Greifswald is celebrating 775 years: the festival program delights the city!

Greifswald is celebrating 775 years: the festival program delights the city!

Greifswald, the charming city on the Baltic Sea, will be in the spotlight in 2025: the Hanseatic city is celebrating its 775th anniversary. An extensive festival program is intended to appropriately honor the city's rich history and culture. It starts with a festival week from May 14th to 18th that promises many highlights. “We would like to invite all citizens as well as clubs and institutions to actively take part in the celebrations,” explains a spokesman for the city administration. Ideas for the anniversary program can be submitted until December 31, 2024.

The festival program begins with a city reception on May 14th, which commemorates the city's founding in 1250. On this day, special commitment to volunteer work is honored. There are also special event days on the program, such as a “School Day”, where educational institutions and projects related to the city’s history are presented. For the sports-loving people of Greifswald, the “Day of Sports” takes place in the Volksstadion, where children and young people can take the Greifswald sports badge.

Historical roots and modern development

A look back into history gives an idea of ​​the importance of Greifswald. The city was founded in the Middle Ages and entered the league of Hanseatic cities in 1250 with the Lübische Stadtrecht. Wikipedia informed that Greifswald was one of the first member cities of the Hanseatic League. The university, founded in 1456, which is still a formative institution for the city today, would have played a central role in the upgrading.

It is exciting how Greifswald developed from a small town in the shadow of larger cities such as Stralsund and Stettin into a lively university town. The port, once flourishing, suffered from silting up in the following centuries, which harmed the city's economic development. But with industrialization in the 19th century, the city picked up speed again. Another turning point was the success of urban development funding since 1991, which allowed the historic old town to flourish again.

Festivals and events

The 775th anniversary program will also include numerous hands-on activities and concerts. On the weekend of May 17th to 18th, the offering ranges from a historical fashion show to a Hanseatic market that will take visitors back in time. A particularly notable attraction is a 77.5 meter long birthday plaque on the shooting wall, where citizens can gather.

To further increase the anticipation, Klaas Jarchow is organizing the first Nature Writing Festival, which will take place from June 17th to 21st. The event promises readings in extraordinary locations that make the wonderful interplay of nature and literature tangible. Not to forget Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Day, which will be celebrated in Greifswald from June 20th to 22nd, 2025 and will make the city an even more lively center of cultural exchange, as well as the North tour highlights.

Greifswald – a city with history that is constantly evolving. With a colorful festival program next year, we will not only look back on the past, but also take a look into the future. A testimony to the fact that tradition and innovation do not have to be mutually exclusive, but rather together they shape a lively cityscape.