Altes Palais, Palace at Old Garden, Schwerin, Germany

Altes Palais is a two-storey timber-framed building with a right-angled two-wing layout, a hipped roof, gable dormers and roof windows, standing on the Alter Garten. In 1799 it was extended northward by four bays, and in 1837 Georg Adolf Demmler linked it by an archway to the neighbouring house at Schloßstraße 3. It now houses the state parliament administration.

Altes Palais was built at the end of the 18th century and enlarged northward by four bays in 1799. It first housed Hereditary Prince Friedrich Ludwig and his wife Helena Pawlowna. Grand Duke Paul Friedrich used it as an interim residence from 1837 to 1842, and after his death his widow Alexandrine lived there as her dower residence.

The palace carries several names: Altes Palais, Altstädtisches Palais, Prinzenpalais and Alexandrinenpalais. The last recalls Grand Duchess Alexandrine, who lived here as a widow after the death of Paul Friedrich. Since 2024 the building has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Residenzensemble Schwerin.

The building is easy to locate at the corner of Schlossstrasse and Old Garden and can be viewed from the outside. Visitors should be aware that the site functions as an administrative headquarters today, so interior access is limited.

In 1837, architect Georg Adolf Demmler connected the palace to the neighboring house through an archway, creating an integrated architectural ensemble. This connection was innovative for the period and shows how Demmler skillfully unified separate structures.