The origins of Greifswald can be traced back to the foundation of the Hilda/Eldena Monastery by Danish Cistercian monks. In the years to follow, Germans, Danes and Slavs settled around the monastery grounds. In 1241 Wizlaw I, Prince of Rügen and Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania-Demmin, bestowed the right to hold markets upon the small settlement on the Ryck River. In 1250 the settlement was granted town status by the Duke of Pomerania.
After the estuary mouth of the Ryck River was declared a free port in 1254, Greifswald developed into an important emporium. The town became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1278.
As a result of Mayor Heinrich Rubenow's beseeching efforts, the University of Greifswald was founded in 1456 and is still an important economic factor today.
The Thirty Years' War brought times of great suffering. Greifswald was not spared either: The people suffered epidemic plagues and famine, soldiers besieged the town. In the wake of the Westphalian Peace Treaty signed in 1648, Greifswald was surrendered to the Swedish Crown. As Prussia laid claim to Western Pomerania as well, Greifswald was repeatedly besieged. Devastating fires in 1713 and 1736 destroyed many buildings, including the historic town hall.
As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, Greifswald was surrendered to Prussia in 1815 and became part of the newly founded Province of Pomerania. The long years of war finally yielded to an economic upturn: In 1863 Greifswald was connected to the railway line Berlin-Stettin. The newly built railway repair workshop remained the town's largest industrial venture until its shutdown in 1926.
The Hanseatic town overcame World War II without suffering great losses. In GDR times a nuclear plant was erected in the nearby Lubmin Heath. This prompted the rapid growth of the population in the university town and the development of new districts. However, the historic structures in the Old Town were disregarded and left to dereliction.
After German Unification no expense or effort was spared to restore the Old Town. Even the Wiek draw bridge, which was built in 1887, was reconstructed true to original and is counted to the town's landmarks today.
Greifswald-Information
Rathausarkaden
Am Markt
17489 Greifswald
phone: 03834-521380
fax: 03834-521382
e-mail: greifswald-information@t-online.de
Internet: www.greifswald.de