The city's coastline east and west of the river mouth is relatively undeveloped, with long sandy beaches prevailing.

Rostock is the economic center of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the state's only regiopolis (a city outside the core of a metropolitan area).

The ferry routes between Rostock to Gedser in Denmark and to Trelleborg in Southern Sweden are among the busiest between Germany and Scandinavia.

Subsequent quarrels with the dukes and persistent plundering led ultimately to a loss of the city's economic and political power.

From 1575 to 1577 the city walls were rebuilt, as was the Lagebusch tower and the Stein Gate, in the Dutch Renaissance style.

The inscription sit intra te concordia et publica felicitas ("Let there be harmony and public happiness within you"), can still be read on the gate, and refers directly to the conflict with the Duke.

At the same time, these inheritance contracts put paid to Rostock's ambition of achieving imperial immediacy, as Lübeck had done in 1226.

In nearby Lübeck-Ratekau, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who was born in Rostock and who was one of few generals to fight on after defeat at the Battle of Jena, surrendered to the French in 1806.

In the first half of the 19th century, Rostock regained much of its economic importance, due at first to the wheat trade, then, from the 1850s, to industry, especially its shipyards.

The world's first airworthy jet plane prototype made its test flights at their facilities in what used to be named the Rostock-Marienehe [de] neighborhood (today's Rostock-Schmarl community, along the west bank of the Unterwarnow estuary).

During Kristallnacht on 10 November 1938, the synagogue in Rostock's Augustenstrasse was destroyed by arson and dozens of Jews were beaten and imprisoned.

Feverish rearmament by the Nazi regime boosted Rostock's industrial importance in the late 1930s, and employment soared at the Heinkel and Arado factories, and at the Neptunwerft shipyard.

During World War II, Rostock was subjected to repeated and increasingly heavy bombing attacks, especially by the British Royal Air Force.

The city's population, boosted in part by resettled ethnic German refugees who had been expelled from territories in the east, increased in the GDR years to a peak of 260,000.

In response to high rates of joblessness and increased levels of crime[citation needed], some Germans took part in the Rostock-Lichtenhagen riots which occurred from 22 to 24 August 1992.

The Signum depicts a golden griffin on a blue background, with bars of silver and red, the colours of the Hanseatic League, below.

Rostock has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dobk) with strong influence of the Baltic Sea, more similar to Denmark and far southern Sweden than to the rest of Germany.

The main difference with lower Scandinavia is that the continuous landmass to the south and east enables stronger bursts of heat during summer.

In spite of this, the Warnemünde station is generally less warm on the average summer day than on the northern side of the sea.

In addition, the maritime influence of the Baltic Sea tempers any Arctic blasts, ensuring slightly milder winters.

The Warnemünde station is located on the open sea and thus has a stronger maritime influence and slightly smaller variations than the downtown that is further inland.

The Rostock weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[7] One of the most picturesque places in Rostock is the Neuer Markt (New Market Square), with the Town Hall – that was originally built in the 13th century in Brick Gothic style, but extensively transformed in the 18th century, with the addition of a Baroque façade and a banqueting hall.

The other historical houses in Hanseatic style that once bordered the square were destroyed in an Allied air-raid in 1942, and rebuilt in a simplified manner.

[9] The 15th-century Kerkhofhaus (at Große Wasserstraße, behind the Town Hall) is considered the best-preserved brick Gothic house in Rostock.

The Kloster St Katharinen (Convent of St. Catherine), is an old Franciscan monastery founded in 1243, and extended several times during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Heavily damaged during World War II and subsequently restored, the building is now used as an exhibition centre and concert hall, due to its outstanding acoustics.

Locals and tourists alike enjoy the maritime flair of old houses, a large beach, a lighthouse and the old fisherman's port.

The Academy of Music and Theatre (Hochschule für Musik und Theater) offers graduate degrees in artistic fields.

To celebrate Rostock's 800th birthday, a special light beer called Heller Freude was brewed to commemorate the occasion.

It is a main base for ferry operators Scandlines and TT-Line, which both connect Rostock with major Scandinavian destinations.