Schwerin

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "other uses". Script error: No such module "Settlement short description".Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".Expression error: Unexpected < operatorScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Schwerin (Script error: No such module "IPA".)Template:Efn-la is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It has around 96,000 inhabitants, and is thus the least populous of all German state capitals.

Schwerin is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Schwerin (Schweriner See), the second-largest lake of the Mecklenburg Lake Plateau after the Müritz, and there are eleven other lakes within Schwerin's city limits. The city is surrounded by the district of Northwestern Mecklenburg to the north, and the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim to the south. Schwerin and the two surrounding districts form the eastern outskirts of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.

Schwerin was first mentioned in 1018 as Zuarina and was granted city rights in 1160 by Henry the Lion, thus it is the oldest city of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. As main residence of the House of Mecklenburg, a dynasty with Slavic roots also known as the Obotrites, Schwerin has served as the capital of all Mecklenburger states since the Duchy of Mecklenburg in 1379. After the abolition of states in East Germany, it served as the capital of the District of Schwerin from 1952 to 1990 and since German reunification, it has served as the capital of the (re-)founded Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The romantic Schwerin Palace, situated on Castle Island between Lake Schwerin and Castle Lake, known for its golden dome, the Castle Church, the throne room, and the Niklot statue; used to be the seat of the dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and since 1990, it has served as the seat of the state parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Schwerin's silhouette is completed by the towers of Schwerin Cathedral, St Paul's Church and St Nicholas' Church. Because of only minor damage in World War II, the city has a largely intact building structure, both in the Altstadt (Old Town) and Schelfstadt (Reed City) quarters.

Major industries and employers include high technology, machine building, healthcare, government agencies, railway supply, consumer goods and tourism. There is a regional airport in Parchim, southeast of the city, while Hamburg Airport serves as the city's main airport.

Geography

Schwerin clockwise borders the municipalities of Klein Trebbow (N), Seehof (Mecklenburg), Leezen (Mecklenburg) (lake border and border on Paul's Dam (Paulsdamm) only), Raben Steinfeld (E), Plate, Banzkow, Lübesse (S), Holthusen, Pampow, Klein Rogahn (W), Wittenförden, Brüsewitz, and Pingelshagen.

There is a small enclave between the city districts of Template:Ill and Template:Ill, belonging to the neighboring municipality of Klein Rogahn.

Lakes and islands

File:Schwerinersee.png
Schwerin on Lake Schwerin (Schweriner See), subdivided into Outer Lake (Außensee) and Inner Lake (Innensee) by Paul's Dam (Paulsdamm)

The 12 lakes within Schwerin's city limits:

Name Size Islands
File:Sunrise - 2010-10-25 (5113181443).jpg Lake Schwerin
Schweriner See 		Script error: No such module "convert". Template:Ill, Template:Ill
File:Schwerin Ziegelsee Nordufer 2008-06-17 021.jpg Brick Lake
Ziegelsee 		Script error: No such module "convert". Kleine & Große Murrkiteninsel
File:Ostorfer See Schwerin.jpg Lake Ostorf
Ostorfer See 		Script error: No such module "convert". Toteninsel/Tannenwerder
File:Schwerin Neumuehler See 2009-07-07.jpg New Mill Lake
Neumühler See 		Script error: No such module "convert".
File:Medeweger See.jpg Lake Medewege
Medeweger See 		Script error: No such module "convert".
File:Lankower See 011.jpg Lake Lankow
Lankower See 		Script error: No such module "convert". Rethhorst
File:Fauler See Schwerin.jpg Foul Lake
Fauler See 		Script error: No such module "convert".
File:Schwerin Heidensee.png Heathens Lake
Heidensee 		Script error: No such module "convert".
File:Pfaffenteich (Schwerin).jpg Clergymen's Pond
Pfaffenteich 		Script error: No such module "convert".
File:Schwerin 2002 12.jpg Castle Lake
Burgsee 		Script error: No such module "convert". Schlossinsel
File:Grimkesee.jpg Lake Grimke
Grimkesee 		Script error: No such module "convert".
File:Grosse Karausche 2 Schwerin.jpg Big Karausche
Große Karausche 		Script error: No such module "convert".

Boroughs

According to the 2024 version of the Schwerin city constitution, it is subdivided into 17 boroughs that each have a local borough council (Ortsteilvertretung). These councils have between 5 and 15 members depending on the number of inhabitants whom are picked by the city council for the duration of the municipal electoral period. The local councilors elect a borough mayor (Ortsbeiratsvorsitzender) and are to hear important matters concerning the district and have a right of initiative; final decision however rests with the city council. These 17 city boroughs are largely contiguous with the 26 city districts or quarters, several smaller districts are however grouped together in the same borough.[1]

Boroughs and districts of Schwerin
Map
File:Schwerin subdivisions.svg
Borough District(s) Population (2025)[2] Borough mayor (2024)
Ortsteil 1 Schelfstadt 4,370 11,383 Silvia Rabethge (CDU)[3]
Template:Ill 7,013
Template:Ill 0 (2014)[4]
Ortsteil 2 Template:Ill 3,309 17,355 Stephan Haring (CDU)[5]
Template:Ill 3,999
Template:Ill 8,368
Template:Ill 1,679
Ortsteil 3 Template:Ill 8,447 Georg-Christian Riedel (CDU)[6]
Ortsteil 4 Template:Ill 4,966 Marco Rauch (LINKE)[7]
Ortsteil 5 Template:Ill 12,353 Gret-Doris Klemkow (SPD)[8]
Ortsteil 6 Template:Ill 2,291 4,613 Daniel Meslien (SPD)[9]
Template:Ill 2,322
Ortsteil 7 Template:Ill 10,086 Cordula Manow (LINKE)[10]
Ortsteil 8 Template:Ill 10,825 Thomas Munzert (CDU)[11]
Ortsteil 9 Template:Ill 5,926 Jens Ludwig (CDU)[12]
Ortsteil 10 Template:Ill 769 910 Solveig Dahl (UB/FDP)[13]
Template:Ill 141
Ortsteil 11 Template:Ill 936 Ralf Klein (CDU)[14]
Ortsteil 12 Template:Ill 3,945 Rolf Bemmann (SPD)[15]
Ortsteil 13 Template:Ill 3,071 3,071 Martin Frank (LINKE)[16]
Template:Ill 0 (2014)[4]
Ortsteil 14 Template:Ill 1,602 Heike Ehrhardt (UB/FDP)[17]
Ortsteil 15 Template:Ill 1,132 1,358 Annelie Schröder (SPD)[18]
Template:Ill 226
Ortsteil 16 Template:Ill 1,050 Thilo Kreimer (CDU)[19]
Ortsteil 17 Template:Ill 894 Hasko Schubert (CDU)[20]

Climate

Schwerin has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb; Trewartha: Dobk). Schwerin is located not far from the Baltic Sea coast. Its climate is moderated by the ocean, with warm winters and cool summers throughout the year, with an average temperature ranging from Script error: No such module "convert". in winter to Script error: No such module "convert". in summer.

The Schwerin weather station has recorded the following extreme values:[21]

  • Its highest temperature was Script error: No such module "convert". on 20 July 2022.
  • Its lowest temperature was Script error: No such module "convert". on 5 February 1912.
  • Its greatest annual precipitation was Script error: No such module "convert". in 2002.
  • Its least annual precipitation was Script error: No such module "convert". in 1892.
  • The longest annual sunshine was 2,040.8 hours in 1959.
  • The shortest annual sunshine was 1,339.7 hours in 1926.

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History

Early years

Schwerin is enclosed by lakes. The largest of these lakes, the Schweriner See, has an area of 60 km2. In the middle part of these lakes there was a settlement of the Slavic Obotrite (dated back to the 11th century). The area was called Zuarin, and the name Schwerin is derived from that designation. In 1160, Henry the Lion defeated the Obotrites and captured Schwerin. The town was later expanded into a powerful regional centre. A castle was built on this site, and expanded to become a ducal palace. It is supposedly haunted by the small, impious ghost, called Petermännchen ("Peterman").

In 1358, Schwerin became a part of the Duchy of Mecklenburg, making it the seat of the duchy from then on. About 1500, the construction of the Schwerin Palace began, as a residence for the dukes. After the division of Mecklenburg (1621), Schwerin became the capital of the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Between 1765 and 1837, the town of Ludwigslust served as the capital, until Schwerin was reinstated.

Recent times

In the mid-1800s, many residents from Schwerin moved to the United States, many to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Today Milwaukee and Schwerin are sister cities. After 1918, and during the German Revolution, resulting in the fall of all the German monarchies, the Grand Duke abdicated. Schwerin became capital of the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin thereafter.

During World War II, Schwerin was hit by bombs on four occasions during the bombing of Schwerin. The first attack took place in July 1940, causing only minor damage. After nearly 5 years of no attacks, the biggest air raid happened on 7 April 1945. 1500 bombs were dropped on the city after missing its intended target, the freight station, killing 224 people and destroying 42 houses.[22][23][24] A third attack happened on 19 April 1945.[25] Ultimately, 3% of the city ended up being destroyed due to the aerial attacks. At the end of World War II, on 2 May 1945, Schwerin was taken by United States troops. It was turned over to the British on 1 June 1945, and one month later, on 1 July 1945,[26] it was handed over to the Soviet forces, as the British and American forces pulled back from the line of contact to the predesignated occupation zones.

Schwerin was then in the Soviet Occupation Zone which was to become the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Upon entering of Soviet forces, accounts of rape were reported by multiple inhabitants of the city.[27]

Initially, it was the capital of the State of Mecklenburg which at that time included the western part of Pomerania (Vorpommern). After the states were dissolved in the GDR, in 1952, Schwerin served as the capital of the Schwerin district (Bezirk Schwerin).

After reunification in 1990, the former state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was recreated as one of the Script error: No such module "Lang".. Rostock was a serious contender for state capital but the decision went in favour of Schwerin.

Demographics

File:Einwohnerentwicklung von Schwerin.svg
Population of Schwerin between 1200 and 2022

As of the 2022 German census, Schwerin has a population of 96,447,[28] which makes it the smallest state capital in all of Germany.[29] As of the end of 2025, Schwerin reported to have a population of 99,721,[2] while showing signs of growth, making it possible that Schwerin could reclaim its status as a major city (Großstadt, meaning above 100,000 inhabitants) in the near future. Schwerin had previously held this status between 1972 and 2000. The 2025 estimate is divided between 51,811 (51.96%) female and 47,910 (48.04%) male.[2]Page Module:Historical populations/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Historical populations".

Crime rate

According to the official 2007 Crime Report for Germany, Schwerin was the only German city with a crime rate over 17,000 total offenses committed per 100,000 inhabitants;[30] thus being 1st in the list of Germany's most dangerous cities. The larger cities, such as Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, or Bremen, all have crime rates ranging from 14,000 to 16,000 total offenses committed per 100,000 people. However, Schwerin is the only city where riding a bus (or tram) without a ticket and social security fraud is counted towards the crime rate, significantly boosting the numbers.[31]

Politics

City council

The most recent city council election was held on 9 June 2024, and the results were as follows: Template:Parliament diagram

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Party Votes % ± Seats ±
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Alternative for Germany (AfD) 38,352 26.0 Increase 10.9 12 Increase 5
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 29,051 19.7 Increase 2.5 9 Increase 1
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Social Democratic Party (SPD) 24,749 16.8 Decrease 0.4 8 Steady 0
bgcolor=Template:Party color| The Left (Die Linke) 15,113 10.2 Decrease 5.3 5 Decrease 2
Independent Citizens (UB) 10,617 7.2 Decrease 6.9 3 Decrease 3
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 10,088 6.8 Decrease 5.3 3 Decrease 2
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Free Democratic Party (FDP) 5,388 3.7 Decrease 0.3 2 Steady 0
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Die PARTEI (PARTEI) 4,876 3.3 Increase 0.3 1 Steady 0
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Independent Steinmüller 3,480 2.4 New 1 New
Ask Group – City and Culture Protection (ASK) 3,181 2.2 Increase 0.7 1 Steady 0
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Independent Mittelstädt 436 0.3 New 0 New
K-I 402 0.3 New 0 New
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Independent Szymik 402 0.3 New 0 New
Valid votes 147,473 100.0
Invalid ballots 2,109 1.4
Total ballots 50,842 100.0 45 ±0
Electorate/voter turnout 78,517 64.8 Increase 6.8
Source: City of Schwerin

Mayor

The current mayor of Schwerin is Bernd Nottebaum (CDU) since 2026.[32]

The most recent mayoral election was held on 4 June 2023, with a runoff held on 18 June, and the results were as follows:

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Election table/category
Candidate Party First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Rico Badenschier Social Democratic Party 16,510 42.0 26,078 67.8
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Leif-Erik Holm Alternative for Germany 10,792 27.4 12,360 32.2
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Thomas Tweer Independent (CDU/FDP/UB) 6,714 17.1
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Daniel Trepsdorf The Left 3,506 8.9
bgcolor=Template:Party color| Regina Dorfmann Alliance 90/The Greens 1,088 2.8
Martin Steinitz ASK 737 1.9
Valid votes 39,347 99.6 38,438 99.4
Invalid votes 161 0.4 225 0.6
Total 39,508 100.0 38,663 100.0
Electorate/voter turnout 78,545 50.3 78,390 49.3
Source: City of Schwerin (1st round, 2nd round)

List of mayors

Before 1919, Schwerin had two dual-mayors. The following is a list of all mayors since 1800:[33][34]

Infrastructure

Transport

City buses and trams are run by NVS (Nahverkehr Schwerin).[36]

Schwerin Hauptbahnhof (central station) is connected by rail to Berlin, Hamburg and Rostock.

The nearest airport is Hamburg Airport, which is located Script error: No such module "convert". west of Schwerin.

Education

Schwerin has two academic colleges, the Schwerin campus of the "Fachhochschule des Mittelstands" (University of Applied Sciences of the Mittelstand), and the Schwerin campus of the "Hochschule der Bundesagentur für Arbeit" (University of the Federal Employment Agency). Schwerin is also the only state capital that has no universities.

Sights

Template:Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site

Museums

  • The Staatliches Museum Schwerin-Kunstsammlungen (State Art Museum) houses a remarkable collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings and German art from medieval and renaissance masters up to the present day. There are also a collection of Greek vases, the notable collection of Paintings of Jean-Baptiste Oudry, a collection of sculptures of Houdon, German 18th-century court paintings, and works by such modern artists as Max Liebermann, Franz Stuck, Marcel Duchamp etc. The Graphic cabinet houses rich collections of Dutch and German drawings and prints (Jan van Goyen, Dürer, Cranach, Rembrandt, Merian) and a notable collection of coloured graphics from the time of the GDR.
  • The State Museum of Technology (Technische Museum), housed in the former Marstall (Royal Stables). In 2012 the Technische Museum moved to the city of Wismar located 40 km north of Schwerin.
File:Panorama Schwerin.jpg
Panoramic view of Schwerin's historic city centre

Twin towns – sister cities

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Notable people

Aristocracy

File:Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Crown Princess of Germany and Prussia.jpg
Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1905

Arts

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R10922, Franziska Ellmenreich.jpg
Franziska Ellmenreich

Politics

File:Heinrich von Bülow (IZ 04-81).jpg
Heinrich von Bülow

Science

Sports

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S0709-0009, Andrea Pollack.jpg
Andrea Pollack, 1977

Others

References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
  22. ↑ 'Schwerin im Bombenhagel' - Dieschweringer.de, retrieved on May 29, 2025
  23. ↑ '1945 - Luftangriff: Luftangriff vom 7. April 1945' - Guestrow History, retrieved on May 29, 2025
  24. ↑ 'Dunkle stunde eines stadtteils' - SchwerinLive, retrieved on May 29, 2025
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Some evidenceScript error: No such module "Unsubst". calls into doubt the date on which the British withdrew to the predesignated occupation zone. Local residents claim that the British forces did not relinquish control of Schwerin until later in the year, probably November, following a brief artillery exchange across lake Schwerin between the British and the Soviets. Allegedly there were no deaths.
  27. ↑ 'Bomben auf Schwerin: 1945 dröhnten die Sirenen' - NDR, retrieved on May 29, 2025
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Official Police Report for Germany, cf. p. 17.
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ NVS (Nahverkehr Schwerin)
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "template wrapper".
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