Schwerin

Schwerin (shvārēn`), city (1994 pop. 122,189), capital of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania state, N central Germany, on Schwerin Lake. It is the commercial, industrial, and transportation center of an agricultural and dairying region. Manufactures include chemicals, pharmaceuticals, wood products, agricultural machinery, plastics, cables, cranes, ceramics, and tobacco products. Originally a Wendish settlement, Schwerin was chartered in 1161 by Henry the Lion and shortly thereafter became an episcopal see. It was the capital of the county of Schwerin and with it passed to Mecklenburg (see Mecklenburg–West Pomerania) in 1358. In the early 17th cent. the city became the capital of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. It was occupied (1624–31) in the Thirty Years War by imperial troops under Wallenstein. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) secularized the bishopric and gave its territories to the duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Schwerin became the capital of the former state of Mecklenburg in 1934. From 1952 to 1990 it was the capital of the Schwerin district of East Germany. In 1990 the advent of reunification brought the city back to its former status. Noteworthy buildings include the Gothic Protestant cathedral (14th–15th cent.) and the former grand ducal palace, built (19th cent.) on an island in Schwerin Lake.

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Schwerin

a city in N Germany, in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania on Lake Schwerin. Pop.: 97 694 (2003 est.)

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Schwerin 

a district in the northwestern part of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Situated in the Elbe River basin, mainly on the Mecklenburg Upland. Area, 8,700 sq km. Population, 590,300 (1975). The administrative center is the city of Schwerin. Schwerin is an industrial and agricultural region. Industry, including construction and handicrafts, employs 33.5 percent of the total labor force, and agriculture and forestry employ 22.6 percent.

The district accounts for 2.4 percent of the country’s industrial output, including 6.9 percent of the food production. The main branches of industry are food processing (about one-half of the district’s gross output), machine building (23 percent), light industry (excluding textiles, 10.2 percent), and the chemical industry (7.3 percent). The main industrial centers are Schwerin, Wittenberge (sewing machines, synthetic fiber), Güstrow (sugar, machinery), Boizenburg (river vessels) Neustadt-Glewe (machine building), and Ludwigslust (machinery, printing, food products).

Schwerin is an important agricultural region, specializing in the raising of dairy cattle and swine and the cultivation of grains, potatoes, and sugar beets. There are large agrarian-industrial complexes. Fish are caught and raised in the lakes. The Elbe is used for navigation.

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Schwerin 

a city in the German Democratic Republic. Capital of Schwerin District. Population, 107,400 (1975). Schwerin is picturesquely located on the shore of Lake Schwerin. It is a railroad junction and a lake port. The district’s main industrial center, it manufactures floating cranes, cable, hydraulic equipment, and building materials. Industry also includes clothing, leather haber dashery, furniture, and food processing. The Mecklenburg State Theater is located in the city.