imperial city · Scandinavia and the Baltic

Swedish Wismar

1648 CE – 1803 CE · capital Wismar

Baltic port in Mecklenburg held by Sweden from the Peace of Westphalia until 1803, when it was pawned to Mecklenburg-Schwerin for a century.

Origins

Sweden occupied Wismar during the Thirty Years' War, and the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 gave it the town, the island of Poel and the district of Neukloster as an imperial fief. Wismar became one of Sweden's footholds on the southern Baltic, with Swedish Pomerania and Bremen-Verden.

Rule and society

Sweden turned Wismar into a heavily fortified naval base and placed there, from 1653, the Wismar Tribunal, the supreme court of appeal for all of Sweden's German possessions. The town kept its Hanseatic council and German law, while a Swedish governor commanded the garrison. Its trade suffered from the wars fought over it, and Danish and Prussian forces besieged it in 1675 and 1711-1716.

Decline and legacy

In 1803 Sweden pawned Wismar to the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin for 1,250,000 riksdaler for 100 years, in the Treaty of Malmö. The loan was never repaid, and in 1903 Sweden renounced its rights, leaving Wismar to Germany.

Connections (2)

More states of Scandinavia and the Baltic →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Swedish Wismar. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/swedish-wismar
MLA
“Swedish Wismar.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/swedish-wismar. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Swedish Wismar.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/swedish-wismar.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Swedish Wismar’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/swedish-wismar (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻