Stralsund
Panorama image of Stralsund
Stralsund
Location of the town of Stralsund within Vorpommern-Rügen district
Coordinates	54°18′N 13°5′E / 54.3°N 13.08333°E / 54.3; 13.08333Coordinates: 54°18′N 13°5′E / 54.3°N 13.08333°E / 54.3; 13.08333
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District	Vorpommern-Rügen
Lord Mayor	Alexander Badrow (CDU)
Basic statistics
Area	38.97 km2 (15.05 sq mi)
Elevation	13 m  (43 ft)
Population	57,670 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	1,480 /km2 (3,833 /sq mi)
Founded	1234
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	HST
Postal codes	18435, 18437, 18439
Area code	03831
Website	www.stralsund.de

Stralsund (German pronunciation: [ˈʃtʁaːlzʊnt]) is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, situated at the southern coast of the Strelasund (a sound of the Baltic Sea separating the island of Rügen from the mainland).^[2] Two bridges (the Rügendamm and since October 2007 the new Rügen bridge) and several ferry services connect Stralsund with the ports of Rügen.^[2] A former district-free town, it is the capital of the new district of Vorpommern-Rügen since the September 2011 district reforms.

The main industries of Stralsund are shipyards, fishing, and, to an increasing degree, tourism.

History[link]

In medieval ages, the Stralsund area was part of the West Slavic Principality of Rügen, which was part of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1168. At that time, the Dänholm isle and fishing village, both at the site of the latter town, were named Strale / Stralow, Polabian for "arrow" (this meaning is still preserved in the town's coat of arms, showing an arrow).

In the course of German Ostsiedlung, many German settlers, gentry and merchants were called into the principality, and eventually populated the Strale settlement. Merchants from other countries as well as locals were attracted to the area and made up for one third of the town's population. The Danish navy was using the isle as well. When the settlement had grown to town size, prince Wizlaw I of Rügen granted Lübeck law to "our town Stralow" in 1234. In 1240, when the prince gave additional land to the town, he called it Stralesund.

The success of the settlement challenged the powerful Free City of Lübeck, which burnt Stralsund down in 1249. Afterwards the town was rebuilt with a massive town wall having 11 town gates and 30 watchtowers. The Neustadt, a town-like suburb, was merged to Stralsund by 1361. Schadegard, a twin town to Stralsund also founded by Wizlaw I nearby, but was not granted German law, served as the principal stronghold and enclosed a fort. It was given up and torn down by 1269 under the pressure of the Stralsund Bürger.

In 1293 Stralsund became a member of the Hanseatic League.^[2] A total of 300 ships flying the flag of Stralsund cruised the Baltic Sea in the 14th century. In 1325, the Principality of Rügen became part of the Duchy of Pomerania, Stralsund however maintained a considerable independence.

In the 17th century, Stralsund became a theatre in the Thirty Years' War. In the Battle of Stralsund (1628), the town was besieged by Albrecht von Wallenstein after the council refused to accept the Capitulation of Franzburg.^[3] Stralsund resisted with Danish and Swedish support.^[3] The Swedish garrison in Stralsund was the first on German soil in history.^[3] With the Treaty of Stettin (1630), the town became one of two major Swedish forts in the Duchy of Pomerania, besides Stettin (now Szczecin).^[4]

After the war, the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and the Treaty of Stettin (1653) made Stralsund part of Swedish Pomerania. Lost to Brandenburg in the Battle of Stralsund (1678), it was restored to Sweden in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679). In the Great Northern War in 1715 Charles XII led the defence of Stralsund for a year against the united European armies. Stralsund remained under Swedish control until the Battle of Stralsund (1807), when it was seized by Napoleon Bonaparte's army. Seized by Ferdinand von Schill's freikorps in 1809, it was subsequently re-gained by France, with Schill killed in action. In the Congress of Vienna (1815), Stralsund became a part of the Prussian Province of Pomerania and the seat of a government region resembling the former Swedish Pomerania.

From 1949 until German Reunification in 1990, Stralsund was part of the German Democratic Republic.

Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Country	Germany
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Reference	1067
Region **	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	2002 (26th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO

Main sights[link]

• The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square (Alter Markt), with the Gothic Town Hall (13th century). Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas' Church), built in 1270-1360. The square is surrounded by houses from different periods, including the Gothic Wulflamhaus (a 14th-century patrician house, today a restaurant), and the Baroque Commandantenhaus, seat of the old Swedish command headquarters.
• The Jakobikirche (Saint James's Church), built in mid-14th century. It was destroyed several times, e.g. by Wallenstein and in World War II.
• The Marienkirche (Saint Mary's Church), built in 1383-1473 in Gothic style, is the largest church in Stralsund, and from 1625—1647 it was the world's tallest structure. Its octagonal tower (104 meters high) offers a magnificent view of Stralsund and the neighboring islands of Rügen and Hiddensee.
• The Katharinenkloster (Monastery of Saint Catherine), built in the 15th century, houses two museums: a museum of history, and an oceanography museum. The ancient refectory of the monastery is one of the most spectacular Gothic interiors in Germany.
• The Johanniskloster (Franciscan monastery, 1254), is one of the oldest buildings in the town.
• Stralsund is the port of registry for the former German Reichsmarine Navy Sail Training ship "Gorch Fock" 1. It is now a floating museum
• Stralsund has several museums dedicated to marine life and human interaction with the sea. The biggest ones are the German Oceanographic Museum and the new Ozeaneum. There is also a Nautineum. There is also the Marine Museum containing the history of the Germany Navy. It is located on Dänholm Island a former historic Navy Base. This museum houses one of the last remaining DDR Volksmarine torpedo boats.

Transport[link]

Stralsund is linked to the A20 motorway (towards Berlin and Hamburg), via the B96n dual-carriageway. Other major roads include the B105 (beginning in the town centre and continuing to Rostock) and the B96 (major road to Rügen) and the B194 to Grimmen.

Stralsund Hauptbahnhof is on the line to Berlin, Rostock, Pasewalk and Bergen.

When travelling by air, passengers usually do so via Rostock Laage Airport with connecting flights from Munich.

Town buses are run by SWS (Stadtwerke Stralsund).

International relations[link]

Twin towns and sister cities[link]

Stralsund is twinned with:

• Malmö, Sweden^[5]
• Stargard Szczeciński, Poland
• Ventspils, Latvia
• Trelleborg, Sweden
• Pori, Finland
• Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein/Germany
• Svendborg, Denmark

Gallery[link]

• 

  Stralsund as seen from the seaside.

• 

  Founding document from 1234.

• 

  Marienkirche (St. Mary's church).

• 

  Nikolaikirche (St. Nicolas's church).

• 

  Nicolaikirche by night

Notable residents[link]

• Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769–1860)
• Adolf Heinrich Graf von Arnim-Boitzenburg (1803–1868)
• Hermann Burmeister (1807–1892)
• Joachim Nicolas Eggert (1779–1813)
• Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson (1809–1848)
• Hans Henrik von Essen (1755–1824)
• Jürgen Heuser (b. 1953)
• Eduard von Jachmann (1822–1887)
• Thomas Kantzow (before 1526)
• Gustav Karl Wilhelm Hermann Karsten (1817–1908)
• Harry Kupfer (b. 1935)
• William Lindley (1808–1900)
• Helmut Losch (1947–2005)
• Ulrike Maisch (b. 1977)
• Hermann von Mallinckrodt (1821–1874)
• Angela Merkel (b. 1954), politician; her office is still located on the main shopping street
• Silke Möller (b. 1960)
• Arnold Ruge (1802–1880)
• Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786)
• Ferdinand von Schill (1776–1809)
• Georg Friedrich Schömann (1793–1879)
• Friedrich Spielhagen (1829–1911), writer
• Leonhard Tietz(1849–1914), merchant
• Christian Ehrenfried Weigel (1748–1831)
• Georg Wertheim (1857–1939), merchant

See also[link]

• Stralsunder Highflier

Sources[link]

Footnotes[link]

Further reference[link]

• Britannica Online Encyclopedia, "Stralsund" (city), 2007, webpage: EB-Stralsund.

External links[link]

Find more about Stralsund on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
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	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• The "Stralsund Expedition" of 1715, depicted in Thomas Carlyle's "History Of Friedrich II of Prussia"

v t e Urban and rural districts in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany from 1994 to 2011 Urban districts Greifswald Neubrandenburg Rostock Schwerin Stralsund Wismar Rural districts Bad Doberan Demmin Güstrow Ludwigslust Mecklenburg-Strelitz Müritz Nordvorpommern Nordwestmecklenburg Ostvorpommern Parchim Rügen Uecker-Randow

v t e World Heritage Sites in Germany Northern Fagus Factory in Alfeld · Berlin Modernism Housing Estates · Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin · Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin · Bremen: Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace · Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water Management System · Hildesheim: St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Michael's Church · Hanseatic City of Lübeck · Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar · The Wadden Sea1 · Ancient Beech Forests2 Central Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau · Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz · Dresden Elbe Valley (delisted in 2009) · Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg · Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski3 · Collegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg · Wartburg Castle · Classical Weimar Western Aachen Cathedral · Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl · Cologne Cathedral · Messel Pit Fossil Site · Upper Middle Rhine Valley · Speyer Cathedral · Trier: Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady · Völklingen Ironworks · Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen Southern Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch · Town of Bamberg · Frontiers of the Roman Empire:4 Upper Germanic & Rhaetian Limes · Maulbronn Monastery Complex · Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof · Monastic Island of Reichenau · Pilgrimage Church of Wies · Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square  · Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps5 1 Shared with the Netherlands · 2 Shared with Slovakia and Ukraine  · 3 Shared with Poland · 4 Shared with the United Kingdom  · 5 Shared with Austria, France, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland

v t e Members of the Hanseatic League by Quarter Chief cities are highlighted; Free Imperial Cities of the Holy Roman Empire are shown in italics. Wendish Quarter Lübeck Anklam · Demmin · Greifswald · Hamburg · Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) · Lüneburg · Rostock · Rügenwalde (Darłowo) · Stettin (Szczecin) · Stolp (Słupsk) · Stockholm · Stralsund · Visby · Wismar Saxon Quarter Brunswick Berlin · Bremen · Erfurt · Frankfurt an der Oder · Goslar · Magdeburg Baltic Quarter Danzig (Gdańsk) Breslau (Wrocław) · Dorpat (Tartu) · Elbing (Elbląg) · Königsberg (Kaliningrad) · Kraków · Reval (Tallinn) · Rīga · Thorn (Toruń) Westphalian Quarter Cologne* Dortmund* Deventer · Groningen · Kampen · Münster · Osnabrück · Soest Principal Kontore Bryggen (Bergen) · Hanzekantoor (Bruges, Antwerp†) · Steelyard (London) · Peterhof (Novgorod) Subsidiary Kontore Bishop's Lynn · Falsterbo · Ipswich · Kovno (Kaunas) · Malmö · Polotsk · Pskov Other cities Bristol · Boston · Damme · Leith · Herford · Hull · Newcastle · Stargard · Yarmouth · York * Cologne and Dortmund were both capital of the Westphalian Quarter at different times. † Antwerp gained importance once Bruges became inaccessible due to the silting of the Zwin channel.