Written by becks on 24 Jul, 2007
Schwerin, a town of 100,000, was founded in 1160 by Saxon Duke Heinrich der Löwe (Henry the Lion) as one of the first German cities east of the Elbe. Schwerin served as the capital of the Duchy of Mecklenburg from 1358 to 1918, with a…Read More
Schwerin, a town of 100,000, was founded in 1160 by Saxon Duke Heinrich der Löwe (Henry the Lion) as one of the first German cities east of the Elbe. Schwerin served as the capital of the Duchy of Mecklenburg from 1358 to 1918, with a brief break between 1756 and 1837 when the dukes resided in nearby Ludwigslust. After the reunification of Germany in 1990, Schwerin became the capital of the newly created state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was a bit of a slap in the face to Rostock, the largest city in the state, but Scwerin’s long tradition as regional capital gave it the edge. The road we followed from Wismar to Schwerin is typical for northern Germany. A rather narrow Allee lined by trees on both sides. The landscape is flat but surprisingly not boring with water aplenty in rivers, lakes, and ponds. Not surprisingly, the area is very green. (A new faster autobahn should have opened by now to speed things up.)The symbol of Schwerin is its large, 19th-century Historicist Schloss (Palace) – see separate entry. This large palace on a small island in the lake can be seen from afar and is a surprisingly interesting sight. However, the old town is also very charming although the brick Gothic cathedral is the only true medieval building here. Through the centuries, town fires destroyed or damaged all others leaving most with Baroque or Historicist façades. World War II caused only minor damage to the town.The Markt is as usually the center of the old town although the square here is not particularly large and much smaller than the oversized one in Wismar. Part of the Rathaus is from the mid-14th century but the Tudor Gothic facade is 19th-century Historicist and covers mostly four 17th-century, half-timbered buildings. The Neues Gebäude (New Buildings) is a Neo Classical work and was part of a never-completed project aimed at enhancing the appearance of the square. In front of this building, which now houses a pleasant but reasonably priced café, is a statue of a lion in memory of Henry the Lion from Braunschweig who founded the town. For local produce, visit the Kiek ins Land shop – it only sells typical Mecklenburg produce and crafts.As in most other towns in the region, the brick Gothic Dom (Cathedral) towers over the other buildings in the old town. This triple nave basilica was erected between 1280 and 1420 and has a Romanesque Paradise Portal that survived from the original 12th-century church. A Neo Gothic restoration project during the 19th century destroyed much of the original wall art although small pieces survived. The bronze baptismal font is from the early 14th century. In contrast to most other brick Gothic churches that have the brickwork bare, most of the interior here is white washed making for a very bright interior. The best views of the region are from the tall, slender 118-m tower – a 19th century addition to the original Gothic church.Close