GREIFSWALD

city, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania Land (state), northeastern Germany. It lies 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Stralsund near the mouth of the Ryck River, which empties into Greifswalder Bay on the Baltic Sea. First mentioned in 1209 as a market settlement of the Eldena monastery and chartered in 1250, Greifswald joined the Hanseatic League in 1278. It passed to Sweden in 1648 and to Prussia in 1815. Notable landmarks include the town hall (1350) and several 13th- and 14th-century churches, including St. Mary's, St. Jacob's, and the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. A university was founded in 1456 and renamed after World War II the Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald. Greifswald is a port and rail junction that trades in grains, wood, and coal and manufactures machinery, textiles, and foodstuffs. Pop. (1989 est.) 68,597.