Wismar is a red brick town on the Baltic, on a sheltered bay in Mecklenburg, and its story is that of the Hanseatic League, the medieval trading network of North German cities that dominated commerce in the Baltic and the North Sea. The town grew rich on beer, grain and the herring trade, and put its wealth into huge Gothic churches in dark brick, with towers that serve as landmarks at sea. Together with Stralsund it was listed by UNESCO in 2002 for the quality of its Hanseatic architecture, and the market square, one of the largest in northern Germany, is the heart of the place, with gabled houses of many centuries and a curious twelve-sided fountain house, the Wasserkunst, built in the Dutch Renaissance style in the early seventeenth century.
Between 1648 and 1803 Wismar belonged to Sweden, a chapter that left its mark in the Swedish heads, two stone busts that stand by the harbour. The Nikolaikirche, with its tall nave, is one of the highest brick Gothic churches anywhere, and the damaged remains of the Marienkirche, whose tower still stands, are a reminder of the bombing in the Second World War. The silent film Nosferatu, from 1922, used Wismar for some exterior shots, and the town lives with the legend.
The Baltic coast road here is a gentle, easy ride, with fields of rape, avenues of lime trees, small harbours and long beaches. It is not a twisty route. The pleasures are open skies, a fresh wind from the sea, and brick villages with thatched roofs, and the Baltic light, which is soft and pale. Summer, from June to September, is the season, with weekend traffic on the coast roads. The wind can be strong, and in winter the cold is raw. Watch for deer at dusk and for cyclists on the coastal trail.
Wismar is a town of forty-five thousand, with fuel stations, supermarkets, bakeries and workshops, so you are well served. At the harbour, stalls sell Fischbrötchen, bread rolls filled with smoked or pickled fish, and the little restaurants serve Baltic herring and smoked eel. Schwerin, with its fairy-tale castle on a lake, is about thirty kilometres to the south, and the island of Poel lies just north. Parking in the old town is limited, so use the car parks at the harbour or the edge of the centre, and carry some coins for the machines.