Schwerin

The Mecklenburg ducal capital on a lake was for centuries the site of a castle. Made over as a palace in the Renaissance and again in the 19th century, the Romantic residence forms an island in the lake and with its extended gardens is one of the visitor drawcards of northern Germany.

The cathedral, the Dom St Marien und St Johannis, is the only building that is more prominent, with a tower soaring almost 120 metres above the north German plain.

The rest of the city offers plenty of variety in addition to northern red brick. Check out the Schelfstadt precinct for decorated facades and half-timbered styles from the early 18th to 20th century.