Schwerin Tourist Attractions
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Capital of the Land of Mecklenburg-West PomeraniaThere are numerous 18th and 19th C. buildings in the Old Town of Schwerin, mostly designed by the court architect, G. A. Demmler.
Schlossinsel Schloss
On the Schlossinsel (Palace Island) in Schwerin is the Grand-Ducal Palace, which ranks as one of the finest 19th C. buildings in the region. It was given its present form, modeled on the French château of Chambord, in 1843-57. Laid out on a pentagonal plan, with numerous towers and turrets, it combines Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque features. The interior is sumptuously appointed, with fine intarsia floors, silk wallpaper and richly gilded ornament. Particularly imposing, on the main floor, are the Throne Room, the Ancestral Portrait Gallery, the Smoking Room and the Adjutants' Room.
Schlossinsel - Museum of Prehistory
In the wing of Schwerin's Schlossinsel Schloss facing the Burgsee is the Museum of Prehistory and the Early Historical Period. Among items of particular interest are finds from the Mesolithic settlement at Hohen-Viecheln near Wismar and the Slav defensive rampart at Teterow.
Schlosskapelle
In the north wing of Schlossinsel Schloss in Schwerin is the palace chapel (by J. B. Parr, 1560-63), a Renaissance building with a finely furnished interior, modeled on the palace chapel of Torgau.
Schlossgarten
Southwest of the Burggarten in Schwerin's Schlossinsel Schloss is the Schlossgarten, which was laid out in the 18th C. as a Baroque pleasure garden, with the Kreuzkanal, arcades and copies of sculpture from the workshop of Balthasar Permoser. On the edge of the gardens can be seen an old grinding mill.
Mecklenburg State Theater
North of the palace in Schwerin, in the Alter Garten, a square surrounded by imposing buildings, stands the neo-Renaissance Mecklenburg State Theater (Staatstheater; by G. Daniel, 1883-86). Near the theater is a bust of Conrad Ekhof, who founded the first German academy of dramatic art in Schwerin in 1753.
State Museum
On the east side of the Alter Garten in Schwerin is the State Museum (Staatliches Museum), a picture gallery in neo-classical style (by H. Willebrand, 1877-82). The facade, originally plain, was enriched during rebuilding with Italian Renaissance ornament. The collection includes large numbers of works by Flemish and Dutch masters of the 17th and 18th centuries, and modern art is also represented.
Old Palace
On the west side of the Alter Garten in Schwerin, at Schlo-Strasse 1, is the Altes Palais (Old Palace), a two-story half-timbered building (1799) formerly used for the accommodation of members of the court; it is now occupied by offices.
Old Town Hall
The historic streets and squares of the old town of Schwerin, including the Markt, have been restored and rebuilt in recent years. At the southeast corner of the Markt stands the Old Town Hall (Altstädtisches Rathaus), the oldest parts of which date from the 14th C.; it has a neo-Gothic facade (by G. A. Demmler, 1835). Behind it are four half-timbered gabled houses (17th C.).
New Building
On the north side of the Markt in Schwerin is the so-called Neues Gebäude (New Building), built by J. J. Busch in 1783-85 as a row of shops. It has a massive porch with 14 Doric columns.
New Town Palace
In the center of Schwerin are several old palaces and burghers' houses, including the Neustädtisches Palais (New Town Palace) at Puschkinstrasse 19-21. Originally built by J. J. Busch in 1776, it was rebuilt in French Renaissance style in 1878.
Cathedral
The Cathedral (Dom; 14th-15th C.) in Schwerin is one of the finest examples of North German brick-built Gothic architecture. The most notable features of the interior are the Gothic altar (Lübeck work, ca. 1440), two 14th C. memorial brasses and the Gothic font.
St Nicholas's Church
The Baroque parish church of St Nicholas (Schelfkirche) in Schelfstrasse in Schwerin was built in 1708-11 on the site of an earlier medieval church.
Muess District
In Schwerin's Muess district is an open-air museum with examples of rural buildings of the 17th and 18th centuries, illustrating the life and work of the people of Mecklenburg.
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