Not only is the nearly 600-year-old university aptly described by the phrase 'traditio et innovatio', but the city on the Baltic, founded in 1218, also has a long history and is at the same time a place of dynamic developments.

Then and now

Its history marked by the flourishing trade in the Baltic region and its many years of membership in the mighty alliance of the Hansa, Rostock grew into a grand city in the first few hundred years of its founding. Even today, churches and town houses in the typical, redbrick Gothic style recall the city's earlier heyday.

Nowadays the picture of this most important economic center in the northeast of Germany is distinguished primarily by innovative branches of business. Big maritime companies profit from the efficient seaport, as do companies specializing in regenerative energies or the cruise industry, which has one of its most important Baltic ports in Rostock-Warnemünde. Six growing industries have emerged and are now setting the impressive tempo of economic development in the Rostock region: along with the maritime economy, these consist mainly of biotech and life sciences, logistics and trade, IT services, offshore technology and aerospace.

Nature and culture

Today Rostock, with its more than 200,000 residents, is the biggest city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Clean air, the nearby Baltic Sea and the beautiful Mecklenburg countryside, dotted by lakes, forests and fields, make the city an attractive place to live and work.

But the location and natural beauty are not all that is enticing. Rostock and its surroundings also have plenty to offer in the way of cultural events. Rostock's still young University of Music and Theater, attended by roughly 600 students from more than 40 nations, puts on more than 300 artistic events each year and is considered an insider's tip in Rostock's cultural calendar. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, held from June to September, is famous far beyond the state borders for the internationally acclaimed artists who come to perform in concert halls and churches, as well as in many of the picturesque castles and mansions.

All this draws a large number of guests to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Baltic coast. Some attractive tourist destinations that are quick and easy to reach from Rostock are the Fischland-Darß peninsula, the islands of Rügen and Hiddensee, and the World Heritage cities of Wismar and Stralsund.

Rostock has good infrastructure, from roads to medical and child care. The housing market is under no pressure, the cost of living is affordable and there are sports and leisure time activities to suit nearly every taste. The nearby Baltic Sea, in particular, offers sailors and surfers unlimited opportunities

With such a wide-ranging offer for tourists, it is no wonder that the Hansa and university city of Rostock is well ahead. Work and study where others spend their vacation! This slogan applies perfectly to Rostock.

Just the right balance

The University of Rostock is a powerful driving force in this environment, and the center of a region that has a wide variety of interesting aspects for science and scholarship. It is the ideal place to balance intense scientific work with a beguiling, wide-ranging offer of culture and leisure time activities. A good place to get to the very top.