Schwerin Palace, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

Schwerin Palace (Schweriner Schloss) is one of the most romantic buildings in Germany, a many-turreted neo-Renaissance palace set on its own small island in Lake Schwerin, in the heart of the capital of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Often called the “Neuschwanstein of the North,” it was built between 1843 and 1857 for Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II on the site of a far older fortress — a castle has guarded this island for more than a thousand years — and its silhouette of golden domes, gables and towers was inspired in part by the French châteaux of the Loire. Behind its ornate façades lie hundreds of sumptuous rooms, and the palace, together with its gardens and more than thirty associated buildings, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024 as the Schwerin Residence Ensemble.

What to See

Much of the palace is open as a museum, leading through the opulent state apartments of the grand dukes: the gilded Throne Room, the wood-panelled smoking room, the ancestral gallery and the tea salon, all lavished with marquetry floors, silk hangings, carved and gilded ornament and stucco ceilings. The palace also shares its rooms with the parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which has met here since 1990, making it a rare working seat of government that visitors can also tour. Outside, the island itself is wrapped in the small, romantic Burggarten with its orangery and grottoes, while a bridge leads across to the formal Baroque Schlossgarten on the mainland, laid out with canals, avenues and statuary. Keep an eye out for the Petermännchen, the friendly little castle ghost of Schwerin legend, who appears throughout the palace’s decoration. The views back to the palace across the water — especially at sunset — are unforgettable.

How to Get There and Practical Information

Schwerin lies in north-eastern Germany between Hamburg and Rostock and is easily reached by train: it sits on the main line from Hamburg (around one hour) and Berlin, and the palace is a pleasant walk of fifteen to twenty minutes from the railway station, or a short ride on the tram or bus through the old town. The palace island is reached by a causeway and bridges beside the theatre and museum on the Alter Garten square. The surrounding gardens are freely open at all times, while the palace museum is ticketed and generally closed on Mondays outside the summer season. Allow a couple of hours for the interior and gardens, and try to leave time for a stroll or a boat trip on Lake Schwerin, which gives the classic postcard view of the palace rising from the water.