KurparkHotel Warnemuende

New and modernized buildings in Rostock

by Nemorino

For the entire forty years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) there was a housing shortage in Rostock, as everywhere else in East Germany, despite the feverish construction of low-quality pre-fab buildings known as Plattenbauten.

After reunification a building boom set in, pushed by speculators hoping to cash in on government subsidies and tax credits. At the same time the population started declining -- Rostock now has a population of around 200,000 people, down from nearly 260,000 at the end of the GDR -- so the housing shortage suddenly came to an end and some of those flimsy pre-fab buildings could be torn down.

The reasons for the decline in population were that people moved to the suburbs or to the West, and the birth rate also decreased quite drastically.

In any case, there are now lots of new or newly renovated buildings in the city center -- though some of the outlying neighborhoods still look much the same as they did twenty years ago, except that there are no longer any heaps of brown coal on the sidewalks.

Photos:
1. Buildings near the harbor in Rostock, 2009.
2. Renovated buildings as seen from the terrace of the Adult Education Center (VHS).

Rostock Brewery for Beer Lovers

by starship

We didn't get to visit the Rostock Brewery but I wish we had because I thought Rostock Beer was pretty darn good! Rostock master brewers follow a recipe which has been around since Rostock was an important Hanseatic city. How barley, hops and water are transformed into a great beer in 4 weeks or less is amazing. If you're wondering how this evolution takes place, treat yourself to a guided tour of the brewery to learn about the secrets of beer production. Though the recipe has been around for ages, today's beer is the product of modernized machinery and technique which yields Rostocker Beer at the rate of 50,000 bottles per hour!!!. BUT, sorry. If you're under 18 years old, you'll have to wait for your chance to see this process and taste the resulting amber-colored brew. For "adults" there is a tasty reward at the end of the tour!!

Our ship put on a wonderful "Biergarten" before we left Warnemuende and you guessed it, the beer of choice was Rostocker and we brought home several souvenir glass mugs.

View from Petri Steeple

by Kathrin_E

From the top floor of Petri steeple you can enjoy the view of the whole town. There is no open platform but you look out through the window holes which are closed with wire. Photographers, look for the rectangular holes in some wire nets, there is one on each side of the steeple.

Entrance fee for the steeple is 2 €. If you feel like some exercise you can climb the stairs. However, you don’t have to. There is a modern lift which was installed a few years ago when the spire had been rebuilt. You can go up by lift without a single stair, the steeple is accessible for disabled visitors. The wooden platform inside the top is completely flat and wide enough to manoeuvre a wheelchair.

Harbour and Harbour Quarter

by Russell_the_Wombat

One row of old houses in the Hafenviertel has survived both the war and 40 years of socialism.

Most of the quarter has however been destroyed or demolished and substituted by uniform Plattenbauten like these. The DDR architects have at least tried to adapt them to the local style by giving them brick facades in red and white.

Resting on a bench on the river promenade

This is the marina for yachts. The harbour for larger ships is further downstream.

This historical harbour crane is a reconstruction built in the 1990s by some local enthusiasts. It is fully functional. As you see, it is even capable of lifting big wombats.