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
18.56 MILES
Gothic and Renaissance turrets, Slavic onion domes, Ottoman features and terracotta Hanseatic step gables are among the mishmash of architectural styles…
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18.42 MILES
Revel in the Flemish masterpieces collected by the Mecklenburg dukes during the 17th and 18th centuries at this impressive museum with wide-ranging…
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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…
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29.9 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…
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23.47 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…
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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…
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23.32 MILES
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…
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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…
Nearby attractions
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.