Castle in Germany, Schwerin Lake
Schwerin Castle
(
German
:
Schweriner Schloss
, also known as
Schwerin Palace
,
German pronunciation:
[?v?
?iːn']
) is a
schloss
located in the city of
Schwerin
, the capital of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
state
, Germany. It is situated on an island in the city's main lake,
Lake Schwerin
.
For centuries, the castle was the home of the dukes and grand dukes of
Mecklenburg
and later
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
. Today parts of it serve as the residence of the
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament
(German:
Landtag
) while other parts are open for tourists.
Major parts of the current castle were built between 1845 and 1857, as a collaboration between the eminent historicist architects
Gottfried Semper
,
Friedrich August Stuler
,
Georg Adolf Demmler
and
Ernst Friedrich Zwirner
. The castle is regarded as one of the most important works of Romantic
historicism
in Europe and is designated to become a
World Heritage Site
. It is nicknamed the "
Neuschwanstein
of the North".
[1]
History
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]
Early years
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]
The first records of a castle at this location date from AD 973. There was a fort of
Polabian Slav
tribe of the
Obotrites
on an island in the large lake of
Schwerin
.
In 1160, the fort became a target of
Germanic
noblemen planning to expand their territory eastward under the leadership of
Henry the Lion
(1129?1195). The Obotrites under
Niklot
destroyed the fort but left because of the Germanic military dominance. The German conquerors, however, recognised the strategic and aesthetically interesting location of the island and started building a new fort. The foundation of the city of
Schwerin
took place in the same year. Schwerin became the seat of a
bishopric
.
In 1167, Henry gave the County of Schwerin to his vassal Gunzelin von Hagen, and the rest of the country around the city was returned to Niklot's son
Pribislav
, forming a hereditary ducal line that lasted until 1918. In 1358, the County of Schwerin was purchased by the descendants of Niklot, who had been elevated to Dukes of Mecklenburg in 1348. They soon relocated farther inland from
Mikelenburg
, near the city of
Wismar
, to Schwerin. During the late
Gothic
era, the growing prosperity and position of the dukes led to a growing need for a representative castle, and this meant architectural changes to the fortress settlement. The Bishop's House (
Bischofshaus
) from that period remains in a grave.
Renaissance (15th?17th centuries)
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Under
John Albert I, Duke of Mecklenburg
(1525?1576), the building faced important changes. The fort became a palace, and the defensive functionality of the fortress was replaced with ornamentation and concessions to comfort. The use of
terracotta
during the
Renaissance
was dominant in North German architecture, and Schwerin's terracotta was supplied from
Lubeck
.
A few years after reworking the main building itself, from 1560 to 1563, John Albert rebuilt the palace's chapel. It became the first new
Protestant
church of the state. The architecture was inspired by churches in
Torgau
and
Dresden
. The early Venetian Renaissance gate, its gable showing the carrying of the cross, was made by Hans Walther (1526?1600), a sculptor from Dresden. Windows on the northern face show biblical illustrations by well-known Flemish artist
Willem van den Broecke
(also known as "Paludanus"; 1530 ? 1579).
As the ducal residence needed additional defences, despite its island site, sometime in the middle of the 16th century, bastions were established to the northwest, southwest and southeast. They were probably built by the same Italian architects who, under Francesco a Bornau, also designed the
Domitz Fortress
. The bastions were later modified several times and are still standing today.
Before the
Thirty Years' War
, the architect Ghert Evert Piloot, who had entered Mecklenburg's service in 1612, made plans to completely rebuild the palace in the style of the
Renaissance in the Low Countries
. In 1617, work began under his supervision but soon had to cease because of the war. Piloot's plans were partially realized between 1635 and 1643: the house above the palatial kitchen and that above the chapel were razed and given Dutch Renaissance style facades.
During this period, a half-timbered building was constructed near the chapel to house the archducal collection of paintings. Also, the
Teepavillon
(tea house) was built. The court moved to
Schloss Ludwigslust
in 1756.
Recent times (since the 19th century)
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]
In 1837, the ducal residence moved back to
Schwerin
, but the building was in relatively bad condition, and the Grand Duke disliked the individual buildings' incongruent origins and architectural styles.
Grand Duke Friedrich
(1800?1842) instructed his architect
Georg Adolph Demmler
(1804?1886) to remodel the palace. However, a few months later, construction was halted by his successor,
Friedrich Franz II
(1823?1883), who wanted a complete reconstruction of the historic site. Only some parts of the building dating from the 16th and 17th centuries were retained.
Dresden architect
Gottfried Semper
(1803?1879) and Berlin architect
Friedrich August Stuler
(1800?1865) could not convince the Grand Duke of their plans. Instead, Demmler included elements from both of them into his plan, but found inspiration in
French Renaissance
castles. The castle became the most admired masterpiece of the student of
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
. He also planned a government building in 1825?1826 located at Schlossstraße (today the State Chancellery). Renaissance chateaux of the
Loire Valley
(such as
Chambord
) also inspired him and contributed to the construction from 1843 until 1851. His successor, Stuler, again made a few alterations, including an equestrian statue of Niklot and the cupola.
Heinrich Strack
(1805?1880) from Berlin was chosen for the interior design. Most of the work was carried out by craftsmen from Schwerin and Berlin. A fire destroyed about a third of the palace in December 1913. Only the exterior reconstruction had been completed when the
revolution
of 1918 resulted in the abdication of the Grand Duke. The castle later became a museum and, in 1948, the seat of the state parliament. The
German Democratic Republic
used the palace as a college for kindergarten teachers from 1952 to 1981. Then it was a museum again until 1993. The
Orangerie
had been a technical museum since 1961. From 1974 on, some renovated rooms were used as an art museum.
Since late 1990, it has once again been a seat of government as the seat of the
Landtag
(the state assembly of the State of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
). Since then, there have been massive preservation and renovation efforts. Most of these were finished by 2019.
See also
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Ghost of Petermannchen
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]
The ghost
Petermannchen
(
"little Peterman"
) is said to roam the halls of the Schweriner Schloss. This invisible little creature is said to be no more than a few feet high and is often depicted in clothes from the 17th century, something resembling a cavalier. Other legends describe him as a long-bearded blacksmith, night watchman, or prankster to those who would seek to harm or steal from the castle.
Gallery
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-
View from the Schlossgarten
-
-
19th century image
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Schwerin Palace front view
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Castle Schwerin: entrance portal
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The castle in the blue hour
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The Grand Duke's Throne
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Chapel
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The orangery
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castle view on a winter evening
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Statue of the
Obotrite
Prince
Niklot
(sculptor:
Christian Genschow
)
-
Petermannchen
, an 1856 sculpture by Heinrich Petters at Schwerin Palace
References
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External links
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