State Capital Schwerin Part 3

From the residential city to the state capital

The princely rule lasted until 1918. The Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was founded and Schwerin became the capital. It also remained the capital when the State of Mecklenburg was formed in 1934. The state capital grew. At the beginning of World War II in 1939 it reached around 65,000.

After 1945 the number of residents in the city, which was not destroyed by the war, increased significantly. In the summer of 1945 it reached 200,000 residents. With the formation of the districts in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the Schwerin district was created in 1952 with the city as the district town. The former royal seat developed into an important industrial city after 1960. New residential areas were created in Lankow and on the Großer Dreesch, so that the city could develop in a south-easterly direction beyond Zippendorf with the lido. The newly built areas fit harmoniously into the natural landscape.

Even before the construction of the Großer Dreesch residential area, the 138.7 m high television tower was built in the traditional excursion destination of Schwerin-Zippendorf in 1964. From its viewing platform you can see the city of lakes and forests and their surroundings impressively. His restaurant, which was closed between 1991 and 1999, is located above the viewing platform.

According to diseaseslearning, the open-air museum Schwerin-Muess is very close to Zippendorf. Unlike elsewhere, the buildings were not brought together from different parts of the country, but the museum in Schwerin-Muess comprises part of the old town center of Muess, which was first mentioned in 1304. The village was devastated in the Thirty Years War and later rebuilt. The museum, which opened in 1970, gives an insight into the working and living environment of a Mecklenburg village from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century, which was characterized by serfdom until 1820.

In 1972 Schwerin became a major city with over 100,000 residents . The Schwerin-Süd industrial complex is built. High-speed trams connect the new development areas with the industrial area in the south that was laid out in the following years. The traffic connection improved through a motorway slip road to today’s A 24 Berlin – Hamburg. The Deutsche Reichsbahn set up the continuous connection to Berlin with express trains. In 1990 the city had a population of 130,000.

After the reunification of the GDR in 1989, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was established in 1990 and Schwerin became the state capital due to corresponding traditions, thus regaining its function as the administrative center of a state. After the establishment of German unity, road traffic conditions were improved. The A 241 from Schwerin to Wismar to the A 20 (Baltic Sea motorway from Lübeck towards Prenzlau) has already been partially completed, and a motorway connection from Magdeburg to Schwerin is planned.

At the beginning of the 1990’s, the state capital Schwerin, as in all parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, experienced a profound structural change in the economy. Economic growth stagnated, unemployment reached consistently high levels, investment activity declined and export sales declined. The population has been falling dramatically since 1993. In 2003 there were fewer than 100,000 residents, less than the size of a large city. The main reason is moving out of the region. Usually it is young people or young families who move to Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein as well as Lower Saxony or southern Germany, where they receive an apprenticeship position or employment and remuneration corresponding to their qualifications.

Therefore, attempts are being made to create new jobs. But the stormy start of business start-ups from 1990 subsided by 1999. There are currently around 6,800 companies based in Schwerin, most of them small and very small. 60% of the companies have up to 5 employees and around 10% up to 20 employees. Larger companies with 50 or more employees only have a share of 6%. They include the technology and commercial center with a total of more than 800 jobs. His companies deal with modern industries such as medical technology, environmental technology, hydrogen technology and industrial electronics.

Tourism also plays a special role in the economy . For this, the hotel capacity had to be expanded. So it made sense to convert the warehouse at Ziegelsee, which had served as a granary until the early 1990’s. In 1998 a first-class hotel was opened in this listed building.

History

1018: First mention of the Obotritenburg Zuarin

1160: Awarded town charter by HEINRICH THE LION

1358: Relocation of the ducal court to Schwerin

1705: Construction of the Schelfstadt

1837: Relocation of the court from Ludwigslust

1838: Construction of the Paulsstadt

1843-1857: Reconstruction of the castle and construction of further representative buildings

1918: Capital of the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

1934: Capital of the State of Mecklenburg

1952: district town

1972: Schwerin becomes a large city when the population exceeds 100,000

1990: Capital of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

State Capital Schwerin Part 3