The harbour on Kaninchenwerder island in Schwerin was only fully refurbished in 2024 – now the planned long-term lease is sparking debate. The new island leaseholder, Daniel Schmidt, however, sees this as essential for the long-term development of the facility and the island as a whole.
Daniel Schmidt has been the island’s new tenant since the summer of 2026. The entrepreneur from Zierzow near Grabow runs his company, Garage 7, which specialises in, amongst other things, houseboat construction and hire. The town selected him as the new operator following a multi-stage selection process involving 27 applicants. Initially, the partnership will be based on a one-year licence agreement. In parallel, a long-term contract is to be drawn up.
Meanwhile, the harbour has become a topic of debate. A group of boat owners launched a petition in early September calling for the jetty to remain in public ownership. This follows the planned handover of harbour management to Schmidt or his company. As of 28 September 2026, 845 people had signed the petition. The criticism is as follows: “The jetty on Kaninchenwerder was renovated and expanded using several million euros of public taxpayers’ money. These massive investments were borne by the general public in order to create infrastructure for the general public. It is simply impossible to explain to taxpayers why a facility that has been heavily subsidised with public funds is now to be privatised in order to grant exclusive or commercial rights of use.”
Private or public? – Will the port become more expensive?
Schmidt, however, refutes the impression that the public harbour is to be privatised. According to him, he has already been commissioned by the city to operate the harbour and has the right to manage the premises there. There are no plans for privatisation. Only a long-term harbour lease is envisaged. This is because, as long as the legal framework is limited to a short period, his company cannot sensibly invest in repairs, maintenance or the expansion of the facility. A long-term contract, on the other hand, would lay the foundations for planning such investments in the first place.
The organisers of the petition fear a rise in fees: “Privatisation or leasing to this investor carries the acute risk that use of the site will in future be heavily regulated, made artificially more expensive through drastically increased fees, or, in the worst-case scenario, restricted entirely for the general public.”
Schmidt responds: “The harbour remains public land. The city retains responsibility for the schedule of charges.” The transfer of management should not alter the basic conditions for visiting vessels.
What will happen to public access?
The petition’s organisers also fear that private management could restrict access to the harbour in the long term. They are therefore calling for the jetty to remain in public ownership permanently and for free access to be guaranteed on socially acceptable terms. Schmidt counters that these fears do not reflect the planned terms of the contract. The public nature of the harbour is to be preserved.
In his view, many residents of Schwerin were in fact pleased that the island was once again being managed after years of changing operators. In the past, there had repeatedly been problems with uncontrolled use of Kaninchenwerder. Schmidt speaks of conditions that were at times chaotic and notes that some visitors had become accustomed to using the island for bonfires and parties.
The port had only just been reopened in June 2024 following 15 months of construction work. The city invested 3.4 million euros in the facility; 95 per cent of the costs were funded through the ‘Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure’ joint programme. Among other things, the project created 42 berths for recreational boaters, 80 metres of floating jetties, and electricity and water supplies.
Why yet another refurbishment?
Schmidt believes there is still potential for development at the current facility. According to his plans, the jetties could be modified to create up to 30 additional berths. The sanitary facilities are also to be improved. However, this would require a long-term approach.
The debate surrounding the harbour is therefore closely linked to the question of how the entire island is to be used in future. When issuing the tender for the new tenant, the city had already stipulated that, in addition to catering, the tenant would also be responsible for maintaining the green spaces, as well as the harbour and sanitary facilities. In the long term, the possibility of awarding the lease via a heritable building right was also under discussion.
A contract covering the whole island
According to Schmidt, the current one-year licence agreement was, from the outset, primarily intended as a temporary solution. During this period, a long-term agreement is to be drawn up, which could potentially run for up to 60 years. Unlike a simple lease agreement, the aim is to develop a comprehensive plan for Kaninchenwerder. For the first time, the various stakeholders have been brought together around one table for this purpose – including nature conservation, heritage protection and passenger shipping organisations. According to Schmidt, Schwerin Zoo has also been involved in the discussions. Plans include, amongst other things, the restoration and management of the woodland, as well as the introduction of wildlife. The aim is not merely to develop the island for tourism, but to reorganise it as a whole. The city had already emphasised in the tender that the new leaseholder should be closely involved in the further planning for Kaninchenwerder.
Decision in December
According to Schmidt, the long-term contract is due to be presented to the city council in December as planned. By then, the question of how the harbour is to be operated and developed in future should also become clearer. For boat owners, the key issue will be ensuring that the harbour remains open to the public. For Schmidt, on the other hand, the focus is on securing the economic basis needed to invest in the facility and the island in the long term.
This means that, ultimately, there is a wider issue underlying the dispute over Kaninchenwerder: How can publicly accessible infrastructure be combined with a private-sector operating model – and who will bear the responsibility and costs for its future development? Join the discussion!
Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel