Güstrow (; la, Gustrovium) is a town in

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It is capital of the Rostock district;

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state ...

itself is a district-free city and regiopolis. It has a population of 28,999 (2020) and is the seventh largest town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Since 2006 Güstrow has had the official suffix ''Barlachstadt''. The town is known for its

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

Güstrow Palace Güstrow Palace (german: Schloss Güstrow) is a Renaissance-era palatial schloss in Güstrow, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, used as a museum and cultural centre. Built in 1558 for Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg, it is located close ...

, the

old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

and its

brick gothic Brick Gothic (german: Backsteingotik, pl, Gotyk ceglany, nl, Baksteengotiek) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resourc ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

with Barlach's ''Floating Angel'' sculpture.

Geography

Güstrow is 45 kilometers south of

at the Nebel, an arm of the Warnow. The Bützow-Güstrow-Kanal (channel) is a navigable connection to the Warnow and used by water tourists. There are five lakes (''

Inselsee Inselsee is a lake in the Rostock district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. At an elevation of 11.4 m, its surface area is 4.58 km². The lake is divided into two parts by a small 60 ha island „Schöninsel“. While the northern part ...

, Sumpfsee, Parumer See, Grundloser See and Gliner See''

ake Ake (or Aké in Spanish orthography) is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It's located in the municipality of Tixkokob, in the Mexican state of Yucatán; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán. The n ...

and several forests around Güstrow.

History

The name Güstrow comes from the Polabian Guščerov and means

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia altho ...

place. In 1219 the Wendish castle Güstrowe was built where the renaissance palace stands now. Güstrow is said to be founded by Heinrich Borwin II, a grandson of

Henry the Lion Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180. Henry was one of the most powerful German p ...

, between 1219 and 1226 and was first mentioned in 1228 in the deed of city rights of

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. It ...

, confirmed by the sons of Heinrich Borwin II, who donated the cathedral as

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...

in 1226. Güstrow was a residence of the lords of Werle from 1229 until 1436. In 1441 the first privileged shooting society of Güstrow was founded. The host desecration-trial of 1330 ended with the burning of 23 Jews and the destruction of the synagogue. The ''Kapelle des heiligen Bluts'' (Chapel of the Holy Blood) was built on the site of the synagogue. In 1503, 1508 and in 1512 fires destroyed the town and in 1556 the palace burned down. After the division of Mecklenburg (1621) it became the capital of the small Duchy of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. (

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...

, the imperial general in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...

, was a duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow.) In 1695 the last duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow died, and the duchy ceased to exist. Güstrow became a part of the

Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting Ho ...

. The famous sculptor Ernst Barlach lived in Güstrow from 1910 to his death in 1938.

Sights

There are several notable sights in Güstrow: * The

(or ''Schloss Güstrow'' in German), built in 1589 in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

style, as a residence for the dukes of

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...

. One of the most important works of this era in the Baltic Sea region. Between 1963 and 1981 major restoration work was carried out, and a Renaissance garden was added, modelled after descriptions appearing in old engravings. *

Güstrow Cathedral Güstrow (; la, Gustrovium) is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is capital of the Rostock district; Rostock itself is a district-free city and regiopolis. It has a population of 28,999 (2020) and is the seventh largest town in ...

, a

Brick Gothic Brick Gothic (german: Backsteingotik, pl, Gotyk ceglany, nl, Baksteengotiek) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resourc ...

cathedral built between 1226 and 1335. Noteworthy are a late Gothic high altar (c. 1500), the tombs of Duke Ulrich III and his two wives (16th century), and the celebrated ''Schwebende Engel'' ("Hovering Angel"), the most famous work of the expressionist sculptor Ernst Barlach, created in 1926 as a tribute to the victims of World War I. * St. Mary's church - a

parish church, partly remodelled in the 19th century * Ernst Barlach's ''Atelierhaus'' (studio), that exhibits a large collection of his works. * The Townhall, originally built in the 13th century and rebuilt c. 1800 at the central market square.

Gallery

File:GüstrowSchloss&Park.JPG,

(''Güstrower Schloss''),

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought ...

File:Guestrow Dom.jpg,

(''Güstrower Dom''),

File:Schwebender Engel.jpg, ''Floating Angel'' (''Schwebender Engel'') by Ernst Barlach, 1927

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

WW1 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighti ...

memorial inside Güstrow Cathedral File:Güstrow Pfarrkirche St. Marien 2012-07-11 097.JPG, St. Mary's Parish Church of Güstrow (''St. Marienkirche'') File:Güstrow Kerstingstraße Giebel der Domschule (01-2).jpg, Cathedral School (''Domschule'') File:Guestrow Rathaus.jpg, City Hall at the Market Square File:Güstrow Markt Blick von der Pfarrkirche St. Marien 2012-07-11 127.JPG, Gable houses at Güstrow's market square from above File:Ernst-Barlach-Theater Güstrow 2011-III.jpg, Theatre of Güstrow (''Ernst-Barlach-Theater'') File:Güstrow Postamt 2012-07-11 136.JPG, Main Post Office of Güstrow (

historicist architecture Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely u ...

) File:Stadtmuseum Güstrow 2011.jpg, City museum and tourist info of Güstrow File:Guestrow-sowjet-ehrenfriedh.jpg, Soviet Cemetery File:Gut moor482.jpg, Inselsee (''Island Lake'') File:Güstrow, Natur&Umwelt Park28-30.06.08 254.jpg, Nature and Environment Park (''Natur- und Umweltpark Güstrow'')

Education

Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung, Rechtspflege und Polizei Güstrow
(''University of Administration, Judicature and Police in Güstrow'')

Transportion

City buses are run b
OVG (Omnibusverkehrsgesellschaft Güstrow)
The town is the southern terminus of the

Rostock S-Bahn The Rostock S-Bahn (german: S-Bahn Rostock) is a S-Bahn (suburban railway) network in Rostock in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It consists of three lines with a total length of about 90 km. Line S1 runs from Rostock Hauptbahnhof ...

Notable people

* Johann VII, Duke of Mecklenburg (1558–1592), Duke of Mecklenburg *

Joachim Daniel von Jauch Joachim Daniel von Jauch (22 March 1688 – 3 May 1754) was a German-born architect who supervised the baroque development of Warsaw in Poland. Early life and work Joachim Daniel von Jauch was born into the Jauch family in Güstrow, Germany on 2 ...

(1688–1754), major general and baroque architect * John Brinckman (1814–1870), poet and short story writer * Harry Lehmann (1924–1998), Max Planck Medal award-winning physicist * Ulrich Neckel (1898–1928), pilot in WWI and a recipient of the

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

medal

Twin towns – sister cities

Güstrow is twinned with: * Ribe, Denmark * Gryfice, Poland *

Kronshagen Kronshagen is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 23 km southeast of Eckernförde Eckernförde ( da, Egernførde, sometimes also , nds, Eckernför, someti ...

, Germany *

Neuwied Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...

, Germany

References

External links

*
Barlachstadt Güstrow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustrow Cities and towns in Mecklenburg Populated places established in the 13th century Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1228 establishments in Europe