I wake up in Warnemünde, our first port of call, and I can’t wait to get out and explore. After dressing, breakfast and other morning tasks, we walk from the port into town and follow the pretty canal lined with boats floating prettily and little pension (B&B) along the banks. It’s Sunday morning and nothing much is open yet, a few cafes only, most are being swept, washed and set up for the day ahead.
There is still a chill to the morning. It’s the end of summer and as we walk our to the beach to get a glimpse of what an Ostsee resort is like – white sand, windswept and slightly wild – I pull my scarf around my shoulders and am glad that I don’t have my heart set on taking a dip today.
The famous lighthouse is here. It’s 37m high and was operated manually from 1898 until 1978 when it was automated. With a range of around 37 km it now serves as an historic site and you can climb to the top during opening hours (10am – 6pm). We’re still a bit early and so we move on. There’s a lot of exploring to do today and I’m not keen to wait until opening although it would be nice to check out the sweeping views of the Baltic from the top. I snap a couple of pictures from ground level of the lighthouse and the Teepot (tea pot) building, so-called because of it’s interesting shape.
From here we head back through the streets of the little town, a few block in from the canal, admiring the charming cottages on cobbled lanes. A loop back to the train station and a line up at the automated ticket machines and we’re soon on the train headed to Rostock Haubtbahnhof (Central Station), a 20 minute ride away.
From Rostock station to Rostock Hauptstadt (capital/town centre) there is about a 1.5 km walk to the centre of the old town. We stroll along and it takes us less than 20 mins to get to the Stadtmitte and the first gate of the old town, the Steintor (Stone Gate). No longer connected to the remnants of city wall that are left, the Steintor is nevertheless impressive. Dated from 1279, the current stone tower was erected in today’s form between 1574 and 1577.
Next stop a little further along is the Rathaus (City Hall) with a very typical European piazza in front of it, the Neuer Rathaus Markt. There’s some very picturesque cafes lining the markt but we move on to find somewhere with a more authentic coffee machine (although the cakes and pastries have my mouth watering!). Around the corner is Marienkirche and coffee is (temporarily) forgotten.
Marienkirche (St Mary’s Church) is a Lutheran Church dating from around 1230. Like most churches of this age it has been rebuilt and extended numerous times. With a very long construction history, the current shape was completed around 1440 with a large dome measuring a very impressive 31.5m. There are some wonderful features of the church and in the items that it now houses, however, perhaps the most miraculous is the fact that it survived the destruction of WWII. We step inside and crane our necks up at the giant 5702 pipe organ, a beautifully carved pulpit and a very intricate astronomical clock.
By now, however, coffee is firmly back on the agenda and we step back out into the sunlight, briefly pausing for a photo of the curious goat fountain before continuing along Kröpeliner straße and finding a suitable cafe. A brief stop for coffee and blueberry cheesecake, shared with the local wasp population, is welcome (the coffee and cake, not so much the wasps!) and we’re back, strolling through University Platz before striking the Kröpeliner Tor at the other end of the old town. This is a Gothic 13th century tower, a slightly higher and more impressive tower than the first we saw and one of an original 22 city gates. This one houses a small museum, which we are politely informed by the resident guide (originally from Sydney!), that it is closed today.
I pause to take a look from the outside as well as at a well preserved section of the city wall before continuing down towards the water, the Stadhafen Rostock (Rostock City Port) and seeking out the Hausbaumhaus and then lunch.
The Hausbaumhaus (literally: house tree house, officially: House of Architects) is tricky to find and takes us a while to seek it out with a largely inaccurate map and few signs. In the end a friendly local walking his dog points it out for us, correctly identifying us as suitably lost tourists on first sight. It’s famous for its distinctive (apparently) architecture and is known as the oldest house in Rostock. That’s about all we find out as it’s closed today and our helpful local, who has lived here for 7 years, has never been inside to check it out!
Down on the harbour we discover a lively little port with much more to look at. We also discover a ferry that will take us back to Warnemünde a little later on and we’re guessing a more scenic trip than the train, not to mention saving the 2 km walk from here back to the train station. Armed with this knowledge and the timetable, we decide on another hafenstadt (port) break for lunch.
I can’t resist the finest oysters at Borwin (seafood restaurant), they’re gigantic, fresh and succulent whist Jason orders sizzling prawns and mum has a mezze plate that is more like a six course mini degustation platter. We wash this down with eine kleine bier (pils) and are on our way again, heading east along the harbourfront to seek out another stretch of old city wall and Petrikirche (St Peter’s Church).
This Evangelical church, whitewashed and much less decorative than Marienkirche, originally dates back to around the same time (1252). Consecrated to St Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, it was undoubtedly popular with the sailors and fishermen of the time. The structure was badly damaged during WWII and most of the reconstruction was completed during the 1950’s which might account for some of the plainness as Rostock was under communist rule as a part of East Germany during this time.
It does, however, have a 117m high tower which affords great views over the red roof tops of the old town and beyond to the shimmering harbour and green fields. Certainly worth the small fee to visit.
After this we wander back to the harbour front through cobbled streets and along a section of the town wall. Gulls squark and boats sail in and out, up and down. We catch the ferry back to Warnemünde, a 40 minute ferry ride with an interesting commentary and a waitress taking our beer order along the way.
Back in Warnemünde the town has come alive. There are market stalls all along the canal and locals buy smoked fish for supper whilst tourists purchase theirs and eat it standing at the bar tables with selections of eel, salmon, herring and other delicacies to try.
We wander the canal and market stalls for a short while then turn and back track, over into town for a stroll around the pretty streets and a look at the church (just one more!).
After some more cobbled streets and a browse of the souvenir shops, we’re done for the day. It’s still deceptively light but it’s dinner time and I’m starting to feel weary after my 20,000 steps. Still, for a first port of call, it’s been a pretty great day.
Good To Know
Warnemünde is a small port town. There is a beach if it’s warm and the wind off the Baltic Sea isn’t too fierce. There’s the lighthouse, the church and tours run from the canal as well as the port. But really, the nicest thing to do here is go for a walk, enjoy the pretty cobbled streets and sit and soak up the atmosphere of this summer holiday town.
Rostock has a few more sights in its historic old town centre. There is plenty to do here if you’re interest in history and architecture but it’s also a very pretty town to just enjoy. If you’re trying to get your steps up for the day, try the following sites:
- Steintor (Stone Gate);
- Old Mint
- Rathaus (City Hall) and platz (square/piazza)
- St Mary’s Church (Marienkirche)
- Kröpeliner Tor and museum
- Hausbaumhaus
- St Peter’s Church (Petrikirche)
- Nikolaiskirche (Nikolai Church)
- Stadthafen (harbour)
- University Platz
Would I Return?
Yes. I’ll be here again in 2 weeks’ time!
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