As a resort and recreation area, Warnemunde offers 800 years of history and 160 years of tradition as a seaside resort. The site is attractive for white beaches and romantic fishermen's houses, as well as the "Old River," with its sailing boats, pleasure ships and fishermen selling the catch from their cutters.
Living modestly from fishing, ferry traffic, trade and handicrafts, the inhabitants of Warnemunde waged a constant struggle against floods gales and teh enemies of the Hanseatic city. After all, the old fishing village had been property of the wealthy town of Rostock, ever since the provincial ruler, Heinrich of Mecklenburg, sorely in need of ready cash, sold the left band of teh Warnow River, including Warnemunde, to teh town in 1323. This commenced a dismal periodmarked by poverty and lack of rights, until Warnemunde was discovered for tourism. Wealthy citizens from Rostock were among the first to discover the leasures of teh sea, and the number of visitors increased rapidly. As the word spread taht salt water and bracing air worked wonders against many afflitions, bathing spas along the Baltic coast were becoming more and more attractive. At teh turn of the last century, ladies and gentlemen were strictly segregated while bathing, even though the bathing costumes of theat time barely left a centimetre of naked skin left to be seen. In stark contrast to that, the Warnemunde of our time even has a stretch of beach dedicated to nude bathing.
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