Rostock, city in northeastern Germany, on the estuary of the Warnow River, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, near the Baltic Sea. Rostock is an important seaport and, with nearby Warnemünde, constitutes one of the major shipping centers of Germany, receiving a large part of the oil supplies imported into the country. Manufactures include machinery, chemicals, and processed food.
The city has the oldest university in northern Europe (1419) and a college of music. A number of old churches, including Saint Nicholas's Church, dating from the middle of the 13th century, and Saint Mary's Church, a Gothic structure begun in 1398, are located in Rostock. Saint Mary's features an astronomical clock from 1472 that is still operating. The Gothic city hall was also built in the 14th century. Rostock was founded in the 12th century on the site of a settlement of the Wends, and was chartered as a city in 1218. Subsequently, the city became a leading member of the Hanseatic League. Large sections of Rostock were severely damaged by bombing in World War II (1939-1945). In 1992, a mob attacked a hostel full of eastern European asylum seekers in Rostock. Population (1997) 232,634.
