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This vibrant and cosmopolitan university and port town has a historical centre with typical north German brick architecture and a tangible maritime atmosphere. Rostock's two most important churches are located in its centre - St. Mary's has an astronomical clock dating from 1472 and from the tower of St. Peter's there is a good view of the old quarter and the town harbour.

The historic town hall is on Neuer Markt square. The main university building is in the middle of the pedestrian area. Gothic, Renaissance and baroque gabled houses are impressive reminders of the wealth enjoyed by Rostock's merchants in the Middle Ages, as are the mighty churches. The astronomical clock draws visitors into the Gothic basilica. Just a stone's throw away is the town hall with its baroque frontage.

In the Middle Ages the town hall also doubled as a merchants' hall where traders would come to sell their wares. The baroque banqueting hall on the upper floor is used for concerts. The town hall has been the seat of the town council for almost 800 years.

A 100-metre wide sandy beach with a promenade, a lighthouse, fish market, picturesque little fishermen's cottages, traditional fish restaurants, fishing boats and sailing boats on the Alter Strom waterway create an authentic maritime atmosphere. Rostock Volkstheater stages drama, music theatre and dance theatre and is home to the North German Philharmonic. Performances by young artists from the College for Music and Drama add to the town's rich cultural life. Contemporary art can be seen at the Kunsthalle art gallery.

In recent years the Academy for Music and Theatre in Rostock has become something of a performance venue: teachers and students stage more than 200 shows a year, presenting their works to a critical public. For those in the know, these events are an important part of Rostock's cultural calendar.