Neustrelitz Things to Do

4 more images

I thought that one of the prettiest things in the castle park was the Goetterallee. This is an alley of gods. The gods themselves are copies of various antique gods made of sandstone from Pirna.

I also liked the old trees. Then there were various other things to be seen like a war memorial but I didn't photograph them all. There should be something there for you to discover when you visit.

Part of the park wasn't accessible when I visited as every summer the theatre has Operetta performances in the park.

You can see where the castle originally stood. It was unfortunately destroyed in WW2.

2 more images

On the castle grounds you will also find this square which was used in the old days for parading. In the middle of the square there is a monument of Grand Duke Georg who reigned from 1816 till 1860. The monument used to stand on the market square.

Grand Duke George gave a lot of work to the architect, master builder and painter Friedrich Wilhelm Buttel (1796-1869), a scholar of Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Schinkel recommended Buttel to the Grand Duke. For a picture of him, see photo no. 3.

1 more image

The Orangerie was originally built in 1755 by Seydel for exotic plants as a greenhouse. When the building wasn't in use anymore the Grand Duke Georg had it changed into a representative building by Buttel in 1842.

Later it became a café and restaurant. I didn't visit inside as there seemed to be some event with elderly people going on. Also I couldn't see the building from the park side as it was all closed off by the summer theatre.

On the square in front of the railway station you will also see an obelisk. This is a memorial dedicated to the people that got killed during the Nazi regime.

In March 2011 the project "Stolpersteine" (stumbling blocks) was started in Neustrelitz. It's planned such stumbling blocks will be planted in the city. Stolpersteine get a metal top on which the name and dates of a deported and murdered person are engraved and they are set into the ground in front of the house where the person last lived.

3 more images

The Marstall was built from 1870 till 1872 by orders from the Grand Duke Friedrich Wilhelm. They used plans of Buttel and some English gothic elements. The building contained 3 riding halls, stables and living quarters for the employees.

After the revolution in 1917/18 the building was used as gym, the Landestheater got rooms there, then also part of the Soviet army used it and so on. Now, it's again used by the Landestheater.

The current theater only dates back to 1954 as the previous one was destroyed in 1945. It was rebuilt after Littmann's plans (see below).

But already in 1755 the duke's riding stable was changed into a theater. That one burnt down in 1924 after Wagner's Tannhaeuser was shown. In 1928 a new one was built by Max Littmann from Munich. So the current one is in fact already the third one.

1 more image

Near the Schlosspark you will find beautiful old buildings. On photo number 1 you see the former
Landeshypothekenbank which is located opposite the Orangerie. It was built in 1899 and was used as bank until 1993. Today the building is privately owned and is in dire need of a new coat of paint.

On the second photo is the Carolinenpalais, which was built in 1850 by Buttel for the Duchess Caroline, daughter of the Grand Duke Georg. There is a neo gothic oriel but I must have taken the photo from the wrong side.

At the harbour you will also find the Kornspeicher (granary). The Kornspeicher dates back to 1852/53 and was by Buttel. All over town you will encounter this locally famous architect. He also enlarged the harbour and built the Kammer canal.