Greifswald (German Greif=Eagle, Wald=Forest;Polish: Gryfia) is a city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Located at the south end of the Baltic Sea, and the mouth of the Ryck river. Population: ca. 55,000.
Historical Notes
The first settlers at the place were Danish Cistercian monks, who founded the Eldena monastery in 1199. Due to the salt trade the monastery grew to a monumental religious centre. The town of Greifswald close to the monastery was first time mentioned in 1248. After rapid growth Greifswald was one of the co-founders of the Hanseatic League at the end of the 13th century.
The town of Greifswald was captured by Sweden in 1631 as a result of the 30 Years War, and remained Swedish until 1815.
During the period of socialist rulership after the Second World War, parts of the historic city have seen little renovation efforts. Since the German reunification of 1989/1990 this has changed substantially.
Ernst Moritz Arndt University
In 1456, the University of Greifswald (Alma Mater Gryphiswaldensis) was founded, being the second oldest in Northern Europe. For a time, it was also the oldest institution of higher education in Sweden and, later, Prussia. There are currently about 9,500 students studying at the faculties of science and math, medicine, theology, and philosophy/philology. Due to the size of the town of Greifswald, it is rather a university with a town than a town with a university. Prior to the Second World War, it was among the wealthiest universities in Germany, owning lots of arable land. The university today owns several prestigious art objects, including one of four original 36 lines Gutenberg Bibles from the 15th century. In 1933, it was named after Ernst Moritz Arndt.
People
- Romanticist painter Caspar David Friedrich was born in Greifswald
Weblinks
- Official website if the City of Greifswald
- Pomeranian State Museum Greifswald
- Theater Vorpommern
- Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald
See also: Swedish Pomerania'