Since the mid-17th century, Schwerin has been the main location for the Mecklenburg Army. With the decision to relocate the residence of the state of Mecklenburg from Ludwigslust to Schwerin, the Guard Battalion was also stationed in the city. As early as 1816, a barracks was demanded, but good things take time. Construction began only in 1856, and by 1861, the barracks were finally completed.
In connection with the redesign and expansion planning of the Schwerin residence, the expansion of the garrison site became a priority. Protection and military sovereignty of the monarchy had to be efficiently present in the residence through architecture.
Symbolic vistas between the castle, the Old Garden, and the barracks site were essential for selecting the building site. Elements from the Middle Ages and Renaissance are combined in the typical buildings of historicism, oriented towards Prussian barracks of the 19th century. The new barracks presented itself impressively to the city as a monumental three-wing complex with outward-facing façades. Representative corner towers and a three-axis projection in the middle formed the lakeside part of the building and provided a concluding backdrop for the castle garden. Thus, attention was paid to the architectural composition of the residence facilities with direct visual reference to or from the castle.
The Old Artillery Barracks is considered one of the larger systematically constructed barracks of the 19th century in Mecklenburg. The construction was supervised by military architect Ludwig Wachenhusen. Up to 100 horses, wagons, and cannons were housed on the ground floor. The rooms in the corner towers were reserved for officers and their families as residences. Kitchen and dining rooms, laundry storage, laundry room, rolling chamber, and ancillary rooms were located in the vaulted basement. The attic rooms were used as drying rooms and as dormitories during maneuvers.
About the style
The ensemble was designed in the style of medieval fortress structures, resembling the fortification of a castle or the defensive layout of a citadel. This lends the building complex, situated on the hill of the Ostorfer Berg, a particular visual and urban significance. Architecturally, there is a striking similarity to the Arsenal built between 1840 and 1844 at the Pfaffenteich.
The Prussian groin vaults and the staggered patterns of usage within the barracks are otherwise only found in the Görliitz Barracks and the Arsenal in Vienna. Hence, the Artillery Barracks in Schwerin is one of the last fully preserved structures of this kind.
