Wismar is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin.
Many historic buildings were destroyed in World War II, but the medieval town centre remains with its famous brick gothic style buildings. The centre of the old town is the huge Market Place, the largest in Germany (10,000 square metres), surrounded by elegant buildings with styles ranging from 14th-century North German Gothic to 19th-century Romanesque revival. The square's focal point is the Wasserkunst, an elaborate wrought-iron fountain imported from Holland in 1602.
Other notable buildings include the Town Hall, an ancient Gothic warehouse called Alter Schwede, the 80 m high tower church of St Mary (Marienkirche), the church of St Nicholas (Nikolaikirche), the elegant cruciform church of St George (St Georgen-Kirche and the Fürstenhof, now used as a museum.
Things to see and do
* Market Place
* Wasserkunst - an elaborate wrought-iron fountain
* Alter Schwede - an ancient Gothic warehouse
* Church of St Nicholas
* Fürstenhof museum
Cruise Season – March - Nov
Currency – Euro (€) (EUR)
Language – German
Land Area – 41.36 sq km’s
Population – 46,000 approx
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time – GMT plus one hour (Dresden)
International Country Telephone Code – + 49
Port Location – The port is located approximately 1km from the town centre of Wismar.
Transport Links – Rostock airport (Laage, RLG) has few international flights, so the best choices are usually the airports of Berlin and Hamburg.
Trains from Hamburg and Berlin to the major cities (Rostock, Schwerin, Stralsund) leave every 1-2 hours. There are also regular train connections from Poland (Szczecin).
From Denmark (Gedser) there are frequent ferry connections to Rostock. Trelleborg in Sweden has several departures a day to Rostock and Sassnitz on Rügen Island. There are also ferry lines from several Eastern Baltic ports, primarily to Rostock.