Wismar is the Baltic port that spent a century and a half as a piece of Sweden, and it still shows. Between 1648, when the Peace of Westphalia handed it to the Swedish crown, and 1803, when it was pledged to Mecklenburg, the town was a fortified Swedish outpost, and two stone heads at the harbour entrance, the so-called Swedish Heads, are a reminder of the time.
The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed together with Stralsund in 2002 for its Hanseatic architecture. Brick Gothic is the language here: huge red churches with tall towers, steep gabled merchant houses and a vast market square, one of the biggest in northern Germany, with a handsome pavilion in its centre, the Wasserkunst, which once supplied the town's drinking water. The church of St Nicholas, with its enormous nave, stands as a symbol of the wealth of the Hanseatic League.
The harbour is the place for lunch. Fish rolls, called Fischbrötchen, are sold from small boats and kiosks along the quay, filled with herring, smoked salmon or crab, and eaten on the spot with a view of the fishing boats. A few small ferries and sightseeing vessels leave from the quay, and the sea air is a welcome change after the day's riding. The nearby coastline has long, quiet beaches and a few small seaside resorts.
For a rider, Wismar is the end of a long, flat ride through Mecklenburg's lakes and fields. The roads are straight and the wind can be strong, with a good chance of a headwind on the way out and a tailwind on the way back, or the other way around. The surface is generally good, and the avenues of old trees that line many of the roads are lovely in the early summer. Fuel is available in town, and Hornstorf, a village to the south, has little. Come in the evening, when the brick glows red and the harbour is quiet.