Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (,

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in population; it covers an are ...

after

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...

and

Neubrandenburg Neubrandenburg (, Low German ''Niegenbramborg'', both lit. ''New Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg'') is a city in the southeast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is located on the shore of a lake called Tollensesee and forms the urban c ...

. In 2021 it surpassed

Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...

for the first time, and became the largest city in the

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

n part of the state. It sits on the River Ryck, at its mouth into the Danish Wiek, a sub-bay of the Bay of Greifswald, which is itself a sub-bay of the Bay of Pomerania of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

. It is the seat of the district of Western Pomerania-Greifswald, and is located roughly in the middle between the two largest Pomeranian islands of Rügen and Usedom. The closest larger cities are

, Rostock,

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

and Schwerin. It lies west of the River Zarow, the historical cultural and linguistic boundary between West (west of the river) and Central Pomerania (east of the river). The city derives its name from the dukes of Pomerania, the

House of Griffin The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty, (; , ; Latin: ''Gryphes''), or House of Pomerania (see ), was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century ...

, and thus ultimately from the Pomeranian

Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

, and its name hence translates as "Griffin's Forest". The University of Greifswald, which was founded in 1456, is the second-oldest university in the

Baltic Region The Baltic Sea Region, alternatively the Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states, refers to the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, including parts of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Un ...

after the

University of Rostock The University of Rostock () is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Se ...

. The city is well-known for the ruins of Eldena Abbey (formerly ''Hilda Abbey''), a frequent subject of the paintings of

Caspar David Friedrich Caspar David Friedrich (; 5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a German Romanticism, German Romantic Landscape painting, landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation, whose often symbolic, and anti ...

, who was born in the city when it was part of

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania (; ) was a dominions of Sweden, dominion under the Sweden, Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish-Swedish War, Polish War and the Thirty Years' War ...

. Greifswald is the seat of the Pomeranian State Museum (''Pommersches Landesmuseum''). The recently built Ryck Barrier (''Rycksperrwerk'') protects the city from exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the Baltic. The city's population was listed at 59,332 in 2021, including many of the 12,500 students and 5,000 employees of the University of Greifswald. Greifswald draws international attention due to the university, its surrounding BioCon Valley, the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline which ends at nearby Lubmin, and the Wendelstein 7-X nuclear fusion projects.

Geography

Greifswald is located in the northeast of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, approximately equidistant from Germany's two largest islands, Rügen and Usedom. The city is situated at the south end of the Bay of Greifswald, the historic centre being about up the river Ryck that crosses the city. The area around Greifswald is mainly flat, and hardly reaches more than 20 m

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. Two islands,

Koos KOOS (107.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station in North Bend, Oregon, United States. The station is owned by Bicoastal Media. KOOS airs a hot adult contemporary music format. External links

* * Radio stations in Oregon, OOS Ho ...

and

Riems Riems is an island in the southwestern part of the Bay of Greifswald, a broad, shallow embayment of the Baltic Sea between the Germany, German mainland and the island of Rügen. Riems belongs administratively to the Urban districts of Germany, ur ...

, are also part of Greifswald. Three of Germany's fourteen national parks can be reached by car in one hour or less from Greifswald. Greifswald is also roughly equidistant from Germany's two largest cities,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

() and

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

(). The nearest larger cities are

and

. The coastal part of Greifswald at the mouth of the Ryck, named Greifswald-Wieck, evolved from a fishing village. Today it provides a small beach, a marina and the main port for Greifswald.

Climate

Greifswald features an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

with some humid continental influence. Summers are pleasantly warm, although chilly at night. Due to its coastal location, heatwaves in Greifswald tend to be less extreme than other nearby locations inland. Winters are mild to cold, with occasional cold fronts coming in from

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. Precipitation is spread throughout the year and comparatively low by German standards, while sunshine hours are above the German average.

History

Early history

Greifswald was founded in 1199 when Cistercian monks founded the Eldena Abbey. In 1250, Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania, granted town privileges to Greifswald according to the Lübeck law.

Middle Ages and Reformation

In medieval times, the site of Greifswald was an unsettled woodland which marked the border between the Danish

Principality of Rügen The Principality of Rügen was a Medieval Denmark, Danish principality, formerly a duchy, consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the ''Wizlawiden'' (''Hou ...

and the Pomeranian County of Gützkow, which at that time was also under Danish control. In 1199, the Rugian Prince Jaromar I allowed Danish

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monks to build Hilda Abbey, now Eldena Abbey, at the mouth of the River Ryck. Among the lands granted the monks was a natural

salt evaporation pond A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The salt pans are shallow and expansive, allowing sunlight to penetrate and reach the seawater. Natural salt pans are formed thr ...

a short way up the river, a site also crossed by an important south–north ''

via regia The Via Regia (Royal Highway) is a European Cultural Route following the route of the Historic roads, historic road of the Middle Ages. There were many such ''viae regiae'' associated with the king in the medieval Holy Roman Empire. History ...

'' trade route. This site was named ''Gryp(he)swold(e)'', which is the

precursor of the city's modern name – which means "

's Forest." Legend says the monks were shown the best site for settlement by a mighty griffin living in a tree that supposedly grew on what became Greifswald's oldest street, the ''Schuhagen''. The town's construction followed a scheme of rectangular streets, with church and market sites reserved in central positions. It was settled primarily by Germans in the course of the , but settlers from other nations and

Wends Wends is a historical name for Slavs who inhabited present-day northeast Germany. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various people, tribes or groups depending on where and when it was used. In the modern day, communities identifying ...

from nearby were attracted, too. The

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

trade helped Eldena Abbey to become an influential religious center, and Greifswald became a widely known market. When the Danes had to surrender their

n lands south of the Ryck, after losing the Battle of Bornhöved in 1227, the town succeeded to the Pomeranian dukes. In 1241, the Rugian prince Wizlaw I and the Pomeranian duke Wartislaw III both granted Greifswald market rights. In 1250, the latter granted the town a charter under Lübeck law, after he had been permitted to acquire the town site as a fief from Eldena Abbey in 1248. When Jazco of Salzwedel from Gützkow founded a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friary within the walls of Greifswald, the Cistercians at Eldena lost much of their influence on the city's further development. Just beyond Greifswald's western limits, a town-like suburb (''Neustadt'') arose, separated from Greifswald by a ditch. In 1264, Neustadt was incorporated and the ditch was filled in. Eldena Abbey and the major buildings of Greifswald were erected in the North German

Brick Gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

(''Backsteingotik'') style, found along the entire southern coast of the Baltic. Due to a steady population increase, Greifswald became at the end of the 13th century one of the earliest members of the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

, which further increased its trade and wealth. After 1296, Greifswald's citizens no longer needed to serve in the Pomeranian army, and Pomeranian dukes did not reside in the city. In 1456, Greifswald's mayor Heinrich Rubenow laid the foundations of one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Greifswald, which was one of the first in Germany, and was, successively, the single oldest in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

. In the course of

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, Eldena Abbey ceased to function as a monastery. Its possessions fell to the Pomeranian dukes; the bricks of its Gothic buildings were used by the locals for other construction. Eldena lost its separate status and was later absorbed into the town of Greifswald. The religious houses within the town walls, the priories of the Blackfriars (

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

) in the northwest and the Greyfriars (Franciscans) in the southeast, were secularized. The buildings of the Dominicans (the "black monastery") were turned over to the university; the site is still used as part of the medical campus. The Franciscan friary ("the "grey monastery") and its succeeding buildings are now the Pomeranian State Museum. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, Greifswald was occupied by (Catholic) Imperial forces from 1627 to 1631, and thereafter, under the Treaty of Stettin (1630), by (Protestant) Swedish forces.

1631/48—1815: Sweden

During the

, Swedish forces entered the

Duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (; ; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country existed in the Middle Ages between years 1121–11 ...

in 1630. Greifswald was besieged by Swedish troops on 12 June 1631 and surrendered on 16 June.

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 t ...

had returned from

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

to supervise the siege, and upon his arrival received the university's homage for the liberation from Catholic forces. After the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), Greifswald and the region surrounding it became part of the Kingdom of Sweden.

, as it was then called, remained part of the Swedish kingdom until 1815, when it became part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

as the Province of Pomerania. In 1871, it devolved to Germany. The Thirty Years' War had caused starvation throughout Germany, and by 1630 Greifswald's population had shrunk by two-thirds. Many buildings were left vacant and fell into decay. Soon, other wars followed: the Swedish-Polish War and the Swedish-Brandenburg War both involved the nominally Swedish town of Greifswald. In 1659 and 1678, Brandenburgian troops bombarded the town. The first bombardment hit mainly the northeast part of town, wrecking 16 houses. The second bombardment leveled 30 houses and damaged hundreds more all over the city. Cannonballs of this second bombardment can still be seen in the walls of St Mary's Church. During the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

(1700–1721, Greifswald was compelled to house soldiers. While besieging neighboring Stralsund, Russian tsar

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

allied with

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. ...

in the Treaty of Greifswald. Large fires in 1713 and 1736 destroyed houses and other buildings, including City Hall. The Swedish government had issued decrees in 1669 and 1689 absolving anyone of taxes who built or rebuilt a house. These decrees remained essentially in force, under Prussian administration, until 1824. In 1763, Greifswald Botanic Garden was founded.

1815 – ''today'': Germany

During the 19th century, Greifswald attracted many Polish students. After Breslau (now

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

, Poland) and Berlin, Greifswald hosted the third-largest group of Polish students in Germany. About 1900, the town – for the first time since the Middle Ages – expanded significantly beyond the old town walls. Also, a major railway connected Greifswald to

and Berlin; a local railway line further connected Greifswald to Wolgast. The city survived World War II without much destruction, even though it housed a large German Army (''Wehrmacht'') garrison. During the war, in May 1940, the Stalag II-C

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

was relocated to Greifswald from Dobiegniew, and it housed French, Belgian, Serbian and Soviet POWs with many sent to

forced labor Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

detachments in the region. In the spring of 1945, the camp was evacuated to the west. In April 1945, German Army Colonel (''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'') Rudolf Petershagen defied orders and surrendered the city to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

without a fight. From 1949 to 1990, Greifswald was part of the

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(DDR). During this time, most historical buildings in the medieval parts of the city were neglected and a number of old buildings were pulled down. The population increased significantly, because of the construction of a nominal 1760 MW

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-made

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...

in Lubmin, which was closed in the early 1990s. New suburbs were erected in the monolithic industrial socialist style (''see Plattenbau''). They still house most of the city's population. These new suburbs were placed east and southeast of central Greifswald, shifting the former town center to the northwestern edge of the modern town. Reconstruction of the old town began in the late 1980s. Nearly all of it has been restored. Before that almost all of the old northern town adjacent to the port was demolished and subsequently rebuilt. The historic marketplace is considered one of the most beautiful in northern Germany. The town attracts many tourists, due in part to its proximity to the

. Greifswald's greatest population was reached in 1988, with about 68,000 inhabitants, but it decreased afterward to 55,000, where it has now stabilized. Reasons for this included migration to western German cities as well as suburbanisation. However, the number of students quadrupled from 3,000 in 1990 to more than 11,000 in 2007 and the university employs 5,000 people; nearly one in three people in Greifswald are linked in some way to higher education. Despite its relatively small population, Greifswald retains a supra-regional relevance linked to its intellectual role as a university town and to the taking of the central functions of the former Prussian Province of Pomerania after World War II, such as the seat of the bishop of the Pomeranian Lutheran Church, the state archives (''Landesarchiv'') and the Pomeranian Museum (''Pommersches Landesmuseum''). Three courts of the state of

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

are also based at Greifswald: * the Supreme Administrative Court (''Oberverwaltungsgericht''); * the Supreme Constitutional Court (''Landesverfassungsgericht''); and * the ('' Finanzgericht'')

Administrative division

Economy

Greifswald Dorfkirche-Wieck May-2009 SL272548

Greifswald and

are the largest cities in the Vorpommern part of

. Of great importance to the city's economy is the local

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

with its 12,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees in addition to many people employed at independent research facilities such as the Friedrich Loeffler Institute and spin-off firms. Greifswald is also the seat of the diocese of the Pomeranian Evangelical Church as well as the seat of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

's chief constitutional court, and chief financial court.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

plays a vital role as Greifswald is situated between the islands of Rügen and Usedom on the popular German Baltic coast, which brings in many tourists. One of Europe's largest producers of

photovoltaic module Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commerciall ...

s, Berlin-base
Solon SE
has a production site in Greifswald. The world's third-largest producer of

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

s worldwide, HanseYachts, is based in Greifswald. In the energy sector, an offshore natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, Nord Stream 1, stops in Lubmin (near Greifswald). Riemser Arzneimittel is a pharmaceutical company based on the island of Riems, which is part of the city of Greifswald.

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

Communications F & E produces goods here as well. In a 2008 study, Greifswald was declared

's most dynamic city. According to another 2008 study, Greifswald is the "youngest city" in Germany having the highest percentage of heads of household under 30 years of age.

Politics

The current mayor of Greifswald is Stefan Fassbinder (Greens) since 2015. The most recent mayoral election was held on 12 June 2022, with a runoff held on 26 June, and the results were as follows: ! rowspan=2 colspan=2, Candidate ! rowspan=2, Party ! colspan=2, First round ! colspan=2, Second round , - ! Votes ! % ! Votes ! % , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Stefan Fassbinder , align=left, Greens/ SPD/

Left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

, 9,351 , 48.5 , 9,329 , 56.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Madeleine Tolani , align=left, Christian Democratic Union , 6,385 , 33.1 , 7,308 , 43.9 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Ina Schuppa-Wittfoth , align=left, dieBasis , 1,569 , 8.1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Konstantin Zirwick , align=left, Free Democratic Party , 529 , 2.8 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Daniel Küther , align=left,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, 520 , 2.7 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Gamal Khalil , align=left,

, 511 , 2.6 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Lea Alexandra Siewert , align=left,

, 399 , 2.1 , - ! colspan=3, Valid votes ! 19,264 ! 99.4 ! 16,637 ! 99.3 , - ! colspan=3, Invalid votes ! 114 ! 0.6 ! 121 ! 0.7 , - ! colspan=3, Total ! 19,378 ! 100.0 ! 16,758 ! 100.0 , - ! colspan=3, Electorate/voter turnout ! 47,409 ! 40.9 ! 47,290 ! 35.4 , - , colspan=7, Source: City of Greifswald
1st round
The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows: ! colspan=2, Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) , 17,490 , 20.1 , 0.5 , 9 , 0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

(AfD) , 14,155 , 16.2 , 4.5 , 7 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) , 11,470 , 13.2 , 4.6 , 6 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, The Left (Die Linke) , 8,001 , 9.2 , 5.2 , 4 , 2 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Social Democratic Party (SPD) , 7,644 , 8.8 , 1.9 , 4 , 1 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) , 5,966 , 6.8 , New , 3 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Animal Protection Party (Tierschutz) , 4,871 , 5.6 , 0.7 , 2 , 0 , - , , align=left, Initiative Referendum Greifswald (IBG) , 4,823 , 5.5 , New , 2 , New , - , , align=left, Citizens' List Greifswald (BG) , 3,856 , 4.4 , 0.7 , 2 , 0 , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Free Democratic Party (FDP) , 2,431 , 2.8 , 2.3 , 1 , 1 , - , , align=left, Alternative List (AL) , 1,633 , 1.9 , 0.5 , 1 , 0 , - , , align=left, Alliance of the Civic Centre (AdbM) , 1,286 , 1.5 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left,

Die PARTEI (''Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative''), or Die PARTEI (''The PARTY''), is a German political party. It was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazine ...

, 1,117 , 1.3 , New , 1 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Volt Germany (Volt) , 1,079 , 1.2 , New , 0 , New , - , , align=left, Free Voters (FW) , 500 , 0.6 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, German Communist Party (DKP) , 97 , 0.1 , New , 0 , New , - , bgcolor=, , align=left, Independents , 781 , 0.9 , New , 0 , New , - ! colspan=2, Valid votes ! 87,200 ! 100.0 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Invalid ballots ! 1,109 ! 3.7 ! ! ! , - ! colspan=2, Total ballots ! 30,007 ! 100.0 ! ! 43 ! ±0 , - ! colspan=2, Electorate/voter turnout ! 47,059 ! 63.8 ! 7.6 ! ! , - , colspan=7, Source
City of Greifswald

Twin towns – sister cities

Greifswald is twinned with: * Goleniów, Poland (2006) *

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

, Norway (1997) *

Kotka Kotka (; ) is a town in Finland, located on the southeastern coast of the country at the mouth of the Kymi River. The population of Kotka is approximately , while the Kotka-Hamina sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is th ...

, Finland (1959) *

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

, Sweden (1990) * Newport News, United States (2007) *

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

, Germany (1988) *

, Poland (2010)

Friendly cities

Greifswald has friendly relations with: * Benxi, China * Bryan, United States (1995) * College Station, United States (1995) *

Drohobych Drohobych ( ; ; ) is a city in the south of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. In 1939–1941 and 1944–1959 it w ...

, Ukraine (2017) *

Pomerode Pomerode () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil. It is located in the valley of the Itajaí-Açu river, not very far from the city of Blumenau, one of the ...

, Brazil (2005) *

Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

, Greece (2015) *

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

, China *

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

, Estonia (2006) *

Vyborg Vyborg (; , ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of Vyborg Bay, northwest of St. Petersburg, east of the Finnish capital H ...

, Russia (2018)

Education

University

Founded in 1456, the University of Greifswald is one of the oldest universities in both

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Currently, about 12,300 students study at five faculties:

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, humanities and social sciences, and

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

/natural sciences. The university co-operates with many research facilities, such as: * the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik (

plasma physics Plasma () is a state of matter characterized by the presence of a significant portion of charged particles in any combination of ions or electrons. It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly in stars (including th ...

) has its second site (after Garching) in Greifswald and is experimenting with a

stellarator A stellarator confines Plasma (physics), plasma using external magnets. Scientists aim to use stellarators to generate fusion power. It is one of many types of magnetic confinement fusion devices. The name "stellarator" refers to stars because ...

, Wendelstein 7-X. *

Alfried Krupp Alfried Felix Alwyn Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (13 August 1907 – 30 July 1967) was a German engineer and the last personal sole owner of the company Fried. Krupp. The eldest of eight siblings, he came from the Krupp family on his mother's ...

Institute of Advanced Study * Friedrich Loeffler Institute on the Isle of

(National Research Institute for Animal Health) * ''Institut für Niedertemperatur-Plasmaphysik'' (Institute of Low Temperature Plasma Physics) * ''Technologiezentrum'' (Centre for

Technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

) * ''Biotechnikum'' (Centre for

Bioscience ''BioScience'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal that is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. It was established in 1964 and was preceded by the ''AIBS Bulletin'' (1951–1 ...

)

Secondary schools

* Alexander-von-Humboldt-Gymnasium * Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Gymnasium (founded in 1561 as ''schola senatoria'' and one of the oldest schools still existing in Germany) * Johann-Gottfried-Herder-Gymnasium (fused with the Jahn-Gymnasium in 2006) * Ostseegymnasium

Culture

Museums, exhibitions, and cultural events

Greifswald has a number of museums and exhibitions, most notably the Pomeranian State Museum ():

history of Pomerania The history of Pomerania starts shortly before 1000 AD, with ongoing conquests by newly arrived Polans (western), Polan rulers. Before that, the area was recorded nearly 2000 years ago as Germania, and in modern times Pomerania has been split betw ...

and arts, including works by

, a native of Greifswald. The University of Greifswald also has a large number of collections, some of which are on display for the public. Events and attractions hosted in Greifswald include: * ''Theater Vorpommern'': theatre, orchestra and opera * ''Stadthalle Greifswald'': medium-sized convention centre * ''Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern'': Greifswald is one of several sites of the state's classical music festival * Nordischer Klang is the largest festival of Nordic culture outside of the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

themselves *

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

festival * Eldena Jazz Evenings * ''Gaffelrigg'' summer fair * ''Museumshafen'': historic ships in the "museum port" * regular literary events in the ''Koeppenhaus'' * ''St. Spiritus'' cultural centre * Greifswald International Students Festival (GrIStuF e. V.) * Radio 98eins (open radio) * Greifswald Night of Music (''Greifswalder Musiknacht'') * Greifswald long-ship festival (''Greifswalder Drachenbootfest'')

Cinemas

Art house is shown regularly at the film club "Casablanca", which has existed since 1992. It puts its focus on the heritage of 35mm films. The Koeppenhaus shows art house cinema as part of its special programmes. The cinema initiative "KinoAufSegeln" screening art house open air on the site of the Greifswalder Museumswerft, Greifswald's shipyard museum. It exists since 2015. All three are active members of the ''Verband für Filmkommunikation'' (Association for Film Communication) of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the umbrella organisation of art house cinemas and film clubs.

Sightseeing

Medieval churches

Among Greifswald's

brick gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...

churches is the Dom St. Nikolai (St. Nicholas collegiate church) in the city center, which, with its tall tower, is the symbol of the city. The exact date of its founding is unknown, but the original church dates from the late 13th century. The tower was built, and an organ installed in the church, in the late 14th century. In the mid-17th century, when Greifswald was part of

, severe storm damage was repaired with support from the Swedish Crown. Neglect during the early DDR period necessitated extensive refurbishment, completed in 1989, the last full year of the DDR. The St.-Marien-Kirche (St. Mary's Church), built adjacent to the Old Town marketplace in the mid-13th century, contains ground-level brick walls four and one-half meters (14 ft) thick. Medieval murals depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ were restored in 1977–84. The church organ, known as the ''Marienorgel'' (St. Mary's Organ), was installed by the

organ builder Friedrich Mehmel in 1866, replacing an earlier instrument. It features 37 registers. Greifswaldjakobi

On the west side of the Old Town stands the St.-Jacobi-Kirche (St. James's Church), dating from the early 13th century. In 1400 it was rebuilt to contain a nave and two transepts, requiring the addition of four buttresses. The original half-timbered tower, heavily damaged in a 1955 fire, was rebuilt in brick.

''Stolpersteine''

Stolperstein A (; plural ) is a concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. Literal translation, Literally, it means 'stumbling stone' and metaphorically 'stumbling block'. ...

e'', part of the European ''

'' (literally "stumbling stone") memorial project, are scattered around Greifswald. The brass plaques, engraved with the names of Jewish residents who were murdered in the Holocaust, are embedded in the sidewalk in front of houses where they once lived. Some of the ''Stolpersteine'' in Greifswald mark the nationwide November 9, 1938, '' Kristallnacht'' pogroms in which members of the Nazi SA and SS murdered many German Jews, vandalized Jewish property and burned down synagogues – including the Greifswald Synagogue, dating from 1787. In 2012 all the 13 Stolpersteine were stolen, presumably by pro-Nazi extremists. The following year (2013) they were replaced. A memorial plaque was installed on the site of the synagogue in 2008 in a ceremony attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Objects named after
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
perpetrators

Wissenschaftskolleg Greifswald ( Alfried Krupp Institute for Advanced Study) * Ferdinand Sauerbruch Street

Transport

According to a 2009 study, 44% of all people in Greifswald use their bicycle for daily transport within the city, which, at the time, was the highest rate in Germany. There are also public local and regional bus operators. Local buses are run b
SWG (Stadtwerke Greifswald)
Greifswald is situated at an equal distance of about to Germany's two largest cities,

and

, which can be reached via the Autobahn 20 by car in about two hours. There are also train connections to and from Hamburg (via

and

), and Berlin. The popular summer tourist destinations Usedom and Rügen can be reached both by car and train. Greifswald railway station connects Greifswald with

, Züssow, Usedom, Angermünde,

Eberswalde Eberswalde () is a major town and the administrative seat of the district Barnim in Brandenburg in north-eastern Germany, about northeast of Berlin. Population 42,144 (census in June 2005). The town is often called Waldstadt (forest town), beca ...

and

(through Pasewalk). The station is also served by

ICE Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

and

EuroCity EuroCity (EC) is an international Train categories in Europe, train category and brand for European inter-city rail, inter-city trains that cross international borders and meet criteria covering comfort, speed, food service, and cleanliness. E ...

services to cities in Germany and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. Greifswald has a port on the

as well as several marinas. The historic city centre is about off the shore, and can be reached by yachts and small boats on the river Ryck. The Bay of Greifswald is a popular place for sailing and surfing, with Germany's two largest islands, Rügen and Usedom, just off the coast.

Notable people

Early Times

* Bartholomäus Sastrow (1520–1603), mayor of Stralsund and autobiographer * Sibylla Schwarz (1621–1638), poet * Count Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld (1651–1722), Swedish field marshal * Christian Thomsen Carl (1676–1713), a Danish naval officer, saved the town council's archives * Joh. Chr. Andreas Mayer (1747–1801), physician * Christian Wilhelm Ahlwardt (1760–1830), philologist *

(1774–1840), Romantic painter. * Karl Schildener (1777–1843), lawyer and local historian * Ludwig Julius Caspar Mende (1779–1832), gynecologist, obstetrician and coroner * Friedrich Christian Rosenthal (1780–1829), anatomist * Adolph Wilhelm Otto (1786–1845), anatomist

19th C.

* Heinrich Eddelien (1802–1852), a Danish history painter * Johann Karl Rodbertus (1805–1875), economist and socialist. * Edmund Hoefer (1819–1882), novelist and literary critic. *

Wilhelm Ahlwardt Wilhelm Ahlwardt (4 July 1828, Greifswald – 2 November 1909, Greifswald) was a German orientalist who specialized in research of Arabic literature. He was the son of philologist Christian Wilhelm Ahlwardt (1760–1830). Biography He ...

(1828–1909), orientalist * Rudolf Schirmer (1831–1896), ophthalmologist * Heinrich Heydemann (1842–1889), classical philologist and archaeologist *

Elisabeth of Wied Elisabeth of Wied (Pauline Elisabeth Ottilie Luise; 29 December 18432 March 1916) was the first Queen of Romania as the wife of King Carol I from 15 March 1881 to 27 September 1914. She had been the princess consort of Romania since her marriage ...

(1843–1916) first queen of Romania as the wife of King Carol I. * Hans Hartwig von Beseler (1850–1921), WWI

Colonel general Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

* Max Lenz (1850–1932), historian * Heinrich Bandlow (1855–1933), author, writing in Standard as well as in Low German * Otto Schirmer (1864–1918), ophthalmologist * Georg Engel (1866–1931), writer, dramatist and literary critic * Percival Pollard (1869–1911), literary critic, novelist and short story writer * Ludwig Tessnow (1872–1904), child serial killer * Gertrud Berger (1876–1949), landscape painter who lived here * Konrad Haenisch (1876–1925), journalist, editor and politician * Friedrich Baethgen (1890–1972), historian, specialized in medieval studies *

Heinrich Zimmer Heinrich Robert Zimmer (6 December 1890 – 20 March 1943) was a German Indologist and linguist, as well as a historian of South Asian art, most known for his works, ''Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization'' and ''Philosophies of Indi ...

(1890–1943), Indologist and historian of South Asian art * Hans Fallada (1893–1947), author * Kurt Wolff (1895–1917), WWI flying ace DE Gercke Doris 2007-10-05 by Steschke

20th C.

* Wolfgang Koeppen (1906–1996), author *

Magnus von Braun Magnus "Mac" Freiherr von Braun (10 May 1919 – 21 June 2003) was a German chemical engineer, Luftwaffe aviator, rocket scientist and business executive. In his 20s, he worked on Nazi Germany’s guided missile development and production at the ...

(1919–2003), chemical engineer, aviator and rocket scientist * Gerhard Gentzen (1909–1945), mathematician and logician * Ray Guillery FRS (1929–2017), physiologist and neuroanatomist * Josef Sommer (born 1934), actor * Doris Gercke (born 1937), writer of crime thrillers * Hans Lüssow (born 1942), naval officer, Vice Admiral of the German navy, inspector of the navy * Lutz Feldt (born 1945), naval officer, Vice Admiral of the German navy, inspector of the navy * Joachim Dreifke (born 1952), rower, medallist in the

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

and

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

* Cornelia Linse (born 1959), rower and medallist in the

* Caren Metschuck (born 1963), swimmer, gold medalist at the

* Martin Jankowski (born 1965), author * Susanne Wiest (born 1967), activist for the unconditional basic income * Jarkko Martikainen (born 1970), a Finnish singer, songwriter and member of the rock band YUP * Alexander Kowalski (born 1978), techno music artist * Robin Szolkowy, (born 1979), pair figure skater and twice Olympic bronze medalist * Judith Schalansky (born 1980), writer, book designer and publisher * Sebastian Sylvester (born 1980), former middleweight boxing champion * Luise Amtsberg (born 1984), politician, member of the Bundestag for Alliance 90/The Greens. * Verena Schott (born 1989), Paralympic swimmer and Paralympic medal winner. * Toni Kroos (born 1990), former footballer for

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

and

Germany national football team The Germany national football team () represents Germany in men's international Association football, football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association (''Deutscher Fußball-Bund''), founded ...

* Felix Kroos (born 1991), former footballer and brother of Toni Kroos

Notes and references

External links

* * *
University of Greifswald (official website)

Pomeranian State Museum, Greifswald (official website)

Theater Vorpommern

Greifswald, damals und heute
(private photo series on the urban agenda in the last 20 years) {{Authority control Members of the Hanseatic League Port cities and towns in Germany Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Populated coastal places in Germany (Baltic Sea) Vorpommern-Greifswald Populated places established in the 12th century 1250 establishments in Europe Holocaust locations in Germany Antisemitism in Germany