With around 30,000 inhabitants, Güstrow is the seventh largest
city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the district town of the
Rostock district. The city is the seat of the Güstrow-Land office,
to which 14 municipalities belong, but are not officially
themselves. It is one of the 18 medium-sized centers in the country
and has officially been named “Barlachstadt” after the sculptor
Ernst Barlach since 2006.
As a historic residential town,
Güstrow is known for its castle, its well-preserved old town with
many valuable buildings and its cathedral with the "floating" from
Barlach. The cathedral school in Güstrow, founded in 1236, is one of
the oldest schools in the German-speaking area, and since 1991 the
city has also been the seat of the University of Applied Sciences
for Public Administration, Police and Justice of the State of
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Güstrow is located about 40
kilometers south of the Rostock an der Nebel regiopolis, a tributary
of the Warnow in central Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The
Bützow-Güstrow Canal, which runs parallel to the Nebel to the west,
is a navigable connection to the Warnow used by water tourists.
North of the Güstrow district of Klueß, the Lößnitz flows into the
Nebel. With its lakes (Inselsee with the Schöninsel, Sumpfsee,
Parumer See, Grundloser See and Gliner See) and the Heidbergen,
Güstrow has an area rich in lakes and forests.
The area
around and in Güstrow is very deep, an average of 14 m above sea
level. NN. The highest elevations are to be found southeast of the
city with the Rehberg (55.1 m above sea level), the Mesterberg (54.8
m), the highest point of which, however, is already just beyond the
municipal boundary and the Heidberge, which is up to 46.9 meters
high . The deepest points are in the west on the banks of the
Parumer See, whose water level is only 3.6 meters above that of the
sea, and the Bützow-Güstrow Canal, which crosses the city limits
there.
The hilly landscape around Güstrow is a glacial
terminal moraine landscape, which was mainly shaped by the most
recent Ice Age, the Vistula Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago. The
characteristics of an earlier Ice Age can be found all around
Güstrow: the Heidberge as terminal moraine, the many former
meltwater lakes and some boulders that were dragged along from
Scandinavia over the Baltic Sea during the Ice Age.
By plane
Rostock Airport (IATA: RLG), about 15 km to the
north-east, is a regional airport with scheduled connections from
Munich. There are also numerous charter connections in summer.
By
train
Güstrow is easy to reach by train, many train lines go to the
Güstrow train station north of the city center:
RE 4 Lübeck - Bad
Kleinen - Güstrow - Neubrandenburg - Stettin / Ueckermünde
RE 5
Rostock - Güstrow - Neustrelitz - Berlin
S2 HRO-Warnemünde - Rostock
Hbf - Schwaan-Güstrow
S3 HRO-Warnemünde - Rostock Hbf - Laage -
Güstrow
In the street
Güstrow is not far from the A19 motorway
(Berlin-Rostock).
By bicycle
Güstrow is located on the
long-distance cycle route Berlin - Copenhagen
The city center can be easily reached on foot from the train station. There are four city bus lines that open up the area. The central transfer point for the regional and city bus lines is on the station forecourt. The tickets in the Warnow transport association are valid.
Cathedral of St. Mary, St. John Evangelista and St. Cecilia. Rebuilt
in the 14th century using an older 13th-century choir in the North
German Brick Gothic style. Late Gothic winged altar from 1495;
Renaissance grave monuments of Mecklenburg princes; Memorial to victims
of the First World War with bronze sculpture Der Schwebende by Ernst
Barlach (1927). Worth seeing cycle of individually designed, expressive
figures of the apostles from the late Gothic period by Claus Berg.
Parish Church of St. Mary. Three-nave brick Gothic hall church. Winged
altar by the Brussels carver Jan Borman from 1522, one of the most
important Brabant altars in northern Germany. Large baroque organ case.
Catholic Church (Assumption of Mary) . Impressive expressionist church
building.
Castle
Castle Guestrow. Second main residence of the
Mecklenburg dukes in the 16th and 17th centuries; one of the most
important Renaissance buildings in northern Germany. Unlike the Schwerin
Castle, which underwent major changes in the 19th century, it has
largely been preserved in its original architectural state. Today it
houses a museum for northern German art from the Middle Ages, hunting
and ceremonial weapons and contemporary art. Behind the castle is the
castle garden, also designed in the Renaissance style. Open: Due to
extensive refurbishment measures expected to be closed until 2022.
Domschule, Domplatz 14, 18273 Güstrow wikipediacommons. 1575-79 built
in Renaissance style, oldest surviving school building in Mecklenburg.
Rathaus, Markt 1, 18273 Güstrow wikipediacommons. Created around 1800 by
converting an older building, in the "Zopf style".
District Court,
Franz-Parr-Platz 2a wikipediacommons. Former law office from 1823-25
(classical).
Church House wikipediacommons. Baroque residential
building, now used as a church house and conference center.
Castle Museum see above.
Gertrude Chapel. Former chapel
from the 15th century. Today it serves as a memorial for Ernst Barlach
and an exhibition space for his works, including: Reading Monastery
Students.
City Museum Güstrow. The Güstrow City Museum shows the
history of the city from the High Middle Ages to the end of the 20th
century.
Island lake . Idyllic lake with an island near
Güstrow, ideal conditions for swimming and for hobby sailors.
Wildpark-MV (formerly Güstrow Nature and Environment Park) . There are
a.o. Brown bears, wolves, lynx, raccoons and birds of prey. There is a
petting zoo for children.
Ernst-Barlach-Theater, Franz-Parr-Platz 8 . The classical theater
from 1828 does not have its own ensemble, but is used for guest
performances.
Güstrow has a 2 glider airfield with a grass runway.
Regular events
Around Easter and again in mid-November, the gourmet
market takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Municipal Gallery
Wollhalle.
Restaurant Wallenstein, Neuwieder Weg 1 18273 Güstrow. Phone: +49 38 43 24 59 90.
Ringhotel Altstadt, Baustraße 8-10 18273 Güstrow. Phone: +49 38 43 78 00.
KMG Klinikum Güstrow
Trips
A worthwhile excursion leads to
the 8telierhaus am Heidberg (Heidberg 15), where other works by Barlach
can be viewed. Worth seeing village churches nearby: Village church
Badendiek and village church Kirch Rosin
Güstrow is about 40 kilometers
south of the Rostock region on the Nebel, a tributary of the Warnow in
central Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The Bützow-Güstrow Canal, which
runs parallel to the Nebel towards the west, represents a navigable
connection to the Warnow used by water tourists. The Lößnitz flows into
the Nebel to the north of the Güstrower district of Klueß. With its
lakes (Inselsee with the Schöninsel, Sumpfsee, Parumer See, Grundloser
and Gliner See) and the Heidberge, Güstrow has a lake and wooded
environment.
The area around and in Güstrow is very low, on
average 14 m above sea level. NN. The highest elevations are to the
southeast of the city with the Rehberg (55.1 m above sea level), the
Mesterberg (54.8 m), the highest point of which is just beyond the
municipal boundary, and the Heidbergen, which is up to 46.9 meters high
. The lowest points are in the west on the shores of Lake Parum, whose
water level is only 3.6 meters above that of the sea, and the
Bützow-Güstrow Canal, which crosses the city limits there.
The
hilly landscape around Güstrow is a glacial terminal moraine landscape,
which was mainly shaped by the most recent ice age, the Weichselian Ice
Age, about 10,000 years ago. The signs of an earlier ice age can be
found everywhere around Güstrow: the Heidberge as end moraine foothills,
the many former meltwater lakes and some boulders that were dragged
across the Baltic Sea from Scandinavia during the ice age.
The town of Güstrow includes the districts of Suckow in the north-east, Klueß in the south-east, Primerburg in the east and Neu Strenz in the north-west.
The following communities border Güstrow (starting clockwise in the north): Sarmstorf, Plaaz, Glasewitz, Lalendorf, Mühl Rosin, Gutow, Gülzow-Prüzen and Lüssow.
The name Güstrow comes from Old Polabisch, from Guščerov (lizard place), which is derived from guščer for lizard. Historically, Güstrow was also called by its Latin name: Gustrovium.
Güstrow must have existed around 1100, since Bishop
Otto von Bamberg sent two priests there in 1128. In 1219 the Wendish
Castle Güstrow was built on the site of the current castle in the middle
of swampy meadows. According to the German town book and other sources,
Prince Heinrich von Rostock (Heinrich Borwin II.) founded the town of
Güstrow around 1219 to 1226 and gave it the town charter of Schwerin. In
1226, already lying on his deathbed, Heinrich Borwin II donated the
cathedral as a collegiate church. In 1228, Schwerin's town charter was
confirmed by the sons of Heinrich Borwin II. That is why this year is
the first documented evidence of the Civitas. From 1229 to 1436, when
the Werle line died out, Güstrow was the residence of the Lords of
Werle, who had gradually given up their old ancestral castle, Werle
Castle between Schwaan and Bützow. Güstrow then became a country town in
Mecklenburg and, as a front town, ranked as the first of the towns in
the Wendish district to be represented at the Mecklenburg state
parliaments of the 1523 united state estates until 1918. In 1441 the
first privileged rifle club was founded by Güstrow.
The
desecration of hosts in 1330 ended with the burning of 23 Güstrow Jews
and the destruction of the synagogue. In its place, a "Chapel of the
Holy Blood" was built by Prince Johann von Werle, which burned down in
1503. There began an intensive pilgrimage. From 1509 to 1550/52,
Franciscan observants (Klosterhof) settled in Güstrow. In 1503, 1508 and
1512 city fires destroyed the town. In 1556 the castle fell victim to a
fire.
The Güstrow bourgeoisie also developed in connection with
the residence. Güstrow was the economic center of the Mecklenburg inland
for a long time. The city was shaped by craftsmen and merchants, brewers
and wool weavers. In 1514 there were 20 wool weavers, 12 shoemakers, 10
blacksmiths, 8 tailors (tailors), 8 hooks (small traders), 7 bakers, 6
fur makers and 3 butchers (butchers). The Kniesenack beer was famous
throughout Germany. In old reports it is mentioned as being on a par
with the well-known strong beers of its time. The original Kniesenack
brewery was located in a building in Güstrower Markt (at the corner of
the Grüner Winkel).
The Reformation ended Catholic life in the city with the
introduction of Lutheran doctrine. After the first Lutheran sermon was
held in the Holy Spirit Chapel in 1524, the dukes ceded the parish
church to the Protestants in 1534. The last Catholic mass was celebrated
in the cathedral in 1552 after the state parliament of the Mecklenburg
estates had introduced the Protestant religion nationwide in Sternberg
in 1549. In Güstrow, the reason lay in the decay of the customs of the
collegiate monastery, which had developed into a "financial institute"
for the town and the landlords. The Franciscan monastery was dissolved
in 1555, and the churches and chapels outside the city gates were
demolished.
The first theater performances took place in Güstrow
in 1552. The performers were exclusively students of the princely
cathedral school newly founded by Duke Johann Albrecht I, which was
intended to help spread the new doctrine. The performances were
maintained until the Thirty Years' War. The cathedral school, which was
long considered the best school in Mecklenburg, was later merged into
the larger John Brinckman Gymnasium, which was founded in 1902 as a
Realgymnasium.
From 1556 to 1695, Güstrow was temporarily the
residence of the Dukes of Mecklenburg. Duke Ulrich zu Mecklenburg began
building the palace in 1558. In the course of the second division of the
main state of Mecklenburg after the Fahrenholzer division agreement of
1621, the Mecklenburg part of Güstrow came into being. From 1628 to
1629, Albrecht von Wallenstein resided as Duke of Mecklenburg in Güstrow
Castle. The two Dukes of Schwerin and Güstrow were expelled from the
country by Wallenstein. On Wallenstein's orders, regular riding posts
were set up, which went from Güstrow in all directions into the country.
The first post office in Mecklenburg was located in Güstrow, in a house
that has since fallen into disrepair at Grünen Winkel 4. After
Wallenstein's fall, the fled Güstrow Duke Hans Albrecht moved back into
his Güstrow residence in 1631.
In 1695 the Güstrow line of dukes
came to an end with the death of Duke Gustav Adolf. In 1701, the Hamburg
inheritance settlement resulted in the third division of the state, so
Mecklenburg-Strelitz was created alongside Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In
1712, armistice negotiations regarding the Great Northern War took place
in Güstrow. It was attended by Tsar Peter I (the Great) of Russia,
Elector Augustus II (the Strong) of Saxony and the Swedish General
Steenbock.
The postal system was of greater importance in Güstrow
at this time (see: Postal history in Güstrow). From 1708 to 1871 Güstrow
was the location of a main post office and from 1810 a senior post
office.
Since 1749 some Jews immigrated. With letters of protection from the
duke, several families settled there against the opposition of the
magistrate. An important Güstrow Jew was the sculptor Löser Cohen
(1787-1873), who took part in the wars of liberation and received the
Iron Cross. A Jewish cemetery was laid out as early as 1804, and the
synagogue was completed in 1829.
From 1806 to 1812 Mecklenburg
was occupied by the troops of Napoleon I. In 1813 Güstrow became the
center of the freedom movement in Mecklenburg, when 600 hunters on foot
and another 600 hunters on horseback went into battle against Napoleon.
In honor of the fighters, the state monument for the liberation warriors
1813-1815 was erected in 1865.
In 1848, Güstrow was at the center
of the revolution in Mecklenburg, when several meetings for
constitutional reform were held here, which were ultimately unsuccessful
due to the Freienwalde arbitral award.
After that, technical
progress took hold of the city step by step. In 1850 the Bützow–Güstrow
railway line and Güstrow station were built. The connection was extended
in 1867 via Neubrandenburg to Prussian Strasburg, where there was a
connection to Stettin. The Güstrow–Plau am See railway line followed in
1882 and the lines to Schwaan and Plaaz in 1887.
In 1852, the
gasworks near the train station and the street lighting went into
operation with city gas. In 1854 a Grand Duchy-Mecklenburg telegraph
station was built in Güstrow at Baustraße 3. From January 1, 1856 there
was also a telegraph connection between Güstrow and Neustrelitz. The two
Mecklenburg duchies were linked via this connection.
The first
sugar factory was built in Güstrow in 1883, and it was given a port on
the Bützow-Güstrow Canal, which was completed in 1896. The halls were
illuminated with electric arc lights. In 1889 the Güstrower water pipe
was completed, which is commemorated by the Borwin fountain. From 1892 a
town telephone system for 28 participants was used in Güstrow.
Electricity has been available in Güstrow via a city network since 1912.
From 1925 there is the Municipal Works Güstrow. In 1931 the first
telephone exchange with 800 connections was built. In 1933, a modern
outdoor substation was commissioned in the north of Güstrow. Isidor and
Max Samuel founded the Mecklenburg shoe factory in 1909, which was
relocated to Rostock in 1916 for expansion (EMSA-Werke). In 1927 Max
Oppen founded the most modern production site for bed feathers in Europe
on Heideweg, today Mecklenburger Bettwaren Manufaktur. The chemical
factory founded in 1894 by Ernst Heilmann († 1923) on Heideweg fell
victim to Aryanization in 1936. His family lived in a villa built by
Paul Korff on the Heilmannshöh, where the school for the deaf now stands
after it burned down in 1945.
Little has
been researched into the city's Nazi history.
Johanna Beutin and her
husband Heinrich Beutin were members of the illegal KPD organization in
the Güstrow subdistrict, he as political leader, Johanna as chief
cashier. They made and distributed anti-fascist leaflets. In the spring
of 1934 both were arrested. Mistreatment and humiliating interrogations
probably led to Johanna Beutin taking her own life on February 13, 1935.
Heinrich Beutin was sentenced to three years in prison in a treason
trial on August 2, 1935.
The sculptor and art dealer Bernhard A.
Böhmer moved to Güstrow in 1924. After the divorce in 1927, his first
wife Marga Böhmer became Ernst Barlach's partner, while he himself
became an art dealer and after Barlach's death in 1938 his estate
administrator. As a "disposer" of Nazi-looted art as well as "degenerate
art", he became the savior of ostracized art. On July 22, 1940, Böhmer
bought Wilhelm Lehmbruck's "Kniende" cast stone figure, which had been
destroyed during the "Degenerate Art" exhibition in Munich.
During the Nazi era, the Jewish residents of Güstrow were persecuted. In
April 1938 the Jewish community had 44 members. During the November
pogroms of 1938, 14 Jews were arrested; on July 10, 1942, other
community members were arrested and deported to the Auschwitz
concentration camp; older Jewish women were deported to the
Theresienstadt concentration camp and died there. Only a few Jews from
Güstrow managed to emigrate to Shanghai, Australia, the USA, Chile and
Palestine.
The Jewish cemetery in the Dettmannsdorf district was
devastated in 1938 and the cemetery hall set on fire. In 1988 part of it
was restored at the 'Straße der Liberation' (now Neukruger Straße),
which includes a wrought iron fence and a memorial stone from 1988.
Since August 18, 2006, an information board on the sidewalk in front of
the former synagogue has been a reminder of the building that was set on
fire during the November pogroms of 1938 and later demolished
(Krönchenhagen 13):
"09/28/1829 inauguration of the synagogue
Güstrow 11/09/1938 destruction"
During the Second World War, several
hundred women and men from the countries occupied by Germany had to do
forced labor in the city's armaments factories. They were housed in
Güstrow Castle, among other places.
According to some reports,
Güstrow was handed over to the Red Army on May 2, 1945 without a fight.
A German captain played a. D. a Rolle who, through a Ukrainian
interpreter, had contacted the Soviets in Plaaz, who were suspicious
after the previous resistance in Demmin and Malchin. Slata Kovalevskaja
was made an honorary citizen of the city of Güstrow in 1997.
Nevertheless, there was a minor artillery bombardment. More than three
hundred residents, including Bernhard Böhmer and his second wife Hella,
took their own lives. A heated argument broke out about the events in
2020 after Ingo Sens had been commissioned by the city to create a
history of the handover in 1945, which questioned much of what had been
said in the GDR era as a success of anti-fascist resistance. The dispute
divided the factions of the city council into two camps.
In the district of Güstrow, where most of the large
estates were located, land reform began in September 1945 in Mecklenburg
under the communist District Administrator Bernhard Quandt. During the
Soviet occupation, the NKVD secret police maintained a prison on the
Schlossberg, where several citizens of Güstrow were interrogated and
presumably executed. In May 1946, several members of the volunteer fire
brigade between the ages of 15 and 23 were arrested on the claim that
they belonged to the "werewolf". They were later taken to Soviet Special
Camp No. 7 Sachsenhausen, where several of them died.
In
September 1950, a Stalinist show trial of eight John Brinckman High
School students took place, which ended in long prison terms. Uwe
Johnson, himself a student there, wrote a novel about this period with
Ingrid Babendererde.
On July 1, 1950, the hitherto independent
municipality of Suckow was incorporated.
In 1950 an institute for
teacher training (IfL) was founded in Güstrow. In 1953 it was converted
into a pedagogical institute with the character of a university, from
which the pedagogical university "Liselotte Herrmann" Güstrow emerged in
1972. The university existed until 1991.
On June 17, 1953, a few
meetings and strikes took place in Güstrow, but they did not escalate.
They addressed i.a. against the nationalization of small businesses. The
furniture manufacturer Werner Bruchhäuser was released from custody to
calm the unrest. The German People's Police and the Stasi had a firm
grip on the city.
Südstadt was built at the end of Goldberger
Straße. The first phase of construction began in May 1958. The first
smaller apartment buildings with 137 apartments were still being built
brick by brick. With the construction of a slab plant for precast
concrete slabs in 1960, complex housing construction with large concrete
slabs began in Güstrow in 1961. From about 1968 to 1988, the residential
areas of Südstadt with 3,921 apartments and Distelberg with 1,216
apartments were built in prefab construction.
On December 13,
1981, Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt visited Güstrow on the occasion
of an official visit to the GDR together with Erich Honecker. Honecker
and Schmidt were completely shielded from the residents of Güstrow by
Stasi employees. According to Honecker's ideas, they staged the image of
"a happy people in a homely Advent mood". Most of the "visitors to the
Christmas market" were MfS employees in civilian clothes who had the
task of spreading a festive atmosphere at the Christmas market and
cheering for Honecker. 35,000 security forces were deployed: 14,000 from
the MfS, the rest from the People's Police. There were 81 arrest
warrants, 11,000 people were under surveillance for three days, 4,500
home inspections were carried out.
On December 21, 1984, a
full-time employee of the Ministry for State Security shot dead two
people under the influence of alcohol near the local district office in
Güstrow. In 1990 he was sentenced to ten years in prison.
The
largest companies Güstrows in GDR times were the VEB agricultural
machinery (LMB), the motor vehicle repair shop (KIW), the door factory
(VEB wood processing), the sugar factory (Zufa Nordkristall) and the VEB
grain industry. There was also the spirits factory G. Winkelhausen and a
furniture factory (VEB Polstermöbel), which emerged from the Bruchhäuser
KG company through nationalization in 1972 and produced furniture for
the Ikea group, among other things.
At the base group meeting of
the "Synod of the Little People" on January 7, 1984 in Güstrow,
representatives of 13 groups from both North German regional churches
appeared. They criticized the increasing reprisals.
During the
Peaceful Revolution in Güstrow, there were protests against the SED
power, especially from church circles. The expastor and spokesman for
the New Forum, Heiko Lietz, played a leading role throughout
Mecklenburg. He had been ordered into house arrest in 1981. On November
15, 1989, the foreign SDP members Gottfried Timm (Robel) and Ursula
Kaden (Stralsund) held an information event on the newly founded social
democracy in Güstrow. On November 30th, the inaugural meeting of the
local SDP group took place in the “Haus der Kirche”.
With the fall of the Wall, there was a significant loss of population,
only partly to the surrounding area. The streets in the city center got
their old names back: e.g. B. the horse market and Hageböcker Straße.
After a heated argument after 1990, the streets in the outskirts largely
retained the names from the GDR era.
Many industrial companies
did not survive the turnaround and the following transformation:
agricultural machinery construction only with much smaller successors,
the sugar factory until 2008.
In 1991 the residential city became
a model city for urban development in the new federal states. Numerous
monuments in the historic city center and the castle area were then
thoroughly renovated. Since 1993 it has also been possible to improve
the living environment in the prefabricated housing estates and since
2000 vacant apartments have been demolished (urban redevelopment). In
1995, the first state exhibition to celebrate Mecklenburg's thousand
years took place in the castle.
An adventure trail
"Altstadtrundweg" (Old Town Circular Path) was created to open up the
sights to tourists; Route markings lead to objects worth seeing.
From 1952 to 2011 Güstrow was the district seat of the district of the
same name (until 1990 in the GDR district of Schwerin, 1990-2011 in the
state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). With the district reform of
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in 2011, the district of Güstrow was
merged with the district of Bad Doberan to form the new district of
Rostock. Güstrow remained the seat of the district administration.