Rostock

The biggest port and shipbuilding center of the former East Germany, Rostock was founded around 1200. Of all the Hanseatic cities, this once-thriving city suffered the most from the dissolution of the League in 1669. The GDR reestablished Rostock as a major port, but after reunification, shipbuilding all but disappeared. Nevertheless, the city set its sights to the future, retooled its factories and is now a major producer of wind turbines. Ferries from Gedser (Denmark) and Trelleborg (Sweden) come here. The population doubles in the summer due to Baltic cruise ships that dock in Warnemünde. The biggest local annual attraction is Hanse Sail, a week of yacht racing held in August.