This is the first volume of a series of publications from the World Heritage Centre in Wismar. It contains accounts of the first proposals, through the planning and restoration of the building ensemble at Lübsche Straße 23, right up to the establishment of the World Heritage exhibition we see today. In eleven richly illustrated contributions, the participating authors explain the first steps and manifold initiatives undertaken and provide us with a vivid insight into the development of today's World Heritage Visitors' Centre in Wismar. The World Heritage Centre has been welcoming members of the public 365 days a year since its opening in June 2014. Through "windows into the past", visitors are invited to identify and discover the older building structures and explore the original features that are characteristic of so many buildings in Wismar's historic old town. The exhibition examines the subject of Unesco World Heritage in general and explains why the old towns of Stralsund and Wismar were awarded the title jointly.