World Heritage Photos

Historic Centre of Wismar: Wismar is situated in the northern part of Germany. It was founded around the 12th century. The town was a member of the Hanseatic League, during the Late Middle Ages a powerful economic union of trading cities along the coast of Northern Europe. During the 13th and 14th centuries, Wismar was a prosperous Hanseatic town. Its natural harbour is situated on the Bay of Wismar, one of the bays of the Baltic Sea. The town of Wismar came under the rule of Sweden in 1648. It became part of Germany in 1871, though Sweden officially renounced its claims to the town in 1903. The Swedish Rule is still visible in several buildings, such as the Alter Schwede, a Brick Gothic patrician house on the Market Square. The Wasserkunst in the Market Square is a wrought-iron fountain, imported from the Netherlands in 1602. The half-timbered Gewölbe house served as a quality control station, where merchants brought their imported port wines for quality control before trading them. Other memorable monuments in Wismar are the Brick Gothic Churches and the Old Town Hall. Wismar was part of the former GDR. Since the German reunification in 1990, it has carried out the restoration of its historic centre and the imposing Brick Gothic monuments. Just like Stralsund, Wismar is a well-preserved Hanseatic Town on the southern Baltic Coast. The Historic Centre of Wismar is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar. The Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The Wasserkunst (Water Art) is an ornate fountain built of decorative stonework, limestone and wrought-iron. The fountain was built in the Dutch Renaissance style. The Wasserkunst was built according to the design of the Dutch master builder Philipp Brandin in 1602. The fountain is situated on the Market Square and was the central water reservoir of the town until 1897. The unique Wasserkunst is a symbol of the Hanseatic town of Wismar.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The brick tower of the St. Marienkirche (Church of St. Mary) rises high above Wismar; it is a landmark of the town. The church was built in the 13th century by wealthy merchants. It was damaged in the Second World War and deliberately destroyed in 1960 during the GDR period. The 80-metre-high tower is the only remaining part of the Gothic church. The Marienkirche was once considered one of the finest brick churches in Northern Germany.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The Church of the Holy Spirit was built in the 13th century soon after the founding of the town. One of the stained glass windows was once part of Wismar's Church of St. Mary (Marienkirche) before its destruction in 1960. This 15th-century window is one of the finest examples of medieval Baltic stained glass. The red Brick Gothic church also houses several art objects, including a 1585 Renaissance pulpit, an altar and a 14th-century fresco.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The decorative ceiling of the Church of the Holy Spirit. The flat ceiling was constructed and decorated in the 17th century. The ceiling is embellished with 26 rosettes depicting several stories from the Bible; the solid wooden beams are painted in traditional Baltic forms and colours. The Church of the Holy Spirit served as both a hospital and church. The beds for the ill and the poor were placed in the nave of the church.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The vaults of the Church of St. George are decorated with red brick. The Church of St. George is one of the three main churches of Wismar. The church was built in the 13th century and is regarded as a fine monument of Brick Gothic architecture in Northern Germany. Inside, the height of the vaults is spectacular. The church was heavily damaged during the Second World War; its restoration started in the 1990s, after the German reunification.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The Gothic Nikolaikirche (Church of St. Nicholas) was built between 1381 and 1487. This imposing brick church was erected for sailors and fishermen. Its design was based on the Church of St. Mary in Lübeck. Its nave is the fourth-highest nave in Germany. The church was only slightly damaged in the Second World War. It houses several works of art from the destroyed Church of St. Mary (St. Marienkirche) in Wismar.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The Wassertor (Watergate) is the only one remaining of the five original gate towers in the medieval fortifications of the Hanseatic town. This red-brick gate was the first line of defence against invasions by the Danes and Swedes. This historic gate was built in the Brick Gothic style around 1450; its gable was redesigned around 1600. The gate faces the Old Harbour of Wismar.  The historic centre of Wismar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The Alter Schwede (Old Swede) is a historic brick patrician house on the Market Square. The Alter Schwede was built in the Brick Gothic style around 1380. The town of Wismar was under Swedish rule from 1648 until 1871. The red-brick building was named the Alter Schwede in 1878, as a reminder of the Swedish period of Wismar. It is considered one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Germany. Today, it houses a restaurant.

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   Historic Centre of Wismar: The Gewölbe is a half-timbered building over a small stream, called the Runde Grube. This stream flows into the Old Harbour of Wismar, which is connected to the Baltic Sea. The Gewölbe was built in the 17th century to serve as a quality control station, where the merchants of Wismar brought their port wines for quality control before trading them at the wine cellar beneath the town hall.

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    Historic Centre of Wismar: The Old Town Mill on the banks of the Mühlenbach, a section of the Grube, a small artificial stream. The Grube was created in the 13th century to transport goods from the harbour to the town centre. The stream also provided water to turn the waterwheels and millstones of the local factories. The Grube is divided into three sections: the Frische Grube, the Mühlenbach and the Runde Grube.