Palais Schwerin

The Palais Schwerin is a historic Baroque building in Berlin's Mitte district, located across from the Nikolai Quarter on the eastern side of the Mühlendamm. Probably built after the great city fire of 1690, it was bought in 1698 by the Prussian state minister Otto von Schwerin, who had the Huguenot architect Jean de Bodt remodel it between 1702 and 1704. Above the main entrance, a cartouche bearing the Order of the Black Eagle adorns the building. Over the centuries its use changed several times, including as a tobacco administration office, a stamp and map chamber, and the seat of the criminal court and the police headquarters, which is why the building long served as a synonym for the slammer. In the 1930s, the palace was largely gutted during the construction of the new Reich Mint and expanded with two side wings, though the front facade was preserved. After German reunification, the complex housed the Berlin Mint, among other occupants. Today the listed building is home to the headquarters of the Franco-German Youth Office.