Schwerin Self Guided Walking Tour Castle History Audio and Quiz

Take in the peaceful waters and scenic surrounding promenade of the Pfaffenteich, the lake that frames Schwerin's old town, as you walk along August-Bebel-Strasse.

Observe the deep-red brick facade of the Baroque Schelfkirche (Saint Nikolai) along the Schelfmarkt, built from 1708 after a storm destroyed the medieval church once on this site.

Gaze up at the soaring 117.5-meter Brick Gothic tower of Schweriner Dom, begun in 1270 and deliberately built half a meter taller than its rival in Rostock, its 1871 organ ringing out through 5,100 pipes.

Stand in the historic Marktplatz, where the ochre Tudor Revival town hall faces the white classical Saulengebaude, watched over by a gilded statue of city founder Henry the Lion.

Take in the grand Neo-Renaissance facade of the Staatliches Museum on Alter Garten, home to Dutch and Flemish Old Masters alongside a surprising collection of Marcel Duchamp's conceptual works.

Survey the grand Alter Garten square, once a ducal pleasure garden and later a parade ground, now framed by the State Theatre and a towering 1870s Victory Column.

Cross the ornate Schlossbrucke, an 1845 masonry bridge guarded by zinc horse-tamer sculptures, leading onto the island and past the Burggarten toward Schweriner Schloss.

Marvel at the fairytale Neo-Renaissance architecture of this magnificent castle rising dramatically from its own island, seat of Mecklenburg's grand dukes and now home to the state parliament.