city, Mecklenburg–West Pomerania Land (state), northeastern Germany. It lies 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Stralsund near the mouth of the Ryck River, which empties into Greifswalder Bay on the Baltic Sea. First mentioned in 1209 as a market settlement of the Eldena monastery and chartered in 1250, Greifswald joined the Hanseatic League in 1278. It passed to Sweden in 1648 and to Prussia in 1815. A port and rail junction, Greifswald has developed since German unification (1990) a number of research institutions, notably in biotechnology. The production of electronic equipment and foodstuffs are economically important. Notable landmarks include the town hall (1350) and several 13th- and 14th-century churches. A university was founded in 1456 and after World War II was renamed the Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald. Pop. (2003 est.) 52,869.