The former Hanseatic town of Stralsund, on the sound of the same name, is a treasurehouse of historic buildings. The old town with its famous Town Hall, Gothic parish churches, old monasteries, fortifications and burghers' houses is surrounded by beautiful lakes and gardens.
Lying off Stralsund, linked with it by a causeway, is the island of Rügen with its seaside resorts and the little port of Sassnitz (ferry to Trelleborg in Sweden).
There are several noteworthy Burghers' Houses in Stralsund, ranging from the Late Gothic Wulflammhaus and a Baroque building which was the headquarters of the Swedish commandant.
In Mönchstrasse, near the Knieperwall in Stralsund, can be found the old monastery of St Catherine (Katharinenkloster), a Dominican convent founded in 1251, which now houses two museums.
In the Stralsund Alter Markt stands the Town Hall (Rathaus), begun in the 13th C. in brick-built Gothic style. The main front is one of the finest examples of secular brick-built Gothic architecture in North Germany.
Stralsund has preserved considerable stretches of its old town walls, with a number of wiekhäuser (houses built into the town walls) on the Knieperwall and near the Johanniskloster, and two town gates, the Kütertor (1446; now a youth hostel) and the Kniepertor (early 14th C.; now a dwelling house).
Two other notable churches in Stralsund are the Church of the Holy Ghost (Heiliggeistkirche) in Wasserstrasse, a Late Gothic brick-built hall-church (15th C.), with the Hospital of the Holy Ghost, and St James's Church (Jakobikirche), at the east end of Böttcherstrasse, a brick-built Gothic basilica (originally a hall-church, 14th-15th C.).
Northeast of the Stralsund Alter Markt, in Schillstrasse, are the ruins of the Franciscan friary of St John (Johanniskloster; founded 1254), which have been left as a memorial to the destruction of the church in 1945. Concerts and other events are now held here. During restoration work fine medieval frescoes were brought to light.
The Stralsund Museum of Cultural History (Kulturhistorisches Museum) displays a wide range of material (early medieval gold jewelry from the island of Hiddensee, medieval religious art, folk traditions, history of the town).
The Museum of the Sea (Meeresmuseum) in Stralsund has one of Europe's largest aquariums for tropical fish (1984; tank with a capacity of 50,000liters/11,000gallons) and a variety of displays on life in the sea, fishing, the Baltic coast and beach flora and fauna.
Address: Museum of the Sea, Katharinenberg 14-20, D-18439 Stralsund, Germany
Hours:
June 1 to September 30: 10am-6pm
October 1 to May 31: 10am-5pm
Always closed on: Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24)
To the south of the Stralsund Neuer Markt is St Mary's Church (Marienkirche), a massive brick-built Gothic church (from 1382, incorporating earlier work).
Immediately east of the Stralsund Town Hall is St Nicholas's Church (Nikolaikirche; 1270-1350), also brick-built Gothic. Richly furnished interior (panel paintings).
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