Schwerin Lakes and Manor Roads · part 1

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Schwerin castle lakefront

   Schwerin Castle looks like a fairy tale that got out of hand. Golden domes, turrets, bay windows and gilded ornaments crowd a small island in the middle of Lake Schwerin, joined to the town by a bridge, and at dusk the whole thing is reflected in the water in a way that makes people stop their cars. The building seen today is largely a nineteenth-century neo-Renaissance reconstruction, made for the grand dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on the site of a medieval fortress, and it now houses the state parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as a museum. The castle and its gardens are part of a World Heritage ensemble inscribed in 2020.

   Read the complete Schwerin castle lakefront write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Schwerin castle lakefront is where the day begins. Next is Sternberg lake roads.

2. 2. Sternberg lake roads

   Sternberg is a small town of about five thousand in the Mecklenburg lake country, east of Schwerin, on a lake of the same name in a landscape of low hills, reedbeds and rolling farm fields. The Sternberger Seenlandschaft is a patchwork of water left behind by the last ice age, and the lakes here are quiet, clear and good for swimming in summer, with small public beaches and shady shoreline spots. Wismar, the old Hanseatic port on the Baltic, lies to the north, and Gägelow, the other village on the list, is one of its suburbs.

   Read the complete Sternberg lake roads write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Sternberg lake roads comes up about 33 km into the recorded legs. Next is Güstrow old town meal stop.

3. 3. Güstrow old town meal stop

   Güstrow is a town of thirty-one thousand in central Mecklenburg, and one of the best places in the region to walk around for an hour with a coffee in your hand. It was once a ducal residence, and in the sixteenth century the dukes built a splendid Renaissance palace here, one of the finest in northern Germany, with decorated gables, a big courtyard and an Italian-influenced design. The old centre, with its market square, brick gothic houses and half-timbered corners, is compact and pleasant, and the cathedral, a vast brick church from the thirteenth century, rises above the roofs.

   Read the complete Güstrow old town meal stop write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   A break here. Next is Teterow market fuel.

4. 4. Teterow market fuel

   Teterow is a market town in the lake country of Mecklenburg, with a population of just over nine thousand, and it comes with a curiosity that every motorcyclist ought to know: the Bergring. This old natural-terrain track just outside the town has hosted motorcycle races since the early 1930s, and its steep, bowl-shaped hillside, with the crowd packed on the slopes, makes it a place of real atmosphere. Speedway and grass-track meetings are still held there, and the Teterow race weekends draw riders from across the region.

   Read the complete Teterow market fuel write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Teterow market fuel closes the day.