Wismar (Germany)

Wismar is a Baltic Sea cruise port located in Germany's Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state, approx 45 km (28 mi) east of Lubeck (Travemunde). The city has total area approx 41 km2 (16 mi2) and population around 43,000.

Port Wismar (locode DEWIS) is in the in Wismar Bay - a natural harbor protected by a promontory (raised land mass). During season 2016, the cruise port handled a total of 8 ship calls and around 4,300 passengers. Season 2018 had scheduled all 11 ship calls with expected around 10,000 passengers.

During the period of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic/GDR, 1949-1990), Wismar City was developed as a shipbuilding settlement and seaport, becoming East Germany's second-largest port - after Rostock. Nordic Yards Wismar is a famous shipbuilder located in Wismar. Shipbuilding has existed at the site since 1946.

Since 2002, the town is UNESCO-listed as a World Heritage Site. Among its landmarks and attractions are the Old Town's Market Place, the Wasserkunst (Holland-made fountain), Town Hall (built in the 18th century), Burgerhaus (13th-century home), St Georgen-Kirche (14th-century church), Marienkirche (13th-century church), Nikolaikirche (14th-century church), Furstenhof (ducal residence palace), Baumhaus (art gallery).

The large Market Place, in the Old Town is one of the biggest in northern Germany (10,000 m2), surrounded by buildings in styles ranging from Gothic to Romanesque to Art Nouveau. The focal point is Wasserkunst - a wrought-iron fountain imported from Holland (1602). In the square's northern side is the Town Hall (built 1817-1819). Another notable building is Burgerhaus (late-14th-century patrician's home).

Sankt Nikolaikirche (St Nicholas Church/15th-century) and Sankt Marienkirche (St Mary Church/13th-century, 1960-destroyed being badly damaged during WW2) are regarded as great examples of the influence exercised by Lubeck City's Saint Mary Church. The Town Hall (rebuilt in 1829) has a collection of pictures. Baumhaus (Municipal Gallery) is in Wismar's old harbor area.

MV Werften Wismar shipyard (MEYER WISMAR)

The German shipbuilding company Meyer Werft GmbH & Co KG (1795-founded, headquartered in Papenburg) was part of Meyer Neptun Group and specialized in the construction of cruise ships, ferries (passenger and Ro-Ro), tanker ships, boxships, livestock carriers, research vessels. MV Werften operated 3 shipyards - two in Germany (Papenburg and Rostock) and one in Turku Finland, plus the module fabrication facilities in Wismar and Stralsund.

On March 7, 2018, the shipbuilder MV Werften signed a land purchase agreement with Wismar City. The site was used for building a warehouse for storing prefabricated cruise ship cabins. The new EUR 4 million facility (83x76 m) has capacity for 300+ cabin units stored on 3 levels. The Warehouse's construction started in June, with scheduled completion by December 2018.

In April 2016, MV Werften was purchased by the Malaysian holding company GHK-Genting Hong Kong Ltd (1993-founded, Hong Kong China-headquartered, part of Genting Group). On January 19, 2022, GHK filed for bankruptcy.

On January 10, 2022, MV Werften filed for bankruptcy protection, after failing to pay the December 2021 salaries to ~2000 employees. Reportedly, the company had a "liquidity gap" EUR 148 million (~USD 168M/~GBP 123M).

On June 16, 2022, MV Werften Wismar was sold to the shipbuilding company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH (2005-founded, headquartered in Kiel Germany) which planned to start here the construction of naval vessels (corvettes, frigates, submarines) from 2024 onward.

In November 2022, MEYER Group established MEYER WISMAR and employed several hundred former MV Werften employees to completed the recently acquired by DCL-Disney Cruise Line ship Global Dream.