The most important surviving water fortress in northern Germany from the Renaissance period. In 1258 the castle came into the possession of the von Schwerin family. After a very eventful history with ups and downs, the castle was bought back by Kaspar Freiherr von Harnier. He is the heir designated by the last lord on Spantekow (his grandfather Hans Bone von Schwerin, until 1945).
Mighty castles served as protection for the knighthood and its residents in the Middle Ages. Many of them had a rectangular ground plan with bastions in front. A wall and a wide moat helped to protect the estate as an island. Such a Renaissance lowland fortress can still be found in Spantekow today. Starting in 1558, the Grand Chamberlain Ulrich v. Schwerin, together with his wife, Anna née v. Arnim, (gate relief) completely rebuilt the castle complex, which had become dilapidated due to the effects of war, on the original site according to the old plans. In 1677 the castle was besieged and captured by the Brandenburg troops in their war against the Swedes. The Great Elector, Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg, had the main building (Ringburg) of the castle complex blown up. Remains of the walls, the most extensive from this period in MV, can still be seen today. The castle chapel at the foot of the hill initially remained standing, but burned down in 1748.
In 2009, the crypt was cleared of construction debris and the collapsed vault was rebuilt. The completely undamaged casemates and the dungeon, the castle with baroque gable, tower and a third floor, as well as the annex, which still exist today, date back to the 16th and 20th centuries, respectively.
