Discover Schwedt/Oder: Nature and City History

Schwedt/Oder brings together the floodplain landscape of the Lower Oder Valley National Park with city history and culture. Around 5,500 hectares of the national park lie within the city limits. Your journey of discovery therefore begins with a landscape that contrasts distinctly with the historic buildings and cultural offerings in the city.

Floodplain landscapes and nature experiences

The Lower Oder Valley National Park protects a species-rich floodplain landscape with numerous wetlands, meadows and floodplain forests. Hillside forests line the river floodplain; dry grasslands are also among the protected landscape features. The park offers opportunities to experience nature, enjoy nature-based recreation in an environmentally considerate way, and learn about the natural world. If you want to focus your trip on observing nature and enjoying the landscape, this is a defining part of what Schwedt has to offer.

Guided canoe tours through the national park’s floodplains set off from Schwedt/Oder. This adds a water-based nature activity to the views from the riverbank. Before your trip, check which providers and tours are currently available.

City history and distinctive buildings

On the ground floor, the Schwedt/Oder City Museum displays parts of its extensive collection on local and regional history. One focus is the city’s “Golden Age,” when a cadet branch of the House of Hohenzollern resided at Schwedt Palace. Special exhibitions explore cultural history through a range of topics: art and theatre, religion and migration, crafts and the military, as well as industry and architecture. This offers a way to discover the city’s history not only through individual buildings, but also through changing social and cultural perspectives.

The city’s architectural history also offers distinctive points of interest. Monplaisir Park in northwest Schwedt was laid out around 1700 in the French style. The grounds include the former pleasure pavilion, the gardener’s house and the forester’s house, as well as the pheasantry. The Jewish Ritual Bath ensemble on Gartenstraße consists of a mikveh and a former temple servant’s house. The Berlischky Pavilion was a French Reformed church commissioned by Berlischky in 1776–1777. St. Catherine’s, meanwhile, is a cruciform fieldstone building dating from the second half of the 13th century.

Historic manor estates within the city include Criewen Palace and the heritage-listed Kunow estate. Criewen Palace was the manor house of a former estate with a farmyard, a Lenné-designed park, and the gardener’s and equipment sheds of the former estate garden. The Kunow estate includes an administrator’s house, a manor park, a granary and a stable.

City walks, museums and stages

The tourist walking route “Schwedt in Motion” leads to 20 industrial sites. Its virtual version is available permanently, without time limits and free of charge. At each of the 20 sites, a QR code lets you join or leave the walk. Before your visit, check whether the digital version and QR codes are currently available.

Since 2021, the historic synagogue floor has been visible and accessible to the public in the SEMINARhaus of the Jewish Museum Schwedt/Oder. The museum also presents changing exhibitions and offers talks; access and programming may vary. If you plan to include this stop, check the latest visiting information and dates.

For a deeper introduction, you can book classic city tours, themed tours and private tours in Schwedt/Oder. The City Museum complements its exhibitions with talks, activity days, museum education projects and storytelling cafés. The Uckermärkische Bühnen Schwedt present plays and musicals, concerts, music theatre and cabaret. Check current dates and booking options if a tour, event or performance is to be the focus of your stay.

More trip ideas and finding the right accommodation

For families, the fun area with its giant slide at AquariUM could be a good place to start. The facilities also include swimming pools, a sauna complex and wellness services. Before your visit, check which facilities are currently open. Another perspective is offered by the Oder–Neisse Cycle Route, which passes Schwedt/Oder. River cruise ships dock at the newly redesigned riverside promenade; check separately for current scheduled calls.

Discover more destinations: Angermünde, Randowtal, Uckerland, Grünow, Tantow, Friedrichsthal, Carmzow-Wallmow, Hohenselchow-Groß Pinnow.

Go to the main travel overview: Uckermark.