Soviet-era relics, sunny days in seaside Rostock

When I heard last year that the 2009 German Travel Mart would be held in Rostock, Germany, I admit I whipped out a map. For although this seaside town in the northern federal state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania is a draw for Europeans looking for sun, sea and sailing, it is still relatively unknown to most of us on this side of the pond.

Part of the reason for the semiobscurity is that until German reunification in 1990, Rostock was part of East Germany, and remnants of that era remain.

The other factor, I soon found out, is accessibility. To get there, I flew from Boston to Frankfurt, then took a connecting flight to Hamburg, where I boarded a bus for a nearly three-hour ride.

The payoff for all this travel time, however, was immediately apparent on arrival, when I found myself in a picturesque Baltic Sea resort with a distinctly Scandinavian feel and where the boats seem to outnumber the people.

A little Bloc, a lot Baltic

As we pulled into Rostock, our driver told us we would be taking a ferry across the Warnow River to our hotel, the Yachthafenresidenz Hohe Dune, a vast property with uninterrupted views of the sea.

My room wasn't ready, so I happily spent an hour at the spa, where friendly staff offered me everything from treatments to showers and plush robes to help me pass the time. I sipped a cappuccino at the waterfront cafe while I watched beachgoers strolling along the boardwalk and boats bobbing on the Baltic Sea.

This was not the Eastern bloc ambience I had been expecting. In fact, visitors will find that the two main sections of Rostock, the historical downtown and Warnemunde, are both packed with their own distinct appeal.

The downtown area is an intriguing mix of architecture, from Stalinist structures to the restored red-brick Gothic buildings that hark back to the city's stint as a powerful member of the 12th century Hanseatic League.

By contrast, the ornate, pastel-colored city hall presides over the Neuer Markt, a spacious plaza sprinkled with outdoor cafes and markets, and the imposing Marienkirche, with its medieval astronomical clock, dominates the skyline.

On the other hand, Warnemunde, just a few miles away, is a lively seaside resort that has retained much of the charm of its early days as a fishing village. Restaurants and shops line the waterfront, and on summer evenings, music and gaiety spill out into the streets from the hotels and restaurants along the shore.

Denmark lies a mere 25 or so miles away across the water, and it is sobering to realize that only 20 years ago, this region was cut off from the rest of Europe under the domination of the Soviet bloc.

You can structure an entire tour around remnants of life in the German Democratic Republic, including visits to guard towers, detention facilities and, most notably, the Documentation and Memorial Place in the former Stasi secret police building in Rostock's city center.

Sunniest climes

It is clear from looking around the city, however, that most visitors are not there to relive the gloomy past but rather to hit the sunny beaches, take a ride on a sailboat or navigate the 36-plus miles of hiking and cycling trails that wend through Rostock Heath, lush with flora and fauna.

Local tourism officials note that Mecklenburg-West Pomerania is Germany's sunniest region, which explains the 27.5 million overnight visitors who arrived in 2008, up from just under 10 million in 1992.

In fact, in summer, the region ties with better-known Bavaria as the most-visited destination in Germany. To accommodate that growth, the state has boosted its accommodations from 60,000 rooms in 1992 to 180,000 today.

Rostock recently expanded the marina where our hotel was located, turning it into one of the largest in the Baltic region.

The importance of the harbor can't be overstated. For one thing, the city is home to one of the best-known sailing races in the world, the annual Hanse Sail, which usually takes place in August and draws more than 1.5 million visitors. Sailors from around the world train here, and the vessels run the gamut from tidy sailboats lined up in rows to traditional tall ships that take visitors out for an afternoon on the water.

In Warnemunde, visitors can explore the boardwalk; sun themselves at the beach; catch the view from the lighthouse, which dates to 1897; and visit the restaurants and shops in the adjacent Teepott building.

Art aficionados can poke around the Cultural History Museum, a former convent now housing paintings and crafts dating to the Middle Ages, and the Kunsthalle art gallery, with its collection of contemporary art.

The IGA Park on the city's west bank offers gardens, a teahouse and a discovery center for children as well as the Shipbuilding and Maritime Museum, where visitors can learn about the construction of ships and seaplanes.

The Rostock Zoo is another family-friendly draw, with 250 species of animals and water-play areas for children.

Good to go

There is an airport in Rostock serving regional flights, and ferry service links Rostock with Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.

A two-day RostockCard, available at the local tourist office, hotels and transit points for about $11, is valid for all travel on public transportation.

For more on travel to Rostock, visit the German tourist board site at www.cometogermany.com.