Garden Festival in Schwerin

The 2009 Bundesgartenschau Schwerin or BUGA (German Federal Horticultural Show) opened 23 April and remains open all summer, until 11 October. 1.8 million visitors are expected.

This year’s BUGA is unlike any other in the 50-year history of German garden festivals. Through 11 October, visitors to the area around Schwerin Castle will be able to stroll through the history of garden design.

Three features make this year’s BUGA particularly interesting. First, the show focuses on the historical development of garden construction and design from the 18th century to the present day. This means that the exhibition in Schwerin will be a National GARDEN Festival in the true sense of the word. Second, the BUGA in the capital city of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will be a very compact show. All the exhibition areas are located around Schwerin Castle in the direct vicinity of the Old Town, with the result that the distances between the different areas will be kept to a minimum. And third, the gardens at the Schwerin show will be situated by the lake, thereby turning the face of the city towards the water.

About Schwerin
Schwerin, the smallest state capital in Germany, is characterised by cultural treasures from a rich tradition, fascinating architecture and an overwhelming wealth of water and woodland. The former Residence city can offer culture of a very special type: a castle that looks like something out of a fairy tale, a museum with unique treasures in the form of Dutch paintings, a mighty brick-built cathedral and a theatre that is rich in tradition. The highlight of every year in Schwerin is the Castle Festival when Verdi operas are performed by the Mecklenburg State Theatre company. The “Weisse Flotte” or White Fleet introduces visitors to the beauty of the landscape around Lake Schwerin, offering numerous boat trips starting from the landing stages opposite the castle. The historic Old Town with its maze of alleyways is an inviting place to stroll through, from the castle on Lake Schwerin through the Schelfstadt with its many half-timbered houses and the Schelf Church to the banks of the Pfaffenteich.

How to get there
By car via the A20/A14 and A24/A14 autobahns, the B104, B106 and B321 main roads or any number of local roads. Over the past few years more and more touring cyclists have been attracted to Western Mecklenburg by the extensive network of cycle paths. Within this network, special BUGA cycle paths are signposted to the National Garden Festival sites, ensuring very good links to Schwerin from the BUGA satellite venues and other places in Western Mecklenburg that are well worth a visit.