Youth Temple Schwerin

The palace garden is part of the core zone of the Schwerin residence ensemble. In the early 19th century it was expanded while retaining its basic baroque structure and redesigned in the style of a landscape garden. The royal Prussian garden director Peter Joseph Lenné was involved in the planning, and the design was in the hands of the court gardener Theodor Klett.

As early as 1822, a classical round wooden temple was found on a natural hill in the southern area. The plan for this was drawn up by the court architect Johann Georg Barca in 1821. The palace garden pavilion was built in the same way in 1818 according to his design. The first temple was destroyed by a storm in 1836. Its successor was built on the same spot in 1837, shortly before the grand ducal residence was relocated from Ludwigslust to Schwerin.
A third temple, believed to have been built in the 1870s and later named the "Youth Temple", was demolished in 1964 due to dilapidation.

The temple, described in historical documents as the “splendour and adornment” of the garden, has always had a special architectural and horticultural significance for the park landscape. As a place to relax and look out, it was a popular destination for the grand ducal family and the citizens of Schwerin.

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The youth temple Schwerin was rebuilt in 2014.

As part of the preparations for the Federal Horticultural Show in 2009, the intention was to build a new, modern youth temple on its historic hill on Schleifmühlenweg. However, the plan could not be implemented.

In 2010, the district handicraft association in Schwerin, the state-owned company for construction and real estate, business area Schwerin, and the non-profit association of the Friends of Schwerin Castle e.V. concluded a cooperation agreement with the aim of rebuilding the gem as a donation project. In 2013, the Castle Association took over sole responsibility as the client for the reconstruction. The new youth temple was rebuilt in 2014 in its original form, based on the original drawing from 1821, in accordance with monument preservation requirements.

The supporting structure consists of eight wooden pillars arranged in a ring and about three meters high. The columns contain steel cores. The strip foundation, the foundation plate and the architrave were made of reinforced concrete. The dome-shaped roof is supported by a prefabricated structure made of plywood panels. It is covered in slate according to historical models and crowned with a golden ball. The paving and the surrounding staircase were made of sandstone.

The cost of rebuilding the temple was around 300 T€. In December 2014, the completed building was handed over to the management of the construction and real estate company.

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