Rostock - Rathaus

With more than 200.000 inhabitants Rostock is the largest city in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Small Slavic settlements existed already in the 8th century. A settlement named Roztok was founded in the 11th century by Polabian Slavs. This town was burnt down by troops of the Danish king Valdemar I in 1161. Afterwards the place was settled by German traders.

After 1226 Rostock became the seat of the Lordship of Rostock.

In the 1250s the city became a member of the Hanseatic League. In the 14th century it was a powerful seaport town with 12,000 inhabitants and the largest city in Mecklenburg. Ships for cruising the Baltic Sea were constructed in Rostock. Until the last Hansa Convention in 1669, Rostock took a leading role in the Baltic Sea behind Lübeck.

In 1419, the University of Rostock was founded, the oldest university in the Baltic Sea area.

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The façade of the medieval town hall is largely obscured by Baroque additions and alterations, and the building has been extended several times.

After the merger of the three constituent towns in 1265, the "Neuer Markt" was designated as the site of a new, larger town hall for the city as a whole. The large town hall was erected on the east side of the square.

The building also served as a warehouse. In the rooms on the ground floor and in the cellar, sales places were set up, which were leased to cloth merchants. Later the cellar was converted into a beer and wine cellar. To this day, the vaulted cellar is still used as a council tavern.