• Church of the year 2013: St. Nicholas' Cathedral in Greifswald, © Sven Fischer
    Church of the year 2013: St. Nicholas' Cathedral in Greifswald
  • Symbol of Greifswald and elevated to world fame by the Romantic Caspar David Friedrich: The ruins of Eldena Abbey, © TMV/Grundner
    Symbol of Greifswald and elevated to world fame by the Romantic Caspar David Friedrich: The ruins of Eldena Abbey
  • The merry hustle and bustle in the marketplace by the historic Town Hall of the Hanseatic town of Greifswald, © TMV/Eisele-Hein
    The merry hustle and bustle in the marketplace by the historic Town Hall of the Hanseatic town of Greifswald
  • Quite different architectural trends can be discovered in Greifwald's city centre, © TMV
    Quite different architectural trends can be discovered in Greifwald's city centre

Hanseatic Town of Greifswald

Inspired by the beauty of the town's scenery, the romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich - Greifswald's most famous son - chose the brick buildings as motives for many of his works.

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A university town with historic charm

Situated in the Greifswald Bodden halfway between the islands of Usedom and Rügen lies the Hanseatic town of Greifswald. Gothic brickwork and baroque, Art Nouveau and classicism – all the different stylistic periods are represented here. One of the most splendid and prestigious houses is the university's baroque main building, built by the Swedes in 1750 during their nearly 200-year reign. The university was founded as far back as 1456 and is the second oldest institution of higher learning in northern Europe.

Romantic abbey ruins before the gates of the city

Nowadays, all that remains of Eldena Abbey outside the city are its ruins. One of its greatest admirers was the romantic painter and most famous son of Greifswald: Caspar David Friedrich. He transformed the overgrown Gothic brickwork into a symbol of German romanticism. The prominent Greifswald citizen also immortalised the harbours and marketplaces of the region, perpetual themes were the sea and the ships, the chalk cliffs of Rügen and the old oaks and megalithic tombs in the area. Several now hang in the new Pommersche Landesmuseum (Pomeranian State Museum).

 

Your experts for Greifswald

Tourist Board Greifswald
Website - Tourist Board Greifswald
Telephone: +49 (0) 3834 521-0

Domstraße – 17489 Greifswald

Greifswald Cathedral

Fast genau 100 Meter ragt die Spitze des Doms in die Höhe, © Sven Fischer

Greifswald Cathedral is one of the most beautiful religious buildings in Northern Germany. With its 100 m high tower it towers above the Hanseatic city of Greifswald. From its tower gallery you have an impressive view as far as the island of Rügen.

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Lange Straße – 17489 Greifswald

Caspar David Friedrich Centre

In the sales room of the Caspar David Friedrich Centre you can find books and much more about the life of the great artist

The Caspar David Friedrich Centre was opened in 2004 in the old soap factory in remembrance of the great artist and the most famous son of the city of Greifswald. It was extended in 2011 to include the entire former residential and business premises of the Friedrich family. The centre is an exhibition and document space as well as a research centre.

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Münterstraße – 17489 Greifswald

Botanical Garden Greifswald

The botanical garden was founded in 1763. The botanical garden is an establishment owned by the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald consisting of 16 greenhouses with outdoor facilities, Arboretum, ponds, 8000 plant species, cactus, giant water lilies, tropical orchids, condiment- and healing plants and other plants.

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Robert-Blum-Straße – 17489 Greifswald

Stadthalle and Theater Greifswald

The Stadthalle Greifswald is one of the central concert and event venues and at the same time one of the sights of the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald.

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Goethestraße – 17489 Greifswald

Eldena Abbey

Ruins of Eldena Abbey, © TMV/Kraus

Eldena Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery, originally named Hilda Abbey. Only ruins survive of the monastery, which was founded in 1199 and is well known as a frequent subject of Caspar David Friedrich's paintings.

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Hafenstraße – 17489 Greifswald

Greifswald Museum Harbour

Some of the ships and boats in the museum harbour are more than 100 years old, © Sven Fischer

Gaff ketch and schooner, seaquat and ramship, cruiser and kragejolle - about 45 old ships characterise the image of the museum harbour in Greifswald, which was founded in 1991 following the example of the museum harbours in Flensburg and Hamburg. With this, the Hanseatic townspeople reacted to the increased interest in historic ships and traditional seamanship.

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