Greifswald
[key], city, Mecklenburg–West Pomerania, N Germany, near the Baltic
Sea. It is a port and rail junction and commercial center. Manufactures
include machinery, textiles, and foodstuffs. The city was home to an atomic
power station until 1990, when it failed to meet safety standards. At one
time it delivered 10% of the former East Germany's total energy. Greifswald
was chartered in 1250, and in 1648 it became part of Swedish Pomerania. In 1815 it passed to
Prussia. Noteworthy buildings include the 14th-century town hall and several
churches of the 13th and 14th cent. The city has a noted university (founded
1456).
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