The Hanseatic city of Rostock is the biggest town in the federal state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, the most northerly federal state of the Federal Republic of Germany. The town extends for 20 km along the river Warnow until the Baltic Sea.

Rostock has about 202,000 inhabitants and is in terms of inhabitants and surface the biggest town in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. The town has a harbour at the Baltic Sea for goods traffic as well as the biggest cruise harbour in Germany. Both in economical and cultural terms Rostock is regarded as the most important town in this state. Rostock is characterized by its location at the sea, two harbours and the Hanse as well as the in 1419 founded university of Rostock. In the town itself brick buildings dating back to Gothic Hanse times are prevailing.

Next to the university the two industries of shipbuilding and shipping are the town’s biggest employers. Further, touristic service industry is of importance too.

Rostock offers a high-class music scene with a college of music and theatre as well as the A-orchestra of the Northern German Philharmonie.

Art loving visitors will be enchanted by the Northern German Philharmonie, but also operas, operettas, musicals and ballet performances at the national theatre will be of interest. Concerts take regularly place in the Großes Haus, Barocksaal and church Nikolaikirche.

If you like sports you should visit Rostock at the time the Hanse Sail takes place. Until 1975 Rostock was main organizer of this international Baltic week, that every year in August attracts nearly a million tourists.

Around Christmas time Rostock is worth visiting because it has a huge Christmas fair, which is actually the biggest in North Germany. Since 1390 the traditional Whitsun market takes place. This is a public festival which was once an early-modern commercial and goods fair.

More information: http://www.rostock.de/en/tourism/

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