18 Facts About Rostock

Rostock was the largest coastal and most important port city in East Germany.

Rostock stands on the estuary of the River Warnow into the Bay of Mecklenburg of the Baltic Sea.

Rostock is the economic center of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the state's only regiopolis.

The university's hospital, Universitatsmedizin Rostock, is one of two university hospitals in the state, along with Universitatsmedizin Greifswald of the University of Greifswald in Western Pomerania.

In 1218, Rostock was granted Lubeck law city rights by Heinrich Borwin, prince of Mecklenburg.

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In 1419, the University of Rostock was founded, the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area.

John Albert I advanced on the city with 500 horsemen, after Rostock had refused to take the formal oath of allegiance, and had the city wall razed to have a fortress built.

Rostock has had three different coats of arms, known as the Signum, the Secretum and the Sigillum.

Current Lord Mayor of Rostock is Chris von Wrycz Rekowski, who became mayor in 2022 after independent politician Claus Ruhe Madsen resigned to join the second Gunther cabinet.

Rostock is the first city region that defines itself not only as a city in its boundaries, but as a regiopolis, with a supra-regional sphere of influence.

Rostock is located nearly centrally on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Baltic Sea coast.

Rostock has an oceanic climate with strong influence of the Baltic Sea, more similar with Denmark and far southern Sweden than to the rest of Germany.

One of the most picturesque places in Rostock is the Neuer Markt, with the Town Hall – that was originally built in the 13th century in Brick Gothic style, but extensively transformed in the 18th century, with the addition of a Baroque facade and a banqueting hall.

Rostock is home to one of the oldest universities in the world.

Rostock can be reached by motorway A 1 from Hamburg via Lubeck on A 20 and by A 19 from Berlin and A 20 from Stettin in Poland.

Rostock Hauptbahnhof offers fast rail connections to Hamburg and Berlin and from there to almost any other European city.

Rostock is served by the Rostock tramway network, with six tram lines that serve the inner city as well as the suburbs.

Furthermore, Rostock receives the highest number of cruise tourists in Germany every year.