Four years planned, nine years built: The construction of the Government Building went through several hands from the beginning. In 1819, Johann Georg Barca initially developed plans for a government building. These were discarded, and Carl Theodor Severin took over the further development. However, his ideas did not prevail. From 1823 onwards, Carl Heinrich Wünsch put his ideas into action and eventually commissioned Georg Adolph Demmler to oversee the construction. And so it began.
On September 29, 1825, the cornerstone was laid, and in December 1834 - around 9 years later - the building was occupied. But it didn't remain as it was. In 1865, the Government Building was destroyed by a fire. Hermann Willebrand made new plans and rebuilt it. Following the model of the original building, Collegiate Building II was constructed as an extension from 1890 to 1892.
But the history of the Government Building also has much to offer: On the site of today's government building stood a Franciscan monastery from about 1236. It was dissolved in the course of the Reformation in 1548, and like the church, largely demolished in 1557. Surviving parts of the building were subsequently used by the princely school and in the 17th and 18th centuries as commercial buildings of the ducal stable. It is likely that building materials from the former monastery were used in the construction. Until 1918, it was the seat of the Grand Ducal Ministry of State.
About the style
The The Collegiate Building I is a neoclassical three-winged complex. A plinth surrounds the building and supports a terrace. The three-story plastered building resembles the style of the Berlin Schauspielhaus by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Centrally located on the north side is the portal, above which is the colonnade. The two outer wings have triangular pediments.
The colonnade and outer wings are crowned with sandstone figures by Emil Cauer. However, the highlight is the staircase with cast iron structural elements and railing. The Cabinet Room and Collegiate Hall on the first and second floors feature lavish parquet flooring - like all representative buildings in Schwerin. I is a neoclassical three-winged complex. A plinth surrounds the building and supports a terrace. The three-story plastered building resembles the style of the Berlin Schauspielhaus by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Centrally located on the north side is the portal, above which is the colonnade. The two outer wings have triangular pediments.
The colonnade and outer wings are crowned with sandstone figures by Emil Cauer. However, the highlight is the staircase with cast iron structural elements and railing. The Cabinet Room and Collegiate Hall on the first and second floors feature lavish parquet flooring - like all representative buildings in Schwerin.
