Stralsund's Town Hall is one of the most impressive secular Gothic buildings in northern Germany. The north facade, facing the market square, is a tall tracery screen of Brick Gothic ornament — four great gabled bays with gothic windows, blind arcading, and decorative brickwork. It was built in stages from the 13th to 15th centuries. The UNESCO World Heritage designation for Stralsund's old town centres largely on buildings like this one.
The ground floor arcade, open to the market square, is a wonderful covered walkway. The market square itself is one of the most beautiful in the Baltic region — lined with merchant townhouses on all sides, with St. Nikolai rising behind the town hall.