Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [662]
The delightful town of Prerow (www.ostseebad-prerow.de, in German) is renowned for its seamen’s church and lighthouse.
Some 60,000 migratory cranes stop over in the park every spring and autumn, their biggest resting ground in Central Europe. For more information, contact the park authority, Nationalparkamt Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft ( 038234-5020; www.nationalpark-vorpommersche-boddenlandschaft.de, in German), which has nine information offices spread across the park.
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WESTERN POMERANIA
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STRALSUND
03831 / pop 57,613
Stralsund was once the second-most important member of the Hanseatic League, after Lübeck, and its square gables interspersed with Gothic turrets, ornate portals and vaulted arches make it one of the leading examples of Backsteingotik (classic redbrick Gothic gabled architecture) in northern Germany. It has been classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2002.
As the main gateway to Rügen and Hiddensee islands, the added sight of holidaymakers in shorts and flip-flops wandering along its historic cobbled streets offers a rare, but thoroughly enjoyable, combination indeed.
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Orientation
The Altstadt is effectively on its own island, surrounded by lakes and the sea. Its main hubs are Alter Markt in the north and Neuer Markt in the south; a few blocks south of the latter is the central bus station. The Hauptbahnhof is across the Tribseer Damm causeway, west of Neuer Markt. The harbour is on the Altstadt’s eastern side.
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Information
Main post office (Neuer Markt 4)
Toffi’s Web Café ( 309 385; Am Lobshagen 8a; per hr €3; noon-10pm)
Tourismuszentrale ( 246 90; www.stralsund.de; Alter Markt 9; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun May-Oct, 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat Nov-Apr) Tourist information and room bookings.
Waschcafé ( 309 159; Wasserstrasse 18; 10am-8pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sun) Serviced laundry with internet terminals.
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Sights
ALTER MARKT
Seven copper turrets and six triangular gables grace the redbrick Gothic facade of Stralsund’s splendid Rathaus (1370). The upper portion of the northern facade, or Schauwand (show wall), has openings to prevent strong winds from knocking it over. Inside, the sky-lit colonnade boasts shiny black pillars on carved and painted bases; on the western side of the building is an ornate portal.
Through the Rathaus’ eastern walkway you’ll come to the main portal of the 1270 Nikolaikirche ( 297 199; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-noon & 2-4pm Sun Apr-Sep, 10am-noon & 2-4pm Mon-Sat, 11am-noon & 2-4pm Sun Oct-Mar), which was modelled on Lübeck’s Marienkirche and is filled with art treasures. The main altar (1708), designed by the baroque master Andreas Schlüter, shows the eye of God flanked by cherubs and capped by a depiction of the Last Supper. Also worth a closer look are the high altar (1470), 6.7m wide and 4.2m tall, showing Jesus’ entire life, and, behind the altar, a 1394-built (but no longer operational) astronomical clock.
Opposite the Rathaus you’ll find the Wulflamhaus (Alter Markt 5), a beautiful 15th-century town house named after an old mayor. Its turreted step gable imitates the Rathaus facade.
OTHER CHURCHES & CLOISTERS
The Neuer Markt is dominated by the massive 14th-century Marienkirche ( 293 529; Neuer Markt; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-5pm Sun), another superb example of north German redbrick construction. You can climb the steep wooden steps up the tower (adult/child €4/2) for a sweeping view of the town, with its lovely red-tiled roofs, and Rügen Island.
On Schillstrasse, reached via Külpstrasse, is the Johanniskloster ( 294 265; Schillstrasse 27; adult/concession €2.10/0.50; 10am-6pm Wed-Sun May-Oct), a former Franciscan monastery that’s now a concert venue. It’s famous for its ‘smoking attic’ (there was no chimney), chapter hall and cloister.
Be sure to peek