Schwerin

Capital of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The fairy-tale Schwerin Palace on an island in Lake Schwerin is a World Heritage Site, complemented by the old town, the brick Gothic cathedral and lake cruises.

Schwerin is the capital of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. With a population of about 100,000, it is surrounded by seven lakes and known as the “City of Seven Lakes.” It lies about 110 km from Hamburg and 210 km from Berlin. The city’s landmark is Schwerin Palace, on an island in Lake Schwerin, its golden-topped towers reflected in the water. In 2024, it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site together with the palace gardens, court stables, theatre, museum and other buildings, as the Schwerin Palace Ensemble.

The core area is compact. Castle Island, the palace garden, Alter Garten square (with the State Museum and the National Theatre), the old market square, the cathedral and Lake Pfaffenteich are all within a 15-minute walk. The Schelfstadt district preserves 18th-century Baroque streets. On the south shore are the zoo, the Zippendorf lakeside beach and the Mueß open-air museum. A tour around the lakes on the White Fleet boats is a classic experience. About 35 km south, Ludwigslust Palace, known as the “Versailles of Northern Germany,” makes a popular half-day trip.

The best season is May–September, when lake cruises, the palace gardens and the July open-air opera festival at the castle are at their finest. Winter is quiet around the lakes, but the castle interior and the December Christmas market carry on as usual.

Getting there: From Hamburg, a regional train takes about 1 hour. Berlin is about 2 hours away, with some direct ICE and IC trains. The train station is a 10-minute walk from the old town. Plan to stay 1–2 days, and avoid Mondays, when the castle is closed.

Top sights

• Schwerin Castle – A fairy-tale castle standing on a lake island, the former residence of the Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg, inscribed as a World Heritage Site i…
• Schwerin Cathedral – A masterpiece of North German brick Gothic architecture. Its 117-metre tower can be climbed for views over the old town and the lakes.
• Lake Schwerin boat tour – Board a boat at the dock beside the castle for a circuit of Lake Schwerin, Germany's fourth-largest lake. Seeing the lake castle from the w…
• Schwerin Palace Garden – A Baroque garden on the south side of the castle, with a cross-shaped canal, statues and lime-tree avenues running down to the lakeshore.
• Staatliches Museum Schwerin – A neoclassical colonnaded museum famous for its 17th-century Dutch and Flemish Golden Age paintings and Oudry's animal pictures.
• Schwerin Market Square – The old town's central square, ringed by the Tudor-style town hall, the colonnaded New Building and the Henry the Lion column.
• Ludwigslust Palace – A late-Baroque palace known as the Versailles of Northern Germany, famous for its paper-pulp decorated halls and a large landscape garden.
• Pfaffenteich – A nearly square artificial lake north of the old town, with a lakeside walking path, summer ferries and historic buildings reflected in the…
• Mecklenburg State Theatre – A neoclassical theatre facing the castle, staging opera, ballet and concerts, and organiser of the summer Castle Festival.
• Schelfstadt & Schelfkirche – A Baroque new town planned in the 18th century, with half-timbered cottages and the brick-built Baroque Schelf Church.
• Schleifmühle Schwerin – A water-powered mill museum at the southern end of the Palace Garden, where a working waterwheel shows how stone was once polished for the…
• Zoo Schwerin – A woodland zoo on the southern shore of Lake Schwerin, known for polar bears, meerkats and wetland birds, and well suited to families.
• Zippendorf Beach – A city beach on the southern shore of Lake Schwerin, where you can swim and paddleboard in summer while gazing at the castle and the lake i…
• Schwerin-Mueß Open-Air Museum – A folk open-air museum in a lakeside village, with thatched farmhouses, a village school and traditional crafts.
• Kaninchenwerder – A nature-reserve island in Lake Schwerin, with a loop trail through the woods, a wooden lookout tower and a bird habitat on the lake.
• Schwerin Marstall – A neoclassical court stables complex on a lakeside peninsula, part of the World Heritage site, with pleasant lakeside walks.
• Wiligrad Palace – A neo-Renaissance ducal estate in the woods on the western shore of Lake Schwerin, with a sculpture park and a path down to the lake.

Where to eat

• 1751 Gourmet Restaurant – Schwerin's first Michelin-starred restaurant, set in a wine merchant's residence more than 250 years old, serving moder…
• Weinhaus Wöhler – A nostalgic inn and wine house beside the old town, serving 'grandma-style' Mecklenburg home cooking. Roast duck and ho…
• La Bouche et El Pato Bistro – A French-Mediterranean bistro near Schwerin Cathedral, listed in the Michelin Guide and ranked No. 1 in Schwerin on Yel…
• Altstadtbrauhaus Zum Stadtkrug – A listed historic brewpub near Marienplatz in the old town, serving its own pale and dark Old Town beers and generous N…