


Greifswald (http://www.greifswald.de) is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Germany. Greifswald is a very old town and gained city rights as early as 1240. In 1278, Greifswald became a part of the Hanseatic network and in 1456, the university was founded.
From 1648 to 1815, Greifswald was a part of Sweden's northern german territories. Following the second world war, the town became a part of the Soviet occupation zone. The town faired rather well during and after the war, but during the Soviet and East German reign, the economy and infrastructure declined. Following the reunion of the two German states, huge sums of money has been pumped into the area to help improve the situation and to lower the unemployment rates.