75 years of the "Greif": Greifswald's traditional sailing ship with an eventful history

A ship as a personal gift for a head of state - that sounds like a different era. And it is. When the Warnow shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde launched the schooner brig "Wilhelm Pieck" on 26 May 1951, the GDR was just two years old. The ship, named after the first and only president of the GDR, remained the state's only ocean-going sailing ship.

An example of change in shipbuilding

The ship still combined riveting and welding technology during its construction, making it an early example of the change in shipbuilding. It was launched on 26 May 1951, followed by its maiden voyage on 2 August. This made the "Wilhelm Pieck" the only ocean-going sailing ship in the GDR - a unique selling point that gave the ship a special role right from the start.

After the ceremonial handover, the ship was not used for representational purposes, but for hard training work. The Free German Youth (FDJ), the youth organisation of the GDR, took over the ship and used it as a training ship for future sailors. From 1954, Greifswald-Wieck was the ship's permanent home port.

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From there, the "Wilhelm Pieck" sailed the Baltic Sea for decades - and produced generations of sailors and seamen for the merchant fleet, fishing and other maritime professions. The ship thus became a concrete tool of GDR vocational training at sea.

Change, renaming, new life

With the end of the GDR, the fate of the ship also changed fundamentally. In 1990, the city of Greifswald took over the ship. A year later, in 1991, it was given its current name: "Greif" - in honour of the city's heraldic animal.

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Since then, the Greif has acted as a maritime Ambassador of the Hanseatic city took part in Baltic Sea events and was present on international voyages. The ship's status as a "movable cultural monument" also officially made it a part of the cultural heritage worthy of protection - with all the consequences for the necessary maintenance.

Multi-million renovation in Stralsund

Greif was relocated to Stralsund at the end of 2022. What followed was not a simple overhaul, but a comprehensive refurbishment. Hull, deck superstructures, masts and wooden deck - everything was renewed. The ship was finally launched again in March 2026.

The costs were significantly higher than originally planned. The total costs recently totalled around 7.7 million euros. The refurbishment was financed by a mix of public funds, subsidies and donations.

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"Greif" as an ambassador for the city of Greifswald

After three years of refurbishment in Stralsund, the sailing training ship "Greif" returned to the water at the beginning of March 2026. Work is currently focussed on the interior of the ship: cabins, technical installations and the entire on-board electrical system are still waiting to be completed. Once this work has been completed, the "Greif" will return to sea - as a sailing training ship and ambassador for the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald. It is not yet clear exactly when.