This city on the Baltic Sea has more than 20 times as many visitors as residents; here you can find "Hanseatic flair": massive brick Gothic, harbour festivals, the traditional character of an old Hanseatic city overlaid with the cosmopolitan charm of a university city. Founded around 1229, over 300 historic buildings have been preserved in the city centre alone, despite repeated destruction over the centuries. These buildings, together with the preserved medieval plan of the city, are also on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
