Every design for Schwerin

Schwerin is known above all for its palace on an island: the golden-domed Schweriner Schloss, set between Lake Schwerin and the Burgsee, has made the smallest of Germany's state capitals recognisable at a glance. First mentioned in 1018 and granted its town rights by Henry the Lion, Schwerin is the oldest city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and for centuries it was the main residence of the dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg.

The Schweriner Schloss still carries that past. Since 1990 it has housed the state parliament, and in 2024 the palace and the residence ensemble around it joined the UNESCO World Heritage list. Across the water, the towers of the Schweriner Dom St. Maria und St. Johannes complete the skyline, while the Staatliches Museum Schwerin and the Altes Palais recall the court that once ran the duchy. Because the city came through the Second World War with little damage, the Altstadt and the Schelfstadt have kept their old streets largely intact.

Twelve lakes lie within the city limits, and much of everyday life happens on their shores. Anyone who grew up here knows the walk around the Pfaffenteich, the view across the water to the palace and the woods that reach down to the lakeside. A map of Schwerin is mostly water, and that is exactly how locals remember it.