DISTANT PLACES
Travel tips by Bremen sehenswert far from the Hanseatic City of Bremen
Hanseatic City of Rostock - A Travel Guide
St. Mary's Church (Marienkirche) and Ziegenmarkt
St. Mary's Church as seen from the New Market
One of the most impressive buildings in Rostock is St. Mary's Church, located just a stone's throw from the New Market and today within sight of the town hall. The sheer size of this massive brick basilica in the shape of a cross is already impressive. The structure is an architectural masterpiece spanning several generations and centuries. As early as 1232, a church was mentioned at this location, followed by an early Gothic three-aisled hall church that was completed in 1279 after construction began in 1265. Only eleven years later, the transformation of this church into a three-aisled Gothic basilica with a new choir in the east and a chapels' ring with five chapels began. Compared to the hall church, the vault height of the central nave was increased to now 31.5 meters with a width of 11 meters; the height measurement for the side aisles is 15 meters, slightly less than half. Among the large brick Gothic churches, St. Mary's Church is thus the sixth tallest.
Entrance at the southern transept
Construction of the transept began in 1398. For this construction phase, green/brown glazed bricks were used on the exterior facade, alternating horizontally with unglazed yellowish-brown bricks. Because the new structure penetrates the nave exactly in the middle of the church and corresponds in length to the overall length of the church building in the other orientation, the current cross shape was created. The basilica appears particularly squat when viewed from Lange Straße towards the westwork with its massive tower (built instead of a double tower) and the protruding transept behind it. A sight that has been offered to people since the completion of St. Mary's Church in 1454.
A valuable tapestry in a glass display case
Incidentally, on November 12, 1419, the university of the city and the first one in northern Germany was ceremoniously founded in the church, and it remained a university church until 1899. Today, the church of the Abbey of the Holy Cross fulfills this task.
The two-story baroque high altar from 1720/21 is the main altar of St. Mary's Church
The interior decoration and furnishings of the church changed over the centuries. Thus, artworks from previous centuries were destroyed after Rostock joined the Reformation in 1531 at the instigation of St. Peter's pastor Joachim Slüter. Nevertheless, significant testimonies of past centuries can still be found in St. Mary's Church today.
Renaissance pulpit
These include the wooden two-story baroque high altar created in 1720/21, as well as the equally wooden Renaissance pulpit built as early as 1574 and hanging quite far from the altar on a pillar, likely due to the poor acoustics in the church. Impressive, even without a sound being heard, is the organ soaring high up to the vault with 5,702 pipes, 83 stops, and four manuals, installed there between 1766 and 1769. However, as early as two years later, a multi-year renovation was necessary, and thus after the last changes in 1938, nothing remains of the organ of the original builder. Below it is a princely gallery in Rococo style, completed after two years of work in 1751 and serving as a place for the Mecklenburg dukes. Directly below at ground level, the city councilors had their seats in the church.
Organ with princely gallery
Also worth seeing is the astronomical clock built between two pillars behind the high altar. The 11-meter-high device, which later received a Renaissance frame, dates back to 1472 and remains functional, almost in its original state after only a few changes over time, such as a music feature. The clock displays not only the time but also the position of the sun and moon above the horizon, zodiac signs, and monthly images on a scale. Below the actual clock is a calendar showing the 365 days of the year.
Bells
Directly in the entrance area at the southern transept, two bells are mounted: the smaller citizen's bell cast around 1300 weighing over 3.1 tons and the Great Bell cast by Rickert de Monkehagen in 1409, weighing more than 4.2 tons. The fact that they are not part of a peal or such is due to the irreparable cracks both bells have. It is a miracle that these two specimens did not suffer the fate of many church bells, which were melted down and turned into war equipment during World War II.
Ziegenmarkt
Ziegenmarkt with fountain, Kantorat, and the Old Mint to the left
In front of the entrance to St. Mary's Church at the southern transept is the Ziegenmarkt with a small fountain erected there in 1979. Animals were once traded here, and it fits that the fountain is adorned with a bronze sculpture of a goat by sculptor Gerhard Rommel.
Renaissance portal of the Old Mint
In close proximity stands the Old Kantorat from the 13th century, restored between 1995 and 2000. To its left is the Old Mint with its Renaissance portal featuring the coat of arms animal of the Hanseatic city, the griffin, above the entrance. Coins were still minted in Rostock until 1864.
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