Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar

On the Baltic coast, Wismar and Stralsund rose as leading Hanseatic ports during the 14th and 15th centuries, later serving as Swedish strongholds on German soil. Their soaring brick churches, Stralsund's great town hall and rows of merchants' and craftsmen's houses helped define Brick Gothic, the distinctive building style of the Baltic region. UNESCO inscribed the historic centres of Stralsund and Wismar as a World Heritage Site in 2002.