Get to know Rostock!
Thanks to its more-than-800-years of history, Rostock has many stories to tell. Numerous historic buildings and witnesses of history await you in new splendour. Between the river and the sea beats the heart of the City of Rostock. The city was founded on the banks of the Warnow river, whose blue waters still flow past the city into the Baltic Sea. Anywhere you look, sailboats, motorboats, yachts and Baltic Sea ferries make up an inseparable part of the city landscape between the Warnemünde seaside resorts and the city harbour, where the world’s largest and most imposing cruise ships make berth year after year. This is a popular destination both for lovers of water sports as well as for casual visitors wishing to explore Rostock from a more nautical viewpoint, who can choose from a variety of boat tours.
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Rostock´s history began long before it grew strong enough to be granted municipal rights. Slavic tribes, active in the 7th century, named their settlement “Roztoc” which means “River that widens”. A solid name that stood the test of time.
The Rostock Council founded Northern Europe's first university in 1419. This not only brought the city a reputation, but also a lively intellectual climate from then on. Scientists and students researched under water and on the field, in space and in the atom early on. The first jet planes took off in Rostock. At all times, the world's most modern ships were launched here. Today the largest diesel engines and the best wind generators in Europe are built in the city. Rostock researchers work on space projects and develop artificial organs. Over 14,000 students study at the alma mater. The humanist Ulrich von Hutten, the astronomer Tycho Brahe, the polymath Joachim Jungius, the Low German poet Fritz Reuter, the mechanical engineer Ernst Alban, the folklorist Richard Wossidlo and the writer Uwe Johnson once sat in their lecture halls. Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered Troy, and Rudolf Steiner, a Waldorf teacher, did their doctorate here. Several scientists brought Nobel prizes to Rostock. Albert Einstein owes the university his first honorary doctorate and the only one from Germany.
You’ll encounter traces from the old Hanseatic period while on holiday in Rostock. The histories of the imposing brick Gothic churches of St Mary and St Peter and the proud merchant’s houses shape Rostock’s soul. You can experience whatever your heart desires on holiday with a stroll through the eastern Old Town into the city port: cultural diversity, historical treasures, beers steeped in tradition, a colourful restaurant scene, fresh ocean breezes and Nordic, likeable Hanseatic citizens.
Welcome to Rostock – where tradition and modernity are on course together!
Sights
Tourist Information
Find up-to-date information on highlights and activities during your stay in Rostock.
City Rostock: https://www.rostock.de/en/holiday/tourist-information.html
Region Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: https://www.off-to-mv.com/en
Top ten things to do in and around Rostock
1. Petrikirche https://www.petrikirche-rostock.de/
The oldest of Rostock's three churches goes back to the 13th century is located in Rostock's eastern old town. The church tower is 117 meters high and can be climbed (by stairs or elevator) for a great view over Rostock city.
2. Warnemünde https://www.rostock.de/en/warnemuende.html
Warnemünde (literally "Mouth of the Warnow") is a seaside resort and a district of the city of Rostock. It is located on the Baltic Sea and, as the name implies, at the estuary of the river Warnow. Warnemünde is one of the world's busiest cruise ports. Check out the wide and long (3km) beach, the lighthouse and stroll along the "Alter Strom" (canal with small shops and restaurants).
3. Zoo Rostock https://www.zoo-rostock.de/en/
Rostock Zoo is among Northern Germany's most popular holiday destinations. It's more than just the largest zoo on the German Baltic coast. With 120 years of history, it's also the oldest zoo in Northeast Germany. It is home to 4,500 animals of 450 species from all over the world, and to many unique and valuable plants.
4. "Stasi-Knast" (Stasi prison museum) https://www.lpb-mv.de/projekte/dug-rostock/
Since its opening in October 1999, the documentation and memorial site in the former detention center of the Rostock State Security has developed into a specific and recognized place for information and documentation about the SED dictatorship and for commemorating the victims, not least because of its strong authenticity and great location.
5. IGA-Park and Maritime Museum Rostock https://iga-park-rostock.de/
In the IGA Park, visitors can find a varied garden landscape at the shores of the Warnow River with a rose slope, a willow dome, international gardens and the largest floating museum in Germany. Enjoy a wide range of attractions: exhibitions, events, miniature world, bare-foot and keep-fit paths and much more. Most recently, you also have the possibility to go wakeboarding or waterskiing at the Supieria aqua park (https://supieria.de/).
6. Botanical garden https://www.garten.uni-rostock.de/en
The Botanical Garden in Rostock is a scientific facility for research, teaching, education about the importance of biodiversity, and cultivation of rare plant species. It is also a source of information and a green oasis in the city available to the general public. On the 7.8 hectare historical landmark, some 7,000 plant species are organically cultivated in a variety of areas, including scientific sections, distinct ecological habitats, greenhouses, and an educational garden.
7. Rostock City Harbor https://www.off-to-mv.com/en/destinations/a-stadthafen-rostock
The city harbour on the banks of the Warnow with its museum and sailing harbour is a popular promenade with restaurants, shopping facilities and large stores. Until the opening of the seaport in 1960, the entire cargo handling was concentrated here. You can enjoy the best view of the city harbour from the "Kanonsberg" near the "Fischerbastion". This used to be a strategically important defence point for the port entrance. Three old guns remind of it.
8. Kunsthalle Rostock https://www.kunsthallerostock.de/en/
The Rostock Art Gallery (German: Kunsthalle Rostock) was opened on 15 May 1969 as a museum of contemporary art in Rostock in the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is in the grounds of the park around the Schwanenteich lake in the quarter of Reutershagen.
9. Bad Doberan https://bad-doberan-heiligendamm.de/
This beautiful small city west of Rostock has a lot to offer. Visit the Doberan Minster, the most important religious heritage of the European Route of Brick Gothic or enjoy a ride with the steam locomotive "Molli" to the nearest spa towns at the Baltic Sea.
10. Karls Erdbeerhof https://karls.de/
The Karls Erdbeerhof (Strawberry farm) is a mixture of amusement park, food market, shopping center, hotel and many things more. The location in Roevershagen near Rostock is one of seven around Germany and is considered the main branch with a long tradition. You have to see it to believe it.
