Schwerin Castle

Schwerin Castle is one of the most photographed castles in northern Germany. Set on an island in Lake Schwerin connected by two bridges to the mainland, the present neo-Renaissance palace was built between 1845 and 1857 for the Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The architects Georg Adolf Demmler, Gottfried Semper, and Friedrich August Stuler recast the medieval fortress into a romantic historicist palace, drawing inspiration from the Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley. The golden domes, tower spires, ornate facades, and ornamental gardens create a silhouette that rivals Bavarias more famous castles. The interior includes the throne room with Neo-Renaissance wall paintings of Mecklenburg history, the ancestral hall lined with portraits of the ducal and grand ducal family, the magnificent library with floor-to-ceiling carved bookcases and a gallery, and the porcelain cabinet displaying Meissen and East Asian pieces. The castle park, designed by Peter Joseph Lenne, extends around the lake with formal terraced gardens, English landscape sections, and the Orangery. The castle has been the seat of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament since 1990, with public access to the main state rooms. Schwerin is a 90-minute train ride from Hamburg.