Wismar

Wismar, the second seaport of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, on the Baltic, at the head of a bay of the same name, 20 miles by rail N. of Schwerin. It has an excellent harbour, carries on an active over-sea trade, and has varied manufactures. Of the walls only four gates remain; but the numerous quaint old houses are a feature of the place, and several of the brick churches, as well as the Fürstenhof, once a ducal residence, date from the 14th and 15th centuries. It was a Hanse town in the 13th century, passed to Sweden in 1649, was taken by the Danes in 1675, and by the Danes, Prussians, and Hanoverians in 1712, when its strong fortifications were destroyed, and in 1803 was pawned to Mecklenburg-Schwerin, which secured it finally in 1828. Pop. 15,797.