Hanseatic Greifswald: An afternoon in an old university city

Greifswald is a small city in Western Pomerania, located on the Baltic Sea near the German islands of Rügen and Usedom and just 80 km from the Polish border. The city is well known for being a university city; in fact, out of a population of around 60,000, over 11,000 of them are university students! Just like nearby Stralsund, Greifswald was part of the Hanseatic League in the Medieval period, during which the university was founded in 1456, making it the fourth oldest university in Germany and the second oldest university in Northern Europe (after Rostock).

My family and I were on holiday in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, based in the city of Stralsund, when I received a message from an old friend on Instagram. Runa, who I’d met at the Stone Age gathering in Lejre back in 2018, lives in Greifswald and asked if we would like to spend the afternoon seeing her and her beautiful city. I didn’t even know that she lives so close, so it was a lovely surprise!

And so we travelled to Greifswald to meet up with Runa, but we also discovered a beautiful, quaint city well worth exploring. A city I’d never even heard of before!

Greifswald looks a lot like other cities and towns in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with its mix of Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Neo-classical architectural styles, but it has a cozy feel to it that I rarely come by. The central market square was the first place we saw, and I was completely spellbound by its beauty and charm, featuring many historical buildinds including the iconic red town hall, atmospheric restaurants and cafés and a cozy market.

We had some time to kill before meeting up with Runa, so we decided to visit one of the city’s three main churches, St. Nikolai. Dedicated to Saint Nicholas, this Brick Gothic church was built in the late 13th century as the main church and seat of bishop of the Pomeranian Evangelical Church.

The church tower offers a panoramic view at 60 meters over the city. For 3 euros each, my mum and I climbed the 264 steps to see the city from above. We were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the market square, the harbour in the distance and the flat countryside surrounding the city.

After our little church adventure, we parted ways as my family continued their explorations of the city, and I headed back to the market square to meet up with Runa.

We settled for a tasty lunch of burgers, the best sweet potato fries ever and fritz-kola, which we enjoyed while catching up and soaking in the atmosphere of the square on a warm summer’s day.

With satisfied stomachs, we met up with my family for a tour of Runa’s university. She told us all about the history of the university and showed us around the oldest campus in town and inside impressive old classrooms with centuries-old carvings in the wooden benches.

I studied at a modern (and rather boring) university in Copenhagen, so it was really interesting for me to see one of the oldest universities in Europe from a local’s perspective!

After many wonderful hours spent in Greifswald, it was time to say goodbye to Runa who had to continue studying for an upcoming exam, and for us to head back to Stralsund. Our visit to Greifswald was unexpected and spontaneous, and it wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for Runa. But I’m very glad it did, because I discovered yet another city in northern Germany that I really love!

WANT MORE INFO?: Download a city guide for Greifswald with GPSmyCity here!