13 Facts About Greifswald

University of Greifswald, which was founded in 1456, is the second-oldest university in the Baltic Region after the University of Rostock.

Greifswald is located in the northeast of Germany, approximately equidistant from Germany's two largest islands, Rugen and Usedom.

The area around Greifswald is mainly flat, and hardly reaches more than 20 m above sea level.

Greifswald is roughly equidistant from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg .

Greifswald was founded in 1199 when Cistercian monks founded the Eldena Abbey.

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In medieval times, the site of Greifswald was an unsettled woodland which marked the border between the Danish Principality of Rugen and the Pomeranian County of Gutzkow, which at that time was under Danish control.

Eldena Abbey and the major buildings of Greifswald were erected in the North German Brick Gothic style, found along the entire southern coast of the Baltic.

Greifswald is the seat of the diocese of the Pomeranian Evangelical Church as well as the seat of the state's chief constitutional court, and chief financial court.

Tourism plays a vital role as Greifswald is situated between the islands of Rugen and Usedom on the popular German Baltic coast, which brings in many tourists.

Greifswald has a number of museums and exhibitions, most notably the Pomeranian State Museum : history of Pomerania and arts, including works by Caspar David Friedrich, a native of Greifswald.

The University of Greifswald has a large number of collections, some of which are on display for the public.

Greifswald has a port on the Baltic Sea as well as several marinas.

The Bay of Greifswald is a popular place for sailing and surfing, with Germany's two largest islands, Rugen and Usedom, just off the coast.