The ‘white town on the sea’ is Germany’s oldest seaside resort, founded in 1793 by Mecklenburg duke Friedrich Franz I, and was fashionable throughout the 19th century as a playground of the nobility. You can't miss the five gleaming white, heritage-listed buildings of the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm perched nearly on the beach. Sunshine is possible; warm weather is rare.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
12.6 MILES
Central Rostock’s pride and joy is the 13th-century Marienkirche, the only main Rostock church to survive WWII unscathed (although restorations are…
23.11 MILES
Of the three great red-brick churches that once rose above the rooftops of Wismar before WWII, only the sober St-Nikolai-Kirche, the largest of its kind…
28 MILES
Güstrow's fabulous Renaissance 16th-century Schloss is home to a historical museum as well as a cultural centre, period art exhibitions and occasional…
23.32 MILES
The centrepiece of Old Wismar, the Markt is an attractive square, dominated by the 1602-built Wasserkunst (waterworks), an ornate, 12-sided well that…
3.72 MILES
The former summer ducal residence of Bad Doberan, about 15km west of Rostock, was once the site of a powerful Cistercian monastery. Construction of this…
12.66 MILES
Rostock’s large, somewhat bland central square is dominated by the splendid 13th-century Rathaus. The building’s baroque facade was added in 1727 after…
29.63 MILES
Based on sketches he made in Russia, Ernst Barlach's squarish sculptures began bearing the same expressive gestures and hunched-over, wind-blown postures…
23.28 MILES
The large Rathaus at the Markt's northern end was built between 1817 and 1819 and houses the excellent Rathaus Historical Exhibition in its basement…
Nearby Coastal Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania attractions
3.72 MILES
The former summer ducal residence of Bad Doberan, about 15km west of Rostock, was once the site of a powerful Cistercian monastery. Construction of this…
4.06 MILES
Kühlungsborn, the biggest Baltic Sea resort, with some 7500 inhabitants, has some lovely art deco buildings backing the long beach and adjoining a dense…
3. Kulturhistorisches Museum Rostock
12.36 MILES
The city's cultural history museum has an interesting collection including Victorian furniture and a few sculptures by Ernst Barlach. It's housed in the…
12.6 MILES
Central Rostock’s pride and joy is the 13th-century Marienkirche, the only main Rostock church to survive WWII unscathed (although restorations are…
12.66 MILES
Rostock’s large, somewhat bland central square is dominated by the splendid 13th-century Rathaus. The building’s baroque facade was added in 1727 after…
12.91 MILES
Red-brick and pastel-coloured buildings on this large market square hark back to the 14th- and 15th-century Hanseatic era.
12.93 MILES
The Gothic Petrikirche has a 117m-high steeple – a mariner’s landmark for centuries – that was restored in 1994, having been missing since WWII. There's a…
15.78 MILES
Gloriously hokey, Karls is a roadside attraction in the cheesiest tradition. The schtick here is fruit, strawberries to be exact. In this sprawling hodge…