Nasenbären website

External links

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