Seventeen-oh-four. The year Palais Schwerin was completed. It stands as one of Berlin’s oldest town palaces.
Welcome to Palais Schwerin. This historical landmark is located in the Mitte district of Berlin. Today it houses the Franco-German Youth Office. But its story is much richer than that.
Let’s journey back to the late 17th century. Berlin was slowly recovering from the Thirty Years’ War. Elector Frederick William sought to rebuild and beautify the city. This is when Palais Schwerin began to take shape.
The palace’s origins trace back to around 1690. It may have been constructed after the great fire. In 1698, Otto von Schwerin, a Prussian Minister of State, acquired the property. From 1702 to 1704, he commissioned Jean de Bodt, a Huguenot architect, to remodel it. Look closely at the cartouche above the main entrance. It displays the Order of the Black Eagle. Schwerin received this prestigious order in 1701.
After Schwerin’s death in 1705, the Palais Schwerin passed through various hands. It served different purposes over the years. Pyotr Grigoryevich Chernyshov, a Russian minister, resided here from 1741 to 1746. For a short time, it belonged to the court gold sticker Pally and Kolbe.
In 1765, the Prussian state took ownership. It became the General Tobacco Administration. The tobacco monopoly ended in 1787. The Royal Stamp and Card Chamber then moved into the Palais Schwerin.
Later, in 1822, it housed the directorate of the General Widow’s Pension Institute. In 1829, the Criminal Deputation of the City Court moved in. It even served as a prison. Palais Schwerin became synonymous with “jail” until 1889.
In the 1920s, the Prussian state leased the Palais Schwerin to a furniture store owner.
Now, here’s a twist. In the late 1930s, the Palais Schwerin faced a dramatic transformation. As the Reich Mint was rebuilt, Palais Schwerin was largely gutted in 1937 and 1938. The front facade remained. But it was expanded with two side wings.
The building complex served as the seat of the State Art Commission of the GDR from 1951. Later, it housed the Ministry of Culture and the Central Mint of the GDR. Interestingly, the minting of German coins began here on July 16, 1990.
Today, the Palais Schwerin stands as a testament to Berlin’s layered past. It has witnessed war, prosperity, imprisonment and reunification. The building’s facade incorporates figures. Also reliefs depict continents. Reliefs of water, air, earth and seasons also adorn the building. Keep an eye out for balcony consoles depicting the seasons.
Palais Schwerin is more than just a building. It is a living chronicle of Berlin’s ever-changing story. A story etched in stone and shaped by the currents of history.