Güstrow

The palace at Güstrow was built from 1558 for the dukes of Mecklenburg in an Italian-influenced Renaissance style unusual this far north, with stucco ceilings of hunting scenes. Ernst Barlach, the sculptor and writer, lived and worked in Güstrow from 1910 until his death in 1938, and his studio on the Inselsee is preserved as a museum. His floating angel, hung in the cathedral in 1927 as a memorial, was removed and melted down in 1937; a second cast made from a surviving mould was found after the war, and the figure now hangs again in the cathedral, with another cast in Cologne. His work was condemned as degenerate and he was barred from exhibiting.

What you actually see

• The Renaissance palace - an Italian-influenced ducal building with stucco ceilings.
• The hovering angel - Barlach's memorial figure, recast after the original was destroyed.
• The Barlach studio - his lakeside workshop kept as a museum.
• The cathedral - a brick Gothic church holding the angel and ducal tombs.

When to go

April to October; museums close Mondays and reduce hours in winter. The studio is outside the town on the lake and needs transport or a walk.

Honest expectations

The Barlach sites are spread across the town and the lake shore. Museums close Mondays. The palace interior is partly bare.

Nearby

Rostock lies north; the Müritz park is southeast.