Crossed by the Warnow and located nearly centrally on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Baltic Sea coast, Rostock is the largest Baltic port of Germany. In 1251, the city became a member of the Hanseatic League, so that in the 14th century it was a powerful seaport town. In 1419, one of the earliest universities in Europe, the University of Rostock, was founded. Beginning with the end of the 15th century, the city largely lost its economic importance, which regained it in the first half of the 19th century, due at first to the wheat trade, then, from the 1850s, to industry, especially to its shipyards.
In the 20th century, important aircraft manufacturing facilities were situated in the city, which was subjected to repeated and increasingly heavy bombing attacks in WWII. After the war, the city - now in the German Democratic Republic - became East Germany's largest seaport. Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, Rostock lost its privileged position as the No. 1 port of the GDR, and the city's population declined to about 200,000. However, after 2006, the population increased again. Today, Rostock and Warnemünde are significant tourist destinations on the Baltic Sea.
One of the most picturesque places in Rostock is the Neuer Markt (New Market Square), with the Town Hall - that was originally built in the 13th century in Brick Gothic style, but extensively transformed in the 18th century, with the addition of a Baroque façade and a banqueting hall. The 15th-century Kerkhofhaus is considered the best preserved brick Gothic house in Rostock. St. Mary's Church Marienkirche is an imposing Brick Gothic church, built in the 13th century. The main pedestrian precinct is Kröpeliner Strasse, that runs east from the Neuer Markt to the 14th-century Kröpeliner Tor, a former town gate.
About the stamp
The stamp, designed by Serres, was issued on August 7, 2008 to mark The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch (1808-1883). Franz Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch was a German politician and economist, responsible for the organizing of the world's first credit unions. He was also co-founder of the German Progress Party.
References
Rostock - Wikipedia
Sender: Jorn Hegner (direct swap)
Sent from Rostock (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern / Germany), on 10.12.2016
Photo: J. Knobloh
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