Wismar,a jewel of the Baltic

Wismar is an old Hanseatic city by the Baltic Sea, in northern Germany, between two other great medieval ports - Lübeck and Rostock. Wismar was first mentioned in 1229; since then, merchants, traders, sailors, fishermen, builders from many countries all around came and led the city to a rapid growth and to economic prosperity in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Hanseatic Kogge

Wismar was built in a bay on the Baltic coast, with perfect conditions to have a sheltered harbour. The old medieval harbour can be seen as a curved inlet in the photo above.

An alliance between the cities of Lübeck, Wismar and Rostock was signed in 1259 to secure the trade routes at sea and on land, in particular to protect against pirates and privateers. That was the beginning of the Hansa, formed in 1459.

As a Hanseatic port, Wismar prospered and gained power - civil and religious power. The town’s architecture established a model for the Baltic area towns and house building. Wismar began loosing importance only in the 17th century, under Swedish rule.

Wismar and Stralsund were the most influential section of the League in its urban and architectural style. They both retained the medieval plan, with street network, squares, port, and even a drinking water distribution system.

A merchant’s house had four or five floors: a semi-basement for furs, clothes and utensils; the first floor was the main living area, the merchant’s office and reception area; the upper floors used to store perishable goods, like grain, fruit, and dried, smoked or salted fish and venison.

On Lübschestrasse, the main street, medieval gothic façades are aligned along with others from Renaissance times.

The massive, 80m high tower of St. Mary church (Marienkirche) shows up above the roofs.Only the tower remains, the main body destroyed by air raids during April 1945.

Carefully restored houses of the brick gothic style.

Lübschestrasse is the shopping heart of Wismar.

The Holy Spirit church, a hospital church from the 14th century, and its clock on the roof.

Krämerstrasse - downstreet, after five gabled houses, the Löwen Apotheke, presently a café and gourmet bakery.

This is one of the best set of gothic brick houses in town.

The Lyon Pharmacy was installed until 2003 in one of Wismar’s finest medieval gabled houses.

One of the most crowded corners, a crossroads to the port, the main square Marktplatz, and the beginning of the Lübschestrasse.

The Marktplatz

The Wasserkunst, or Water Pavilion, a covered well which served as a reservoir, was built between 1580 and 1602; it’s styled in the manner of the Dutch Renaissance.

The lantern with iron grid windows is surmounted by a copper dome.

Water consumption had increased, mostly due to the brewery industry.

Wooden pipes led the waterto the houses as well as the distilleries.

The drinking water system worked until 1897.

The Alter Schwede (Old Sweden) from about 1380, probably the oldest gothic house in Wismar.

Seestern Restaurant

This house from around 1900 was built when Jugendstil was in vogue.

Although most of the population was killed by the outbreaks of plague in the 14th century, Wismar was still a prosperous port in the 16th century.

The decline came with the Swedish occupation since 1648, then confirmed by the Peace of Westphalia at the end of the Thirty Years' war.

Wismar was submitted to the Swedish Crown until 1903. But the deepest decline came with the end of the Second World War, when Wismar was assigned to the Soviet side by the Yalta agreement.

In an elevated position, along the canal that runs through the town, and visible from everywhere, St. Nicholas is one of the town’s landmarks, impaired by the squat tower which replaced the tall and slim original after a storm.

St. Nicholas church (1260/1272)

The blue organ and the luxurious pulpit make a stunning visual effect against the red brick walls.

Built by Johann G. Mende (1787-1850) in late baroque style, the organ has 2000 tubes.

The altar triptych from St. George church, late gothic (1439).

The altarpiece of the Merchants’ Guild

from around 1430, Wismar

The Mühlenbach, or Grube

A former freshwater stream, from an old mill to the port, flows now as a regulated, artificial canal.

Water runs in open canal straight through the historic centre.Mühlenbach means Mill’s River.

Also called Wassergrube, it’s a medieval built watercourse, one of a few remaining in Germany.

Gewölbe (vault) is a half-timbered bridge house over the Grube’s end by the port.

The medieval Port of Wismar

The harbour basin has been well preserved since the Middle Ages and conveys a vivid picture of the real backbone of the maritime trading town.

Currently Wismar has around 40 000 inhabitants. The port kept its importance , not only as a fishing and leisure port but mostly as a maritime gateway to Scandinavia; and also for exporting the local production of beer.

This is the pier wheret kogge ships docked, bringing herring in barrels, furs from the northeast and fabrics from Brabant; they exported grain and beer.

A meeting of hanseatic kogge ships taking place in Wismar.

The only remaining section of Wismar’s Wall, the Wassertor.

The Wassertor is a gothic water tower, the only entrance door of the ancient walls that withstood the time.

In the Middle Age it granted direct access from the port to the city.

In this medieval print you can see the Marienkirche (center), today in ruins; the Nikolaikirche (left), yet with the original tower, tall and slender; several Kogge docked at the pier; and the Wassertor a little further to the right, on the city walls.

Selection and slideshow ©Mario Ricca, 2015

Sources:

Some photos and text excerpts fromhttp://www.trekearth.comhttp://www.pbase.comhttp://www.panoramio.com/http://www.flickr.com/http://www.wismarer.dehttp://www.wismar.de