Greifswald was founded by the Cistercian monastery Hilda (later Eldena), which is located only a few kilometres away on the Bodden. It was founded around 1200 as a daughter house of the Danish monastery Esrom and supported by the Rügen prince Jaromar. The oldest preserved parts of the former monastery church date from the beginning of the 13th century. The buildings were looted during the Thirty Years’ War, fell into disrepair and served as a quarry. Preservation only began in the 19th century. The ruin is very famous for the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich.
