Stralsund, Germany

Stralsund is a city of roughly 59,000 residents on the Baltic Sea, separated from Rügen island by the Strelasund and founded in 1234. UNESCO has listed its Hanseatic Old Town jointly with Wismar since 2002. The 1298 Brick Gothic Saint Mary's Church rises to a 104-metre tower that remained the tallest in eastern Germany until 1945, while the 1420 Rathaus ranks as the most spectacular Gothic secular building on the Baltic coast. The 2008 Ozeaneum aquarium exhibits marine life from the Baltic and North Seas. The 1876 Rügen Bridge links the city by rail and road to the island.