The fairy-tale castle city — Germany's most romantic lake skyline
Schwerin is the small capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, centred on the extraordinary Schweriner Schloss — a 19th-century romantic castle on its own island in Schwerin Lake, all spires and turrets inspired by Chambord, that was submitted for UNESCO World Heritage status. The city spreads across seven lakes with a relaxed, unhurried pace rare for a state capital, and the surrounding Mecklenburg lake district offers some of the finest canoeing and cycling in Germany.
Schwerin's recorded history begins in 1018 CE and it became the residence of the Dukes of Mecklenburg from 1358. The current castle was rebuilt in its fantastical neo-Renaissance style between 1843 and 1857 under Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II, inspired partly by Chambord in France. The city was capital of the GDR state Mecklenburg until 1952 and was restored to that role after reunification in 1990.