Wismar

Another Hanseatic gem. Wismar’s sky line is dominated by a trifecta of Gothic medieval architecture – St Maria’s, St Nikolai’s and St George’s. My heart beats faster at the thought of these divine churches although these are not the only splendid notable facades in Wismar. There is also the 1380 Alter Schwede (Old Swede building), the Renaissance style Wasserkunst and the classical Town Hall as well as all the cosy little buildings lining the square and the general rambling ambiance of the cobbled streets.

The wealth that built the town can be traced from Hanseatic trade in the Old Harbour along the Fische Grube canal, lined by trees and restored storehouses, to the Market Square. This is where mum and I begin.

The 10,000sqm Market Square, the largest in Northern Germany, was a hub of commerce and trade. Wismar, like Schwerin, was originally a Slavic Obotrite settlement, receiving its civil rites in 1229. The original Hanseatic wealth from the 13th and 14th centuries was driven by exports such as Mumme beer, a medieval favorite around the Baltic, as well as wool and felt trade. Later, this trade developed during the Swedish occupation (17th and 18th centuries) to make Wismar a formidable stronghold in Northern Europe with continued exports in farming, transport and military machinery as well as, more recently, being a large potassium transshipment port.

This rich trade history is somewhat difficult to fathom as we step out into the heavily cobbled yet rather empty market square today. The only thing that may be considered a feature here on this remarkably chilly summer afternoon is the Wasserkunst which, as a trademark of the town, is rather dwarfed by the scale of the square itself.

The Wasserkunst (waterworks fountain) is a structure built on top of a fresh water underground reservoir. Constructed between 1595 and 1602, the reservoir, fed by the Metelsdorfer springs, piped fresh water to the town and most importantly the city’s breweries.

We take off through the square, following our noses towards St. Nikolai’s Church and I am quickly distracted by a little coffee shop along Altböterstraße. After pausing for a caffeine fix at Piccoli and being rather tempted to stay for lunch, we find St Nikolai’s, having had the unmistakable sight of its rooftop through the small town.

It is not until I stand in front of the church that the dimension and magnitude of this medieval brick structure becomes apparent. The 37m tall nave is one of the highest in the Baltic. Built between 1260 and 1272, the original tower dome was blown down during a storm in 1703, and has since been replaced by a saddle roof.

In the hushed interior, the paintings and gilded decoration pop against the dark brickwork. The soaring nave (above), with its large crucifix, seems to attract clusters of worshippers. The high columns and dark wooden pews add a certain atmosphere of solemnity.

Not far along from St. Nikolai’s is the Hospitalkirche Heiligen Geist. Although the building was originally outside of the city walls, it is still really old. The church began in around 1250 and the alter was consecrated in 1326. The hospital church, as it is known, concurrently served as a ballroom, hospital, clinic and hostel.

Today, apart from a very interesting beamed and beautifully painted ceiling, along with the opportunity for a short rest, there is little to hold our interest and we continue on through town to St. George’s.

The original St. George’s church on this site was a significant historical monument. Like St. Nikolai’s, it was a wonderful example of North German brick Gothic architecture having been constructed over a period spanning the Late Middle Ages through to the Reformation. It also has an extraordinarily large nave and transept, due mainly to the wealth of the city during construction (completed in 1594) and its status as an important parish church.

Unfortunately the church was badly damaged in an air raid during WWII and remained in ruins throughout the majority of the 20th Century, worsened by the collapse of the north gable in 1990 after a bad storm. Since then the church has been restored although it remains rather empty inside. Today, the activity inside can be attributed to either continuing restorations or the set up (removal) of one of the exhibitions, concerts, readings or church events that now take place here. I am here for the outside though. More specifically, the view.

I pay my €3 for admittance to the viewing platform. Too tired to make the climb mum elects to stay downstairs. By the time I realise that the platform is accessed via lift, mum has disappeared and, despite my search, I ascend alone to behold the views over the town, including back over the rooftops to St. Nikolai’s and out towards the port. On closer inspection daily life continues close by – people on the street with grocery bags and fresh flowers, someone in their yard tending the garden and something that distinctly looks like a chicken coop.

By now it is time for us to be getting back to the Market Square to meet our driver. We don’t have time to linger at Marienkirche (St. Maria’s Church) but we do take a moment to take in the clock tower. On the way back to the Square, a thriving little flower market illustrates that Wismar’s days of trade are not yet over.

Good To Know

We accessed both Wismar and Schwerin on a private tour from Warnemünde. Tour companies gather around the disembarkation point offering day tours for varying prices. As we were the first to agree to the tour we waited about an hour to depart Warnemünde, with the operator hoping to fill the car/tour before taking off for the day. This did not happen and we ended up with a private tour, which worked for and against us.

Firstly, we were not aware of the wait to fill the tour to begin with and this was not communicated to us until we had agreed to the ‘private’ tour. Once we took off for the day, there was a lot of complaining that the car was not full – the tour operator then tried to convince us to visit Rostock as it is significantly closer – however, we had been there previously and he was not particularly keen to keep to his end of the bargain.

In the end however, after we agreed to extending the trip to Schwerin with Wismar as an additional stop, we were rather delighted with what we managed to fit in.

All up the car and driver cost us €150 for the day, about 7 hours total. The initial agreement was €50 each for Schwerin where we had about 3 hours. Wismar as an add-on was an additional €25 each for an extra 1.5 hours (well worth it). The travel each way from Warnemünde was around an hour (plus the waiting time to, unsuccessfully, fill the tour, another hour). If the tour had been filled it is unlikely that we would have had the same flexibility and we may not have gone to Wismar as well, however, we may have left earlier and had slightly more time to enjoy in Schwerin.

Would I Return?

No. Wismar is not big enough to be an attraction in itself. If you have already been here, nearby Schwerin or Lübeck are bigger towns to base yourself in. Do not hesitate to visit however, if you have a few spare hours to wander around and enjoy the cobbled streets, soaring churches and fascinating harbor of this historic place.