Large sections of Rostock's city fortifications are still preserved today. The city wall, gates, towers, watchtowers, and ramparts were built in the second half of the 13th century. The longest section of the city wall, stretching 450 meters, extends southwest of the Gothic Kröpeliner Gate to Schwaansche Straße.
Starting from the Steintor, you follow the city wall to Mecklenburg's oldest city gate, the Kuhtor (first documented in 1262). A plaque embedded in the wall at St. Peter's Church commemorates the city's confirmation of its charter in 1218. The last remaining Strandtor gate is the Mönchentor, which was redesigned in the neoclassical style in 1806.
After the original town centers of the three Rostock towns had officially united to form one town in 1265, the common town wall, about three kilometers long, was built, which had more than 20 town gates.
When the city grew beyond the limits of the city wall for the first time in the 19th century, it was loosened and in some cases greatly reduced in height.
Nevertheless, three of the massive country gates made of brick (Steintor, Kuhtor, Kröpeliner Tor) and a beach gate from the classical period (Mönchentor), a wall tower (Lagebuschturm), large parts of the city wall with a total length of around 1300 meters and parts of the fortress wall are still intact today receive.
The city wall was around three kilometers long, enclosed an area of around one square kilometer and was up to 1.20 meters thick.
From 1400 the city wall was preceded by two ramparts and two ditches, the outer one of which carried water.
To protect the properties outside the city wall, the natural watercourses, ditches, ramparts and thorn barriers served as land defenses.
In the following year he left the stone gate, its front gate, the Zwingerhof with its gate, the part of the city wall from the Wiekhaus at the Dominican monastery to the Kuhtor and the "tower on the Rammelsberg" with ramparts, ditches and bridges as well as parts of the east and south side of the Klosters grinding.
A ski jump in front of the Petritor, on which up to 300 workers from the nearby villages had to come to help, could not be completed, but the loopholes in the city wall near the Petrikirche could.
During a storm surge in 1625, the entire city wall from the Heringstor to the Gerbhof was torn down, and another severely damaged the fisherman's roundabout in 1663.
From the middle of the 19th century, the city grew beyond the limits of the city wall for the first time.
In 1948, the western city wall between the Kröpeliner Tor and the Fischerbastion was torn down to make room for a parade ground that was never built.
In addition, traces of the extension and the city wall are visible, as well as a wooden battlement that used to be below the spire.
In addition, a section of the city wall adjoining the Kröpeliner Tor to the north was demolished up to the fisherman's bastion in favor of traffic plans that were never realized.
There are plans to close the gap between the gate and the city wall again, but these were initially rejected in April 2006.
Cultural history museum with the history of the city of Rostock. You can only get into the church through the exhibition. Entry is free. Photography costs €2.
Definitely worth seeing.
Translated by Google •
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