When the great empires of European history are discussed, the Swedish Empire is rarely mentioned. However in the mid 17^th century an empire which controlled parts of Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia also counted Wismar and the Baltic coast, in what is now Germany, as part of its territory.

The Thirty Years War of the early 17^th century dragged Sweden into a Central European conflict in defence of the Protestant religion. Swedish armies, under the direction of the King Gustavus Adolphus, marched deep into German lands (although ‘Germany’ itself wasn’t to come into existence for another 250 years) but eventually retreated to the Baltic coast.

At the end of the conflict in 1648, under the Peace of Westphalia, Sweden gained ownership of much of this coastal area, including the towns of Wismar and Stralsund. This coastal strip remained Swedish for a further 150 years, until the Napoleonic Wars in the first decade of the 19^th century. A little like Calais remained part of the English empire long after the rest of mainland France ceased to be, so Wismar was ruled by Sweden.

However the relentless expansion of Prussia meant that Sweden’s control of the Baltic coast would never be permanent. Sweden essentially sold Wismar in 1803 and after their century long option to reassert control expired, its future as part of the second German Empire was assured.

Visibly Swedish

Swedish architectural influence can be seen on the buildings in Wismar’s vast Markt, one of the largest and most picturesque in northern Germany. The sheer length of time the town remained part of the Swedish empire ensured a lasting legacy. In common with many northern German ports it was part of the Hanseatic League in the later Middle Ages, so Wismar’s architecture boasts a unique mix of Swedish and Hanseatic influence.

However the town was badly bombed during World War II because of its coastal location and because it was the site of the aircraft manufacturer Dornier. Although only 30 miles east of Lübeck (and captured by the British army in 1945) the town ended up in the Soviet Zone after the war, so it became part of the German Democratic Republic. Despite promises to restore the square to its former splendour, the work was never carried out.  It wasn’t until after Reunification in 1990 that extensive renovations were undertaken and the square became once more a place of architectural beauty and significance.

The most prominent building is the red brick Alter Schwede (Old Swede) which dates from 1380 and features a striking stepped buttress gabled façade. This is now one of several restaurants serving local specialities. The square also features the remarkable Wasserkunst, an ornate 12 sided well that provided the town’s drinking water until the late 19^th century. Fittingly in 2002 the square was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, as a reflection of its unique character.

The town and square, now fully restored to its former glory, are well worth a visit, in any itinerary that features time on the beautiful Baltic coast of the former East Germany. – Mark Arrol

You can’t travel across Germany and not be aware of the nation’s sophisticated network of navigable waterways. Top of the list is the Kiel Canal, Europe’s Panama, a largely man-made 98km waterway which slices the head of Denmark from the body of Europe, and saves Baltic shipping a 460km detour in so doing. And while most of the inland shipping in Germany is by barge, the Kiel can accommodate serious boats, although the latest generations of container ships, cruise ships and oil tankers are simply too big to squeeze under the bridges.

Originally called the Kaiser-Wilhelm Canal, and referred to in Germany as the Nord-Ostsee Kanal, the Kiel was partly built for military purposes. During the last years of the 19^th century the newly formed nation was flexing its muscles, commercially as well as militarily, and it saw the distinct advantage of having a passage, through wholly German territory, between the Baltic and the North Sea.

These days it’s an international waterway used by 90-130 ships per day, and it can easily be transited within a day, although particularly big vessels sometimes have to wait in designated sidings before they can proceed. There’s a lock at either end, but there’s not a huge difference between sea-level and canal level; the locks are mainly to defend the canal against the movements of the tides.

The strangest thing of all about the Kiel is the sight of big ships moving serenely across land

Authorities are stern about leisure use – and there’s decidedly no sailing. Big ships have very poor ability to do emergency stops, and travelling through the canal at limited speed they have a limited ability to steer, so it wouldn’t do to get in their way. And yet there are leisure users, and every year teams of oarsmen set out for what is called the toughest rowing race in the world, a 12.7 section starting at Rendsburg, which attracts top international crews.

Perhaps the strangest thing of all about the Kiel Canal is the sight of big ships moving serenely across land. The topography is pretty flat around the Kiel, and for road users the water itself is largely invisible until you’re actually on a bridge travelling across it. Some of the bridges are curiosities in themselves, both for their height and their engineering. The iron railway bridge at Rendsburg, for example, is the longest in the world, and trains have to ascend in a series of loops at the Rendsburg end to get high enough to cross.

All in all, it’s a clever, historic piece of commercially successful engineering, and good sample of Germany’s willingness to invest. In Britain we could have had a similar operation to save the detour around Scotland, but pennies were pinched and the Caledonian Canal wasn’t built big enough, so it swiftly became obsolete for all but leisure users.

Getting There: The canal is north of Hamburg. International airports are at Hamburg and Lübeck. International rail connections to Hamburg are via Cologne from Brussels (Thalys), which connect with the Eurostar from London. See our Travel page for airlines, rail and tour operators.

Staying There: our recommended hotels are here for Schleswig-Holstein, and here for Hamburg.

More information on the Kiel Canal