Altes Rathaus

Stralsund's Altes Rathaus on the Alter Markt is considered one of the most important secular buildings in the North German Brick Gothic tradition and sits within the UNESCO World Heritage site of 'Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar'. Construction began between 1300 and 1310, at the height of Stralsund's Hanseatic power, when the city rivalled Lübeck as a dominant Baltic trading port. Its ornate blind-arcade façades and stepped gables are defining examples of Baltic Backsteingotik craftsmanship. Successive expansions through the 19th century layered additional styles onto the medieval core, making the building a physical archive of the city's changing fortunes. The town hall still houses municipal offices today and forms the centrepiece of any walk through the medieval Altstadt.