The best city hikes and walks in Mecklenburg Switzerland

The castle is currently being restored and is currently not open to the public

In the Gertruden Chapel in a former cemetery, some of Barlach's most important and beautiful sculptures are on display (the "Laughing Old Woman", the "Reading Monastery Student", "Doubter", "Reunion"), and in the garden there is the rediscovered "Mother Earth" and sculptures by other artists. Ernst Barlach: Born in 1870, Barlach grew up in the Hamburg area and Mecklenburg, studied art and did this and that; was unsuccessful for a long time until he traveled to Russia at the age of 36 and brought inspiration and ideas from there/from the folk art there. Since then, Barlach created down-to-earth, authentic, earth-rooted, often clunky figures and was successful with them. At 40 he went to Güstrow, at 56 he had his studio house built, and died at 68. He created impressive sculptures, monuments, graphics and plays. The two Barlach museums are highly recommended.

Located not far from Güstrow town centre, the Gothic Gertruden Chapel was opened in 1953 as the first Barlach Museum in Güstrow. The chapel houses around 30 sculptures and reliefs by Ernst Barlach, all of which were created during his time in Güstrow. Source: https://www.mecklenburgische-seenplatte.de/reiseziele/gertrudenkapelle-ernst-barlach-ausstellung

In 1942, the cathedral school, which was threatened with extinction, was merged with the secondary school founded in 1902, which had borne the name of the Low German poet John Brinckman since 1934 and already had three times the number of students. The old secondary school was closed. Until 1947, the school, which was located at Am Wall No. 6, was called the United John Brinckman School and Cathedral School. The current John Brinckman Secondary School celebrated its 450th anniversary in 1983.

The Güstrow Cathedral School on the Cathedral Square was a Latin school founded in 1552 by Duke Johann Albrecht I of Mecklenburg (1525–1576) and later a grammar school in Güstrow. Its building from 1575/79 is the oldest surviving school building in Mecklenburg. Its history began in 1236 as a collegiate school for the training of young clergy, making it one of the oldest schools in the German-speaking world and the school with the longest history in what is now Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Source:

The historic Güstrow market in Güstrow in the old town is the center of the city. The square was named after the medieval market square on which the town hall and the parish church of St. Mary are located in the center. In 1978 the market was redesigned and the Archimedes sculpture was erected. From 1991 onwards, the historic old town was renovated as a former national area monument and now a model city for urban development, as were the square (2020) and many houses. Source:https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCstrower_Markt

Güstrow Castle is one of the most important Renaissance castles in northern Europe. It combines Italian and French architectural elements with a typically northern European basic structure in a fascinating way. The castle's special jewel can be admired in its ballroom. A lively red deer frieze from the time it was built, which was created for Duke Ulrich in 1570, has been preserved here. Deer and hinds frolic here, jumping or grazing peacefully together. They are considered a symbol of a good royal marriage, so that the deer frieze refers to the paired name cartouches above, which show Duke Ulrich's noble ancestors. Source:https://www.mv-schloesser.de/de/willkommen-auf-schloss-guestrow/

The town hall of Güstrow is a successor to the first town hall, which was built in the 13th century. The current seat of the Güstrow city administration was inaugurated in 1798 and is located in the center of the Mecklenburg town, right in the town center. The Gothic parish church of St. Mary is in the immediate vicinity. Source: Wikipedia