Tourism portal of the Capital Schwerin

History of the Palace

Already more than thousand years ago the palace island used to be the seat of a Slavonic fortress. In the year 973, the Arabic globetrotter Ibrahim Ibn Jacub was the first person to mention the headquarters of a Slavonic tribe called the “Obotriten”, constructed in the middle of a lake. Parts of this former palisade building have been discovered underneath the palace church. When Schwerin was officially founded in 1160, the last Slavonic ruler Niklot burnt down the entire castle as he did not want to leave it to the hands of the advancing German feudal troops, lead by Henry the Lion. Henry, however, had the castle rebuilt immediately. Niklot was later even honoured with a grand monument above the main entrance of the re-built palace. Under the rule of duke Magnus II (1477 - 1503) the “Große Neue Haus” - the big new house, was constructed. It is the oldest part of the castle that remains preserved until today. Over subsequent centuries three major phases of renovation and new constructions took place. But it wasn’t until the 16th century that the palace began to really look like one. The reason for that was that the defensive purpose began to be of minor importance and the aesthetic aspect of the building became more significant. According to plans by Georg Adolph Demmler, August Stüler and Gottfried Semper the palace was rebuilt, following the example of the palace “Chambord” in France. From 1843 until 1957 many older parts were demolished or converted and new buildings were added. In the year 1847 the main tower along the lakeside was completed. Grand duke Friedrich Franz II and his family finally moved into Schwerin Palace when it was finished in 1857.

The year 1913 brought an unfortunate incident. The “Elisabethzimmer” caught fire, which was noticed much too late to prevent greater damage. The flames spread to the duke’s hunting ammunition and triggered several small explosions. Around a third of the building was destroyed by the fire. After the end of monarchy in 1918 the palace fell to the Free State of Mecklenburg Schwerin. The palace museum opened its doors for the first time in 1921. The Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has its seat there since 1990.

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