= Wismar =
In past centuries Wismar was also called Wismaria, Visemêr, Wismar (1147, 1167), Wyssemaria (1229) or Wismaria (1237).
The name of the city is not unambiguous and is supposedly deduced from a rivulet with the name aqua Wisemaraa to the east of the town.
The assumed settlment of Old Wismar (recorded in 1167) probably became later part of the new town.
[c] City foundation [c]
The area around Wismar was settled for thousands of years. After the leaving of the Germans in the barbarian migration especially wendish and slavic Obdrites settled in the area till the end of the 12th century.
The foundation of the city, probably arround 1226, was supposedly initiated by prince Heinrich Borwin I. In 1229 the city of Wismar is mentioned for the first time in a record. The people that settled there come from - acording to their family names - from Holstein, Westphalia, Lowersaxony and the Mark. Shortly thereafter the Lubish town privileges were confirmed in 1266. Several settlements around St. Mary and St. Nikolai grew together till 1238. Through the influx of people the Newtown was developing since 1250 around St. George. Wismar was a seat of the Franciscan mendicant order (1251/1252) and the Dominican monks (1292/1293). In 1276 the first settlement phase was finished. Wismar constructed a citywall surrounding all quarters, it's location today marks the border of the Old town.
[c] Hanseatic period [c]
On 6th September 1259 delegates from Lübeck and Rostock met in Wismar to sign a defense treaty against the increasing piracy; for Wismar this marks the begin of the Hanseatic period. In 1280 Wismar founded the Wenish league of cities at the Hanseatic Baltic sea straight together with Stralsund, Rostock, Lübeck and Hamburg. In the Middle Ages the city became an important member of the Hanseatic league. between 1238 and 1250 the Newtown of Wismar developed and the city reached its limit that were valid till the 18th century.
Prince John I. of Mecklenburg moved his seat of residence in 1257 from the castle of Mecklenburg to the Weberkamp outside of the city and Wismar stayed it's town of residence till 1358. In 1259 the cities Rostock, Lübeck and Wismar united to fight the pirates. The following land peace of Rostock in 1283 further stabilized the cooperation between the Hanseatic cities. The first large city fire was in 1267 and the reconstruction was done with many clinker buildings. After a revolt against dueke Heinrich II. of Mecklenburg in 1310, Wismar had to subordinate itself under the dukes rule in 1311.
In 1350 about 2000 inhabitats died due to the Black Death. In the warfaring confict of the Hanseatic League against Denmark Wismar was with the cities of the Wendic quarter. After the peace of Stralsund Emperor Charles IV. visited the city in 1375.
At the beginning of the 15th century varous craftmenships under their leader Claus Jesup revolted and built a new counsil, which however could not persist against the patrician and merchants. The unrest escalated in 1427 anew after the defeat of the Hanseatic fleet and in Wismar the leader of the fleet and the mayor Johann Bantzkow were capitated on the market place.
The reformation in Wismar was triggered by the Francisans. The monk Heinrich Never of the Gray monastary adopted early on the Lutherian doctrine. The Gray monastary became a school in 1540 and later a latin schoool.
The channel construction of the Viechelner run, today the Wallenstein ditch, could be used as water way toward the Scherine lake and the elbe in 1594, but decaed already soon afterwards.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wismar, 2016-05-12]