Schwerin


Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It has around 96,000 inhabitants, and is thus the least populous of all German state capitals.
Schwerin is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Schwerin, the second-largest lake of the Mecklenburg Lake Plateau after the Müritz, and there are eleven other lakes within Schwerin's city limits. The city is surrounded by the district of Northwestern Mecklenburg to the north, and the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim to the south. Schwerin and the two surrounding districts form the eastern outskirts of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The name of the city is of Slavic origin, deriving from the root "zvěŕ" or "zvěŕin".
Schwerin was first mentioned in 1018 as Zuarina and was granted city rights in 1160 by Henry the Lion, thus it is the oldest city of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. As main residence of the House of Mecklenburg, a dynasty with Slavic roots also known as the Obotrites or Niklotides, Schwerin was the capital of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1379 to 1815, of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1815 to 1918, of the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1918 to 1934, of the State of Mecklenburg from 1934 to 1952, and of the District of Schwerin from 1952 to 1990.
The romantic Schwerin Palace, situated on Castle Island between Lake Schwerin and Castle Lake, known for its golden dome, the Castle Church, the throne room, and the Niklot statue, used to be the seat of the dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and since 1990, it is the seat of the state parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Schwerin's silhouette is completed by the towers of Schwerin Cathedral, St Paul's Church and St Nicholas' Church. Because of only minor damage in World War II, the city has a largely intact building structure, both in the Altstadt and Schelfstadt quarters.
Major industries and employers include high technology, machine building, healthcare, government agencies, railway supply, consumer goods and tourism. There is a regional airport in Parchim, southeast of the city, while Hamburg Airport serves as the city's main airport.

History

Early years

Schwerin is enclosed by lakes. The largest of these lakes, the Schweriner See, has an area of 60 km2. In the middle part of these lakes there was a settlement of the Slavic Obotrite. The area was called Zuarin, and the name Schwerin is derived from that designation. In 1160, Henry the Lion defeated the Obotrites and captured Schwerin. The town was later expanded into a powerful regional centre. A castle was built on this site, and expanded to become a ducal palace. It is supposedly haunted by the small, impious ghost, called Petermännchen.
In 1358, Schwerin became a part of the Duchy of Mecklenburg, making it the seat of the duchy from then on. About 1500, the construction of the Schwerin Palace began, as a residence for the dukes. After the division of Mecklenburg, Schwerin became the capital of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Between 1765 and 1837, the town of Ludwigslust served as the capital, until Schwerin was reinstated.

Recent times

In the mid-1800s, many residents from Schwerin moved to the United States, many to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Today Milwaukee and Schwerin are sister cities. After 1918, and during the German Revolution, resulting in the fall of all the German monarchies, the Grand Duke abdicated. Schwerin became capital of the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin thereafter.
During World War II, Schwerin was hit by bombs on four occasions during the bombing of Schwerin. The first attack took place in July 1940, causing only minor damage. After nearly 5 years of no attacks, the biggest air raid happened on 7 April 1945. 1500 bombs were dropped on the city after missing its intended target, the freight station, killing 224 people and destroying 42 houses. A third attack happened on 19 April 1945. Ultimately, 3% of the city ended up being destroyed due to the aerial attacks. At the end of World War II, on 2 May 1945, Schwerin was taken by United States troops. It was turned over to the British on 1 June 1945, and one month later, on 1 July 1945, it was handed over to the Soviet forces, as the British and American forces pulled back from the line of contact to the predesignated occupation zones.
Schwerin was then in the Soviet Occupation Zone which was to become the German Democratic Republic. Upon entering of Soviet forces, accounts of rape were reported by multiple inhabitants of the city.
Initially, it was the capital of the State of Mecklenburg which at that time included the western part of Pomerania. After the states were dissolved in the GDR, in 1952, Schwerin served as the capital of the Schwerin district.
After reunification in 1990, the former state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was recreated as one of the States of Germany. Rostock was a serious contender for state capital but the decision went in favour of Schwerin.

Population

Schwerin has a population of about 95,000 and is the smallest state capital of Germany. In the East German era, Schwerin was an industrial city known for its leather products. In 1991, when Schwerin became the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state, it had a population of 126,000. After the German Reunification, Schwerin's population started to decline and fell below 100,000 in 2000, so that it lost its official status as a major city. Schwerin is also the only state capital that has no universities.

Geography

Lakes

The 12 lakes within Schwerin's city limits and their size in km2:
  • Lake Schwerin 61,5
  • Brick Lake 3,0
  • Lake Ostorf 2,1
  • New Mill Lake 1,7
  • Lake Medewege 1,0
  • Lake Lankow 0,5
  • Foul Lake 0,5
  • Heathens Lake 0,2
  • Clergymen's Pond 0,1
  • Castle Lake 0,1
  • Lake Grimke 0,04
  • Big Karausche 0,02

    Islands

  • Rabbit Ait in Lake Schwerin
  • Brick Ait in Lake Schwerin
  • Castle Island between Lake Schwerin and Castle Lake
  • Big Murrkiten Island in the Brick Lake
  • Small Murrkiten Island in the Brick Lake
  • Big Stone in Lake Schwerin

    Boroughs

The urban area of Schwerin is subdivided into 17 local districts, each with a local council. The districts consist of one or more boroughs. The local councilors have between 5 and 15 members depending on the number of inhabitants. They are determined by the city council for the duration of the election period of the city council after each municipal election. The local councilors are to hear important matters concerning the district and have a right of initiative. However, the final decisions are made by the city council of the city as a whole.
The 17 districts and 26 boroughs:
  • Schelfstadt, Werdervorstadt, Schelfwerder
  • Altstadt, Feldstadt, Paulsstadt, Lewenberg
  • Großer Dreesch
  • Neu Zippendorf
  • Mueßer Holz
  • Gartenstadt, Ostorf
  • Lankow
  • Weststadt
  • Krebsförden
  • Wüstmark, Göhrener Tannen
  • Görries
  • Friedrichsthal
  • Neumühle, Sacktannen
  • Warnitz
  • Wickendorf, Medewege
  • Zippendorf
  • Mueß
There is a small enclave between the boroughs of Neumühle and Görries, belonging to the neighbouring municipality of Klein Rogahn.
Schwerin clockwise borders the municipalities of Klein Trebbow, Seehof, Leezen , Raben Steinfeld, Plate, Banzkow, Lübesse, Holthusen, Pampow, Klein Rogahn, Wittenförden, Brüsewitz, and Pingelshagen.

Climate

Schwerin has an oceanic climate. Schwerin is located not far from the Baltic Sea coast. Its climate is moderated by the ocean, with warm winters and cool summers throughout the year, with an average temperature ranging from in winter to in summer.
The Schwerin weather station has recorded the following extreme values:
  • Its highest temperature was on 20 July 2022.
  • Its lowest temperature was on 5 February 1912.
  • Its greatest annual precipitation was in 2002.
  • Its least annual precipitation was in 1892.
  • The longest annual sunshine was 2,040.8 hours in 1959.
  • The shortest annual sunshine was 1,339.7 hours in 1926.

    Education

Schwerin has two academic colleges, the Schwerin campus of the "Fachhochschule des Mittelstands", and the Schwerin campus of the "Hochschule der Bundesagentur für Arbeit".

Transport

City buses and trams are run by NVS.
Schwerin Hauptbahnhof is connected by rail to Berlin, Hamburg and Rostock.
The nearest airport is Hamburg Airport, which is located west of Schwerin.

Main sights

  • The landmark of the city is the Schwerin Palace, located on an island in the lake of the same name. It was, for centuries, the residence of the Dukes of Mecklenburg and today is the seat of the Landtag.
  • Schwerin Cathedral, built in 1260–1416 in Brick Gothic style.
  • The Alter Garten square, surrounded by buildings such as the 18th-century Altes Palais, the neoclassical Staatliches Museum Schwerin, and the Staatstheater.
  • The city hall.
  • Schelfkirche, originally built 1238, but rebuilt in 1713 after destruction by a storm.
  • TV Tower Schwerin-Zippendorf.

    Museums

  • The Staatliches Museum Schwerin-Kunstsammlungen houses a remarkable collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings and German art from medieval and renaissance masters up to the present day. There are also a collection of Greek vases, the notable collection of Paintings of Jean-Baptiste Oudry, a collection of sculptures of Houdon, German 18th-century court paintings, and works by such modern artists as Max Liebermann, Franz Stuck, Marcel Duchamp etc. The Graphic cabinet houses rich collections of Dutch and German drawings and prints and a notable collection of coloured graphics from the time of the GDR.
  • The State Museum of Technology, housed in the former Marstall. In 2012 the Technische Museum moved to the city of Wismar located 40 km north of Schwerin.