Schwetzingen Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Schwetzingen Overview
Schwerin is a city in northern Germany and the capital of the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania). The population as of end of 2007 was 95,855.
Schwetzingen is located in the Rhine-Neckar-triangle in the plain of the Rhine river, lying west of the Odenwald and in the east of the Rhine. A small stream, the Leimbach (Leimbach vacation rentals | Leimbach travel guide), runs through the city before joining the Rhine. The following municipalities, listed clockwise beginning in the north, border on the city limits of Schwetzingen: Mannheim (Mannheim vacation rentals | Mannheim travel guide), Plankstadt (Plankstadt vacation rentals | Plankstadt travel guide), Oftersheim (Oftersheim vacation rentals | Oftersheim travel guide), Hockenheim (Hockenheim vacation rentals | Hockenheim travel guide), Ketsch and Brühl (Brühl vacation rentals | Brühl travel guide). The municipal area of Schwetzingen is completely consolidated with Oftersheim. The limits of Plankstadt are only separated by one street from the limits of Schwetzingen.
Where to stay in Schwetzingen?
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Things to See in Schwetzingen
The Rokokotheater, which was built as the Schlosstheatre in 1751–1752 by Nicolas de Pigage, is located in the complex of Schloss Schwetzingen, which hosts, among other events, the annual opera and music festival, the Schwetzingen Festival. The theatre fell into disuse by the late 19th Century, but was renovated in 1937 and given its present name after its Rococo style of architecture and used by the Festival since 1952. Between 1971 and 1974, it was modernized and re-opened with 450 seats for opera and 510 seats for drama.
The Schwetzingen Castle is the most famous landmark of the city. The accompanying garden is also very famous as there are elements of French Baroque styles combined with the English gardening style, with statuary by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt. Also worth seeing are the theatre, the orangery, the bath, the Apollo temple, Mercury temple, the mosque (built 1778–1791), the Minerva temple and the fountain of Arion.
The city hall was built in 1821 and expanded in 1889, 1912 and 1919.
Catholic church St. Pankratius (built 1736/38, modified 1763/65)
Catholic church St. Maria (built 1958)
Catholic church St. Josef
Protestant church (built 1756, expanded 1884/88 and 1912/13)
[ source: wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen lies relatively favourably between the two autobahns A 5 (with the junction Heidelberg/Schwetzingen) and A 6 (with the junctions Schwetzingen/Hockenheim and Mannheim/Schwetzingen). Since 1870 the city has been connected to the Mannheim - Karlsruhe rail system. Between 1910 and 1938 there was a tramline connecting Schwetzingen and Ketsch, between 1927 and 1973 there was also a tramline connecting Heidelberg with Schwetzingen.
Travel Insider Tips for Schwetzingen
There are a couple of fun thrift shops to always have a seek and find a treasure day. The Hotel Zargeb serves wonderful food. And not to forget there is an Italian food market hall. It is also 1st location for the White Asperagus trail route.
Shared by Anna Campbell, Jul 2010
Heidelberg and Schwetzingen, the latter was "just" a summer residence and the castle itself is small but the gardens are wonderful used to go there with my Oma several times a week when I was little, we just lived right behind the castlegrounds............
Shared by Sue Nosack, Aug 2010
Schwetzingen
[ source: Flickr]
Popular Points of Interest in and near Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen Palace
[ source: Wikipedia ]
Schwetzingen was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Karl III Philip and Charles Theodore. It is situated in Schwetzingen, roughly equidistant from the electors' seats at Heidelberg and Mannheim, and is most notable for its spacious and ornate gardens. Other than these exceptionally well preserved gardens and the castle proper, the compound also features one of the few surviving theaters in the rococo style. It is the principal venue for the annual Schwetzingen Festival.
The palace interior is sumptuously appointed and the palace gardens are a historical garden monument of European ranking. The garden complex experienced several stylistic periods of garden art - from Baroque geometry to the natural landscaping of English gardens. New garden buildings were repeatedly built there, including the Mosque, the Bath House, the Botany Temple and others.
An application for the addition of the ensemble, consisting of the gardens, palace and town of Schwetzingen, to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites is currently being processed.
Hours: Schwetzingen Palace can only be viewed within the context of a guided tour; tours in English are at 2pm on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. Tours in German are held Tuesday - Sunday from 10am - 4pm. The gardens may be visited daily from 9am - 7:30 pm during the summer, and 9am - 4:30 pm during the winter.
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Schwetzingen. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Schwetzingen: Schwetzingen (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Schwetzingen
More about the History of Schwetzingen
Schwetzingen was mentioned as Suezzingen
for the first time in 766, recorded in the late twelfth-century Codex Aureus of Lorsch (Lorsch vacation rentals | Lorsch travel guide), but there are already traces of settlement from the Stone Age. Originally it consisted of two settlements, Ober- and Unterschwetzingen, that grew together in the course of the 17th and 18th century. Originally the town belonged to the diocese of Worms (Worms vacation rentals | Worms travel guide), but later passed to the Counts of the Palatinate in the 12th century. The moated castle of Schwetzingen is mentioned for the first time in 1350. It was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War and in the following War of the Palatinate Succession; it was rebuilt by count Johann Wilhelm and his predecessor. From 1720 it served temporarily as the residence of the Prince-Elector Karl Philip after he moved away from Heidelberg (Heidelberg vacation rentals | Heidelberg travel guide). Later on it served as a summer residence of the Prince-Electors of the Palatinate and their court.
[ source: wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Schwetzingen Travel Guide special...
This Schwetzingen travel guide provides you with an overview of Schwetzingen, Schwetzingen pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Schwetzingen destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
