Schwerin

For other uses, see Schwerin (disambiguation).
Schwerin


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Schwerin
Coordinates: 53°38′0″N 11°25′0″E / 53.63333°N 11.41667°E / 53.63333; 11.41667Coordinates: 53°38′0″N 11°25′0″E / 53.63333°N 11.41667°E / 53.63333; 11.41667
Country Germany
State Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District Urban district
Government
  Lord Mayor Angelika Gramkow (Die Linke)
Area
  Total 130.46 km2 (50.37 sq mi)
Population (2013-12-31)[1]
  Total 91,583
  Density 700/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes 19053, 19055, 19057, 19059, 19061, 19063
Dialling codes 0385
Vehicle registration SN
Website schwerin.de
Aerial view of Schwerin Palace
County of Schwerin
Grafschaft Schwerin
State of the Holy Roman Empire

1161–1358
Capital Schwerin
Government Principality
Historical era Middle Ages
   Established 1161
  Partitioned to Schwerin
    and Sch-Wittenburg
 
1279
  Partitioned to create
    Sch-Boizenburg
 
1323
  Inherited Tecklenburg 1328
  Sch-Schwerin comital line
    extinct
 
1344
   Sch-W'burg-B'burg extinct 1349 1358
  Comital line extinct; sold
    to Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 
1358
Bishopric of Schwerin
Bistum Schwerin
State of the Holy Roman Empire

1165–1648
Capital Schwerin
Government Theocracy
Historical era Middle Ages
  Established 1062
   Gained territory 1165
   Secularised to M-Schwerin 1648

Schwerin ([ʃvɛˈʁiːn] or [ʃvəˈʁiːn], Mecklenburgian Swerin, Latin Suerina) is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population is 91,583 (as of December 31, 2013).

Schwerin was first mentioned in 1018 and was granted city rights in 1160, thus it is the oldest city of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is known for its romantic Schwerin Palace, crowning an island in the Lake Schwerin. The city also has a largely intact old town, thanks to only minor damage in World War II.

Schwerin is located within the metropolitan region of Hamburg and close to that of Berlin, and to nearby regiopolises of Rostock and Lübeck.

History

Schwerin is surrounded by lakes. The largest of these lakes, the Schweriner See, has an area of 60 km2. In the midst of these lakes there was a settlement of the Slavic Obotrite (dated back to the 11th century). The area was called Zuarin (Polabian Zwierzyn), and the name Schwerin is derived from that designation. In 1160, Henry the Lion defeated the Obotrites and captured Schwerin. The town was subsequently 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.

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-Vorpommern thereafter.

At the end of World War II, on 2 May 1945, Schwerin was taken by U.S. troops. It was turned over to the British on 1 June 1945, and one month later, on 1 July 1945,[2] 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). 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 Bundesländer. Rostock was a serious contender for state capital but the decision went in favour of Schwerin.

Sister Cities

Transport

City buses and trams are run by NVS (Nahverkehr Schwerin).[3]

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

Main sights

Museums

Gallery

Panoramic view of Schwerin's historic city center.

Footnotes

  1. "Bevölkerungsstand der Kreise, Ämter und Gemeinden in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 31.12.2013". Statistisches Amt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (in German). 23 September 2014.
  2. Some evidence 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.
  3. NVS (Nahverkehr Schwerin)

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Schwerin.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Schwerin.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.