Germany · Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin Palace

Schweriner Schloss stands on an island in Lake Schwerin and was the seat of the Mecklenburg rulers for centuries. A Slavic fortification initially stood on its site. After the area was incorporated into the dominion of Heinrich der Löwe, a princely castle was built there, which was repeatedly expanded and remodelled.

The castle acquired its present appearance largely in the 19th century. The new construction was carried out from 1845 to 1857 under Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II. The architects Georg Adolf Demmler, Friedrich August Stüler and Hermann Willebrand, among others, were involved in the planning and construction. The complex combines elements of different historical architectural styles; references to French Renaissance architecture are particularly evident. Until 1918, it served as the residence of the Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. After the end of the monarchy, the building was used, among other things, as a museum and administrative headquarters. Since the re-establishment of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the course of German reunification, it has been the seat of the state parliament.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was formed after the Second World War from Mecklenburg and the part of Vorpommern that remained in Germany. In the course of the GDR administrative reform, the state was dissolved in 1952 and divided mainly among the districts of Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 1990, it was re-established as a federal state; Schwerin became the state capital.

The issue belongs to the German 2-euro series about the states of the Federal Republic. This series began in 2006 and initially presented each year the state that assumed the presidency of the Bundesrat in accordance with the rotation. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern held this presidency from November 2006 to October 2007. This explains the choice of the state for the year in question. The castle was a suitable motif because it connects both the residential history of Mecklenburg and the present-day parliamentary order of the federal state.