The ferry docks in the Hanseatic town of Rostock (S). For eight centuries, Rostock has been the largest municipality in the land, but never the capital city. Once an important Hanseatic town, Rostock is still the centre of business and trade in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the busy city, every street corner brings you face to face with the good old days. There are ornamental gables everywhere, one more beautiful than the next. In between the gables, you´ll find the Holy Cross Abbey with the Museum of Cultural History, a few old warehouses, the museum of shipping and Neuer Markt with the town hall in baroque disguise. The town´s silhouette is still dominated by the three enormous brick churches, and the old town is surrounded by a town wall with huge gates and peaceful green areas along the ramparts. Rostock seems to have found the recipe for success: keep the old yet dare to introduce something new. The University, which was founded in 1419, must undoubtedly take some of the credit for this progressive approach. In 1867, the oldest university in the entire Baltic area acquired a main building in the new renaissance style that put the princely palaces of its time to shame.

Just a few minutes away, in the middle of the town, is the Stadthafen (town harbour) with a wide avenue of crafty bars and warehouses. Many yachts and large sailing ships dock here in the summer, particularly during Hanse Sail, the annual sailing ship festival. At the spot where the River Warnow joins the vast ocean lies Rostock´s "beautiful daughter" - Warnemünde [A]. In the previous century, this was an isolated fishing hamlet, but the town with the beautiful wide sandy beach reinvented itself as an elegant seaside resort. At Alter Strom the fishing boats and the graceful yachts lie side by side. The ferries to and from Scandinavia sail past the jetty, sometimes joined by luxury lines with up to 2,000 cruise passengers. The town still has big plans: Warnemünde is building a modern marina and a new conference centre area is being constructed in the part of town known as Schmarl. This is where the International Garden Exhibition (IGA) will be held in 2003: a world-class exposition by the sea.

If you leave the town via Biestow [1], you´ll be surprised how quickly you come across fields full of horses and gentle meadows covered in dandelions - enjoy the rural idyll to the full! Groß Stove [2] is home to one of the many outstanding manor houses in Mecklenburg. Proceed via Niendorf [3] to Pölchow [4], where the memorial with its oak of peace commands a quiet moment of reflection. In Huckstorf [5] you´ll find a colony of ecological houses. Once you´ve passed through Benitz [6], you´ll reach a beautiful valley nestling between the Beke and Warnow rivers, home to the small town of Schwaan (D). On the western edge of the square lies a well-preserved brick church from the early gothic period, the only 13th century building to have survived all three town fires. If you are interested in technology, take a look at the hoist bridge that leads across the Warnow river to the east of the old town. Schwaan has long been a popular destination, not just for the citizens of Rostock.