Schwaan
approx. 5,100 inhabitants
When you hear the term "artist colony", you probably first think of Ahrenshoop. The artists of the Schwaan Colony originally came, for the most part, from this region and quickly fell into oblivion after the First World War. Today their works can be seen in Kunstmühle - the Art Mill.
After seeing the pictures in the Kunstmühle, depicting the picturesque beauty of the Mecklenburg countryside, you should have a look at the "original". In the forests along the Warnow and the Beke, trails and cycle paths lead through the magnificent countryside. And on a canoe trip you may spot a beaver at work.
Historical facts
Schwaan was probably founded around the year 1230. Its foundation and growth are due to its favourable location at a
Warnow crossing. The town was first mentioned in documents in 1276.
In 1776 a fire destroyed a great part of Schwaan. As is apparent today, the classicistic reconstruction has left its
mark on the character of the former town of land cultivators. The late Romanesque brick St. Paul's Church, which was
constructed around 1250, is worth seeing.
Schwaan is known throughout Germany above all for its artist colony, which was founded by the landscape artist Franz
Bunke in 1892. The colony existed until World War I. Since 2002 the art museum - Kunstmuseum Schwaan - reminds us of
the works created by the colonists, who were, for the most part, local artists. The museum is located in an
approximately 300-year-old water mill, which has been restored with great care.
Fremdenverkehrsverein
Schulstr.
18258 Schwaan
phone: 03844-810966
e-mail: stadt-schwaan@mvnet.de
Internet: www.schwaan.de
