Neubrandenburg was founded in 1248 by Herbord von Raven, a Mecklenburg knight granted the land by Brandenburg Margrave Johann I, and building progressed in the usual order: defence system, church, town hall, pub. The security system was the 2.3km-long, 7.5m‑high stone wall that survives today, with four city gates and 56 sentry posts built into it.
To navigate the circular wall, consider it as the rim of a clock face. The train station is at 12 o’clock.
The Friedländer Tor (2 o’clock), begun in 1300 and completed in 1450, was the first gate. Treptower Tor (9 o’clock) is the largest and contains an archaeological collection.
At the southern end of the city is the gaudy Stargarder Tor (6 o’clock). The simple brick Neues Tor (3 o’clock) fronts the east side of the Altstadt.
Southwest of the train station (at about 11 o’clock) is the city’s former dungeon, the Fangelturm. You’ll recognise it by its pointy tower.
Wedged into the stone circumference are the 27 sweet half-timbered houses that remain of the original sentry posts. When firearms rendered such defences obsolete in the 16th century, the guardhouses were converted into Wiekhäuser, homes for the poor, disadvantaged and elderly. Most of the surviving homes are now craft shops, galleries and cafes.