The centrepiece of Old Wismar, the Markt is an attractive square, dominated by the 1602-built Wasserkunst (waterworks), an ornate, 12-sided well that supplied Wismar’s drinking water until 1897 and is the town's landmark. Behind it stands the red-brick Alter Schwede, which dates from 1380 and features a striking step buttress gable facade. It houses a restaurant and guesthouse, as well as a copy of one of the so-called Swedish Heads.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Rathaus

0.04 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…

2. St-Marien-Kirche Steeple

0.13 MILES

All that remains of 13th-century St-Marien-Kirche is its great brick steeple (1339), which rises above the city. A multimedia exhibit on medieval church…

3. Fürstenhof

0.18 MILES

Between the St-Marien and St-Georgen churches lies the restored Italian Renaissance Fürstenhof, now the city courthouse. The facades are slathered in…

4. St-Georgen-Kirche

0.22 MILES

The massive red shell of the St-Georgen-Kirche has been extensively reconstructed and while work continues, the intention is to use it for cultural (Abba…

5. Schabbellhaus

0.26 MILES

The town’s historical museum is in the Renaissance Schabbellhaus in a former brewery (1571), just south of St-Nikolai-Kirche across the canal. It reopened…

6. St-Nikolai-Kirche

0.3 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…

7. Pfaffenteich

17.96 MILES

Schwerin's central lake was created by a dam in the 12th century. Through the centuries it was surrounded by some of the city's most elegant buildings. At…

8. Schelfkirche

18.01 MILES

Just north of the Schelfstadt is the early-18th-century baroque Schelfkirche. It's not usually open to the public, except for services.