Arsenal am Pfaffenteich

Arsenal am Pfaffenteich stands in Schwerin beside the Pfaffenteich, with massive towers, elegant corner turrets and an ochre facade. Its Tudor Gothic design gives the former military arsenal a fortress-like presence within the city’s historic residence landscape. The protected monument also offers wheelchair access.

Court architect Georg Adolf Demmler designed the building, erected from 1840 to 1844 under Hermann Willebrand and Gottlieb Ruge. It belonged to a broader reshaping of Schwerin after the ducal residence moved from Ludwigslust in 1837. After military use, it became a police barracks following the First World War and was named Adolf-Hitler-Kaserne under the Third Reich. Refugees found shelter here from 1945 to 1947, before the German People’s Police established its district headquarters.

In 1990, the arsenal became the seat of the Ministry of the Interior of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Restoration between 1991 and 2005 revived the original ochre colouring using evidence from historical findings. Together with the Schwerin Residence Ensemble, it gained UNESCO World Heritage recognition in 2024. The contrast between its heavy towers and smaller corner turrets remains a distinctive architectural detail.