Alt Schwerin lies right between the lakes and combines a glimpse into agricultural history with paths through the countryside. The AGRONEUM is dedicated to the agricultural history of Mecklenburg from 1848 to the present day; the rock garden on Ortkrug focuses on rocks, their origins and how they formed. To help plan your visit, consider three specific questions: Would you like to join a guided tour, travel by bus route 77 or walk to the rock garden?
AGRONEUM: Agriculture and village life
The AGRONEUM Alt Schwerin is an open-air and village museum. Its extensive grounds are home to a large collection of agricultural machinery. The village section includes a day labourer’s cottage from 1800, farm workers’ homes from 1910, 1942 and the 1960s, a harvest workers’ barracks and a new settlers’ house built around 1950. The buildings illustrate the living and housing conditions of the rural population. Their different dates and building types offer another perspective on the subject alongside agricultural machinery.
The exhibition programme includes demonstrations, hands-on activities, blacksmithing workshops and holiday workshops. Guided tours on rural life and agriculture in the past are also available. Advance booking is required; check availability for your chosen tour before travelling.
Getting to Alt Schwerin and routes nearby
Bus route 77, which runs daily between the island town of Malchow and Parchim, serves the AGRONEUM. Its stop is right next to the harvest workers’ barracks; from there, it is a 200 m walk to the main entrance. Check the timetable and current service before travelling. Many cycling and walking trails pass Alt Schwerin, which lies right between the lakes.
One specific route from Alt Schwerin towards the AGRONEUM leads over the A19 bridge and along Fischweg to the rock garden on Ortkrug. After the paved section ends, continue for about 1 km on a gravel path. This makes it possible to plan the route using distinctive landmarks without confusing the approximate distance of this final section with the total distance.
Rocks, the church and Lake Plauer See
The rock garden in the municipality of Alt Schwerin features a wide variety of rocks that reveal their origins and how they formed. In the front section, it illustrates the rock cycle and the three main rock groups. In the rear section, 21 erratic boulders of different origins are presented; visitors can also learn what indicator erratics are and how they reached Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The garden thus offers both an overview of the rock groups and specific examples of different origins.
The brick village church of Alt Schwerin probably dates from the 14th century and was given a half-timbered tower in 1732. Lake Plauer See borders Alt Schwerin to the south and southwest. On the lake’s northern shore, in the municipality, stands the Moorochse observation tower, a tourist attraction in Nossentiner-Schwinzer Heath Nature Park. From Werder Island, which belongs to Alt Schwerin, visitors can explore the lake district on a boat trip.
The Mecklenburg Lake District: a broader natural perspective
The MĂĽritz National Park, within the wider Mecklenburg Lake District travel region, offers its own focus on nature and hiking. Forests, bogs, lakes and expansive meadows shape the landscape. The MĂĽritz National Park Hiking Trail explores it in nine stages, passing lakes, winding through ancient forests, going by inland dunes and reaching the source of the Havel. Certified nature and landscape guides offer tours there, including guided visits to the Serrahn UNESCO World Heritage beech forest and tours from the water. This complements the local perspective on Alt Schwerin with regional nature experiences.
Discover more destinations: Walow, Nossentiner Hütte, Silz, Lenz, Penkow, Fünfseen, Göhren-Lebbin, Zislow.
Go to the overview of the wider travel region: Amt Malchow.
