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Rostock is situated at the river Warnow close to its estuary into the Baltic sea. About 1,400 years ago Slavic settlers founded a village which became known as 'Roztoc'. The first mention in a document dates from 1161. German settlers gradually replaced the Slavic population around 1200. Already in 1218 the status of Rostock as a town was confirmed. During the following century the dukes of Mecklenburg lost much of their control over the city. Rostock acquired the woodlands of the Rostocker Heide in 1252, obtained the right to mint coins in 1325, and gained the right of full jurisdiction in 1358. In 1265 three separate parts of the town had been joined, and in 1325 Rostock had purchased the fishing village of Warnemünde. During the 14th and 15th centuries, Rostock was an important member of the Hanse federation of trading towns. The university of Rostock was founded in 1419, and thus is the oldest university in the Baltic Sea area. At the end of the 15th century, however, the dukes of Mecklenburg could regain the control over the city. After repeated occupations and devastations during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) Rostock lost much of its importance. Only during the 19th century, the city began to expand again. After the first steel steamship had been built at Rostock in 1852, the Neptun shipyards, founded in 1891, became the first large industrial company of Mecklenburg. After World War I aviation industry became an important factor with the foundation of the Heinkel and Arado works in 1923/25. After 1933, Rostock became the centre of the German arm industry. Large parts of the town were destroyed by allied bomb raids in 1942. After the re-unification of Germany in 1990, Rostock again bears the title 'Hansestadt'.

The Rathaus (town hall) [left] was built in 1270–1290. During the Middle Ages the ground floor was used as a trading hall, while the upper parts were used for the town administration. In 1484 the so-called "Neues Haus" (new house) was added and the façade was extended to combine both buildings. The Baroque front part of the building was added in the early 18th century. After some modern additions in the early 20th century a thorough renovation of the building was completed in 2002.

The old Stadttheater (municipal theatre) [right] was built in 1894–1895 by the architect Heinrich Seeling. The building was destroyed during the bomb raids in 1942.