Schwerin Residence Ensemble

Schwerin is a huge area and I have "only" been to the massive castle, it's gardens and the entire lake next to it. The castle costs entrance and unsure it's worth the costs, not that it was too expensive and kids are free, but since you are already here and the entire day will pass easily by spending hours in the castle alone you might as well go for it. I think the scope of the site has changed over the years too. At first it seemed to only be the castle, then add the lake around it, and finally it contains an entire area of the residence. I feel it's still enough to just go to the castle and walk around it and see the major parts of the site though.

If for some reason you don't want to see the inside of the castle, which is understandable if you saw many others, then the park will keep you busy for a while too. Just walking to the Lake Schwerin for the castle takes a while and then you walk around, see the picture some take from far away, and eventually you are back in maybe 1-2 hours easily. The main attraction IS the castle and I have to say it's beautiful to look at so if you are standing across then the images are better. Pictures online that have a drone go high are even better. The castle takes almost the entirety of the island which is …

Residence Ensemble Schwerin – Cultural Landscape of Romantic Historicism: The full name of the TWHS indicates that it is about more than the Schwerin Castle with its gardens. And Indeed, the description on the Unesco website mentions a number of other buildings, and this nomination website lists a total of 43 elements. Not only around the castle but also in the city centre and around the artificially Pfaffenteich (Priest's pond).

Two or three decades ago this site would certainly have been nominated as "Schwerin Castle and Gardens" with the focus on the architectural features of historicism. And most likely, they would have been successful and Schwerin would now be on the WH list. But today this category is over-represented, especially also in Germany. Thus, the nomination was extended to all preserved buildings from the 19th century, a "cultural landscape" was created and referred to as a "residence ensemble".
Although I gave Schwerin a "thumbs down" because I think the WH list doesn't need more castles and parks, I have to admit that Schwerin is worth a visit. I visted Schwerin in August 2020 and really enjoyed my day strolling through the gardens and exploring the city centre.

The heart of Schwerin is the castle, its location on a small island on the shore of Lake Schwerin is really beautiful. Today the castle houses the parliament of the federal state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the castle museum. But on such a sunny, hot summer day I skipped the museum and …

I visited this tentative WHS in October 2014 on my way back from my road trip to Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck and Wismar. The Schwerin Castle ensemble is only 40 minutes away by car from Wismar and around 50 minutes away from Schalsee, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

The Schwerin Castle ensemble is definitely on par with other inscribed properties on the WH list such as Muskauer Park in Germany/Poland or Lednice Palace in Czechia and although it doesn't add anything particularly new to the list, on a sunny day it is a very enjoyable visit (when in the area). Its construction was also inspired by the Renaissance châteaux of the Loire Valley such as Chambord.

The Schwerin Castle and its gardens are situated on an island in the city's main lake, Lake Schwerin, and after visiting the whole ensemble I'd recommend walking towards Lennestrasse and Franzosenweg for a fabulous waterside view from one of the 3 cafeterias (Ruderhaus, Ambiente am See or Schlossbucht).

Schwerin castle may be a bit overlooked, but its beauty is undeniable. It is the kind of fairy-tale castle that is nowadays more associated with disney than with real historical buildings. Schwerin residence actually has a quite large historical basis, with bits and pieces of history shining through the 19th century rebuildings. Its main appearance is certainly a sometimes kitchy historism (who paints his castle yellow/orange?), but together with a very picturesque setting on a lake, next to the historic old city, makes the visit a very pleasant experience. Schwerin is quite easy to reach, being close to Wismar and Lübeck. The castle can be reached by foot from the railroad station. Compared to its main rival on the tentative list, Neuschwanstein, Schwerin has much more history (Neuschwanstein being newly built in the 19th century), but is a bit more low-key than the bavarian fanatasy castle. I fear that the decision will go more in the direction of Neuschwanstein, being a peak of historism.

Visited May 2015.

Importance: 3/5 Beauty: 5/5 Uniqueness: 3/5 Environment: 4/5 Experience: 4/5