This fairytale castle has just become Germany’s newest World Heritage Site

Germany is often associated with fairytales, thanks to popular stories such as Hansel & Gretel, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty rooted in German folklore. And it’s easy to see how they were inspired, with approximately 25,000 castles and palaces adorning the country’s landscape. Surprisingly, only a handful of its these fortresses have been recognised by UNESCO, but one more has just been added to the prestigious list.

The organisation’s latest inscription has brought attention to one of the greatest examples of Romantic historicism in Europe. And no, it isn’t found in the emerald mountains of Bavaria, but on the opposite side of the country.

Schwerin was once the capital of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, resided by the House of Mecklenburg dynasty. The low-lying city is almost flooded by several serene bodies of water, and standing on an island within its largest lake – Lake Schwerin – is its most monumental landmark. Schwerin Castle, or Schwerin Palace, has existed in its present form since the mid-19^th century when the dynasty ruled, although the site’s history dates back much further.

Archaeologists have traced the site back to 942 when a Slavic fortress once stood its place, however the Slavic tribes were conquered by an army commanded by Henry the Lion, the Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, in the 12th century. It was after this in the year 1160 that Schwerin was officially founded. For many centuries following, the palace witnessed various transformations as a ducal residence. Then, between 1845 and 1856, it was remodelled on French Renaissance architecture under the instruction of Frederick Francis II, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. It is this interior and façade that has been wonderfully preserved until this day, and is what has been recognised by UNESCO for ‘reflecting the historicist spirit of the time’.

From its exterior, the castle dubbed ‘Neuschwanstein of the North’, is pale in complexion, with numerous turrets and towers piercing the sky with their charcoal cone-shaped tops. Inside, there are no fewer than 653 rooms, with highlights including the Throne Room and Ancestral Portrait Gallery. From ground to ceiling, it is an artistic masterpiece: segments of wood veneer are pieced together to create a floor pattern that’s almost too pretty to walk on, while the off-white stucco ceilings swirl around angelic paintings and chandeliers, supported by marble columns. Flashes of gold catch your eye throughout the building, as gilding is used to decorate picture frames, doors and intricate wall carvings.

Today, Schwerin Castle is a seat in State Parliament, but also a museum displaying artwork. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the museum and palace rooms, or book a guided tour to gain a deeper understanding of the historical importance of the building.

Although the magnificent fortress outshines its surroundings, the castle’s baroque garden with its cast-iron orangery, grotto, sculptures and flower beds contend in close second. These public gardens are open year-round.

The castle and its gardens aren’t the only components under the UNESCO listing. There are more than 30 elements included within the Schwerin Residence Ensemble, with the buildings around Old Garden Square being of particular note. Manors, churches, artillery barracks, a theatre and a railway station all contribute to the story of this 19th-century landscape, and how it was shaped by the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin dynasty to create a capital fit for any fairytale.

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