Rostock Things to Do

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The church dates to the 13th century and seems like just another old church from the outside. Do not be misled, for inside is a treat for the scientifically, historically oriented person. It is the Astronomical Clock, created in 1472, that continues to keep time. Every day at noon wheels start and figures at the top begin moving to count off another day. Jesus exits a door and enters another and is followed by the twelve apostles, all that is except Judas who finds the door is slammed in his face and he is left out in the cold - a medieval joke on display. The rest of the church interior is fascinating as well, but the clock is the highlight. Tip: be early since a lot of people like to watch the action. Also, it is dark and flash is discouraged, so photographers select a fast ASA and be ready.

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This city-owned theater, which is also subsidized by the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has its own drama, opera and ballet ensembles and its own orchestra, the North German Philharmonic.

In the 1980s, towards the end of the German Democratic Republic, around 700 people were employed by the theater. Now they have less than half that number. At last count there were 341 employees, including 21 actors, 17 opera singers, 36 choral singers, 15 ballet dancers, 83 orchestra musicians and 70 technicians.

Still, it's a large and impressive organization for a city of 200,000 people, and they put on an extensive program of drama, musical theater, ballet and concerts -- despite ongoing controversies and impending budget cuts.

The premiere I attended was very nearly sold out, and the performance was excellent.

Photos:
1. People's Theater with reflections of the buildings across the street.
2. Lobby of the People's Theater.
3. In the Large Hall: seating, orchestra pit, curtain.
4. Logo of the People's Theater (Volkstheater).

All you loyal readers of my Paris Off the Beaten Path tips (thanks again to both of you!) may recall that in one of these tips I described the light satirical operettas known as "Offenbachiades", by the composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880). In his long career Offenbach wrote exactly 100 of these operettas, which were hugely successful in Paris in the 1850s, 60s and 70s.

I have seen several of these "Offenbachiades", but the one I know best is La Péricole, because I saw it several times when the Frankfurt Opera staged it in 1998, and I saw it again at a small theater in Paris in the summer of 2008.

On my third trip to Rostock in January 2009 it happened that the Volkstheater was doing its premiere of a new production of one of the most famous of these "Offenbachiades", Orpheus in the Underworld.

Now the story of Orpheus is actually a tragedy which has been dealt with in numerous serious operas, beginning with Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo from the year 1607 -- one of the very first operas ever written.

But Offenbach and his librettists changed the plot around to make it very funny, and the staging in Rostock was superb. At the end of the premiere everyone involved was warmly applauded, including the stage director Babette Bartz.

This historic building in the City Harbor has been renovated and turned into a small theater with exactly 200 seats.

(In Frankfurt they would have left out the 200th seat because of fire department regulations, but here the cut-off point seems to be different.)

This little theater belongs to the Volkstheater (People's Theater) and is used for smaller, alternative drama productions.

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One street in the harbour quarter has preserved, or better re-acquired, its pre-war appearance with a row of gabled houses.

The oldest among them is the so-called Hausbaumhaus, a brick gothic house dated around 1490, which still has its historical roof construction carried by one single long tree trunk.

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The old town fortifications are partly preserved along the southern and eastern edge. The most impressive parts can be found in the southwest between Kröpeliner Tor and Schwaansche Straße. Outside the town wall we still have the ramparts, now turned into a park, and further below a rest of the deep moat which once surrounded the city.

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University Square is the liveliest spot in the city. University students and shoppers in Kröpeliner Straße mall pass and take a rest underneath the trees. The “Joy of Life” fountain in the middle of the square (see separate tip) attracts kids and adults.

Buildings around Universitätsplatz:
Main university building in the west (see separate tip)
Barocksaalgebäude with the street gate (around 1750): formerly the Ducal theatre, it is now used for cultural events.
Palais of the Ducal family (1714)
Hauptwache (1823): the neoclassical guard-house with a huge Doric porticus
Fünf-Giebel-Haus (1983-1986): named after its five gables. Mecklenburg’s local tradition of bricks and stepped gables has been translated into DDR postmodern architecture.

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Respect please: The University of Rostock was founded in 1419. It was the first university in the whole of Northern Europe, a centre of humanism that influenced Scandinavia and the Baltic states. In those times it was known as “the Light of the North”.

The main building in Universitätsplatz is, however, much younger. The renaissance style of the façade reminds us of the Ducal Palaces in Wismar and Schwerin but it is a 19th century ‘neo’ which was built in 1867-1870.

The building is open, at least on weekdays, and you can walk in but don’t ask if you may. The main staircase is worth a look and **whispers** there are free public toilets behind the foyer on the ground floor.