Wismar

Introducing Wismar

The many colourful ‘Swedish Heads’ you see across town are the most obvious but not the only mementos of Swedish rule in Wismar. This small, pretty town joined the Hanseatic trading league in the 13th century and looks essentially Hanseatic, with its gabled façades and cobbled streets. However, it spent most of the 16th and 17th centuries as part of Sweden and various buildings, a clock, a tomb and more still hint at this period.

Wismar’s picture-postcard looks have always made it popular with filmmakers. Its Alter Hafen (old harbour) featured in the 1922 Dracula movie Nosferatu, and it’s not unusual for day-trippers from Schwerin or Rostock to still stumble across movie crews.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009