Güstrow
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Güstrow is a town in the Land of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Güstrow. Population: 34,000 (1999).
History
Güstrow was first mentioned in 1228. It is said to be founded by a grandson of Henry the Lion. Güstrow became a summer residence of the dukes of Mecklenburg in the 14th century. After the division of Mecklenburg (1621) it became the capital of the small duchy of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. (Albrecht von Wallenstein, the imperial general in the Thirty Years' War, was a duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow.)In 1695 the last duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow died, and the duchy ceased to exist. Güstrow became a part of the duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
The famous sculptor Ernst Barlach lived in Güstrow from 1910 to his death in 1938.
Sights
- The Schloß (Castle), built in 1589 in Renaissance style, as a residence for the dukes of Mecklenburg. Between 1963 and 1981 major restoration work was carried out, and a Renaissance garden was added, modelled after descriptions appearing in old engravings.
- The Cathedral, a Brick Gothic church built between 1226 and 1335. Noteworthy are a late Gothic high altar (c. 1500), the tombs of Duke Ulrich III and his two wives (16th century), and the celebrated Schwebende Engel ("Hovering Angel"), the most famous work of the expressionist sculptor Ernst Barlach, created in 1926 as a tribute to the victims of World War I.
- Ernst Barlach's Atelierhaus (studio), that exhibits a large collection of his works.
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