"Adam of Bremen, a contemporaneous historian, has left us a curious description of Wollin as it appeared at the time of its merchant greatness; yet he was himself, most probably, never there, but compiled his account from the narratives of sailors, from whose mouth he, as he says, heard almost incredibilities about the splendour of the town. He describes the famous city as the chief staple place of the trade of the surrounding Slavonians and Russians: also as the largest of all towns at this end of Europe, and inhabited by Slavonians, Russians, and various pagan nations. Also many Germans from Lower Saxony had come to the town, yet it was not permitted them to appear openly as Christians; though the political interests of a trading place, then as now, caused all nations to be allowed the liberty of incolation (_Niederlassungsrecht_) and toleration. The peculiar inhabitants of the place, particularly those who held the government, were mostly pagans, but of great hospitality, of liberal and humane customs, and great justice. The town had become very rich, by means of the trade of Northern Europe, of which they had almost the monopoly: every comfort and rarity of distant regions was to be found there. The most remarkable thing in Wollin was a pot of Vulcan, which the inhabitants called Greek fire.[3] Probably we should understand by this, a great beacon fire, which the Wolliners sustained by night on account of navigation, and of which a report was among the sailors that it was Greek fire; but it is also possible that in the trade with the Orient, which the discovered Arabic coins prove, real Greek fire was brought to Wollin in pots. A tricaputed idol of a sea-god, or Neptune, stood in Wollin, to denote that the island Wollin was surrounded by three different seas: that is to say, a green one, the Ostsee; a white one, under which we should probably understand the Dievenow; and one which was retained in raging motion by continual storms, the Haff. The navigation from Wollin to Demmin, a trading place of the Peene, is short; also from Wollin to Samland, in Prussia, eight days only were necessary to go by land from Hamburgh to Wollin, or by sea, across Schleswig; and forty-three days was the time of sailing from Wollin to Ostragard in Russia. These notices point to the chief trade of Wollin by sea, that is, with Demmin, Hamburgh, Schleswig, and Holstein, Prussia, and Russia. "So magnificent was ancient Wollin, according to the narrative of the seamen; yet it must not be considered exactly a northern Venice, but a wide-circuited place, chiefly, however, of wooden houses, and surrounded by walls and palisades, in which (in comparison with the then rudeness and poverty of the countries on the Ostsee) riches and merchandise were heaped up.