DISTANT PLACES
Travel tips by Bremen sehenswert far from the Hanseatic City of Bremen
Hanseatic City of Rostock - A Travel Guide
Kröpeliner Straße and Universitätsplatz
View of Kröpeliner Straße from Universitätsplatz
Kröpeliner Straße is the bustling shopping street with modern shops, cafés, and restaurants in the heart of Rostock’s city center. Until the 1960s, not only cars but also trams (until 1960) passed through here. A stroll through today’s pedestrian zone is also a journey through the city’s history, beginning with the imposing Kröpeliner Tor from the 13th century at one end of the street and ending with the New Market, its historic townhouses, and the Gothic Town Hall at the other.
The current city library
Kröpeliner Straße was not spared by the air raids of 1942, but today it presents a successful blend of newer buildings - such as the Five-Gable House with its carillon, completed in 1986 - and numerous historic gabled houses restored since the fall of the Berlin Wall. One of the most striking historical buildings is the house at number 82. This townhouse, featuring a crenellated step gable typical of Rostock’s Gothic architecture, was built in the late 15th century and boasts one of the city’s most beautiful Gothic facades. The gable is richly decorated with numerous terracotta medallions, glazed bricks, and horizontal and vertical bands of relief tiles - a common feature in Late Gothic architecture. However, inside, history lives on primarily through books, as the building now houses the city library.
The former Supreme Court of Appeal, adjacent the Abbey of the Holy Cross
Diagonally opposite stands the Grand Ducal Palace, built in 1714 and located at what has been called Universitätsplatz since 1961. The grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin resided in these rooms behind the light, simple Baroque facade whenever they were in Rostock. In 1750, Duke Christian Ludwig II - the successor to the palace’s builder - had what is perhaps the most magnificent Baroque hall in Northern Germany constructed right next door. Even after its last renovation in 2010, the festive hall’s design remains nearly original. Today, the ground floor houses the tourist information center.
Balcony railing at Universitätsplatz
In close proximity stands the radiant yellow “Neue Wache” (New Guardhouse), built in 1823 as the main guardhouse next to the command post. The neoclassical building with six broad Doric columns, designed by architect Carl Theodor Severin, was also meant to represent the grand ducal claims to power. Today, the university uses the building, just like the former Supreme Court of Appeal, painted in pale yellow and built between 1841 and 1842, which has housed the university’s zoology department since 1880. The former ducal buildings survived World War II unscathed.
Fountain of Joy, with the main university building in the background
Between the palace and the Five-Gable House on the opposite side stands the “Fountain of Joy,” designed by sculptors Jo Jastram and Reinhard Dietrich since 1985. Due to the bronze sculptures depicting partially nude figures, the fountain is colloquially known as the “Porn Fountain.” In the semicircle facing the university, numerous benches are usually occupied on sunny days.
Fountain of Joy: a wild boar
When there’s no water in the fountain, children sometimes repurpose the sculptures as play equipment. Not only this fountain but also the entire ambiance makes the central square on Kröpeliner Straße a popular meeting spot. It’s pleasant to sit in the nearby outdoor cafés under the sun, enjoying the bustle and occasionally accompanied by a carillon from a neighboring house wall.
The carillon at Universitätsplatz regularly plays
All of this takes place under the watchful eyes of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. The Prussian field marshal, born in Rostock, significantly contributed to the success against Napoleon’s troops during the Wars of Liberation through his military leadership. In 1821, a life-sized copper statue was erected in his honor in front of the university building.
Blücher Monument
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Rügen by the Baltic Sea
Active holiday featuring cycling and hiking
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The North Sea spa town of Büsum
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