Charlottenburg Castle is an outstanding architectural monument of German Baroque, although restored. The museum collection presents a large collection of French painting of the XVII-XVIII centuries. and German XIX century. In the Porcelain Study you can see magnificent Chinese blue and white ceramics of the 17th century.
Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg), Times Photo
Palace Charlottenburg (Schloss Charlottenburg) - a pompous and beautiful architectural monument of German Baroque in Berlin, the residence of the Hohenzollern. It is also called the "German Versailles". This is a gift from a loving king to his wife.
Back to the past
The Berlin Baroque Palace Charlottenburg bears the name of the first Prussian Queen - nee Sofia Charlotte of Hanover. Elector Frederick III in 1695 decided to make a present to his wife: to build a summer residence in Litzenburg near the village of Litsov. The construction of the palace according to the design of Arnold Nering lasted five years. Two years later, the Elector became king of Prussia.
Equestrian statue of the Great Elector (Frederick William I of Brandenburg), photo Pascal
The restrained architecture of Litzenburg did not correspond to the status of the royal residence. By decree of the king, Johann Eosander began work on the new palace. Litzenburg was expanded and decorated in a luxurious baroque style. Sophia Charlotte was not a queen for long: in 1705 she died of a severe sore throat. The inconsolable king renamed the residence Charlottenburg, perpetuating the name of his wife.
Statue of the goddess of fortune, photo La_mirada
Reconstruction of the palace continued. During the first reconstruction, a 48-meter-high central tower was erected with a dome crowned with a statue of the goddess Fortune. The west wing and the Great Greenhouse were added to the core of the building, and a park was set up nearby. The next king from the Hohenzollern dynasty, Frederick II, ordered the construction of the eastern wing.
Mausoleum, photo by Manfred Brueckels
In 1797, a new large-scale restructuring began. After the accession to the throne of Frederick William III, the architect Karl Langhans took up the reconstruction. He built the Small Conservatory and the Theaterbau Court Theater. In 1810, the mausoleum of the untimely deceased Queen Louise appeared. The final touch of the complex was the "Italian" summer house Schinkel Pavillon, built by Karl Schinkel in 1825.
Palace in 1943 after the bombing, photo Güll
By the beginning of the 20th century, Charlottenburg, having lost its residence status, gradually became desolate. During World War II, it was almost destroyed by shelling and bombing. The damage was so serious that they wanted to demolish the complex, but the director of the building, Margaret Kühne, managed to reverse the decision. Recovery began in 1950 and lasted twenty years. During the restoration, the values exported to the war were returned. Some of the original rooms have been preserved, others have been recreated from old photos. To the original interiors, restorers added Baroque furniture and decor taken from the Berlin and Potsdam royal palaces.
What to see in the palace
The restored Charlottenburg became a telling example of German baroque. The White Banquet Hall and the Golden Gallery of the main wing are considered the best examples of European Rococo.
The east wing houses a collection of French paintings of the 17th-18th centuries, including paintings by Antoine Watteau.
In the western wing, in the chambers of Queen Louise, presented furniture of the XIX century, designed by K. Shinkel.
Porcelain Hall, photo by Joop van Meer
The Porcelain Hall - Queen Charlotte's former cabinet - occupies a collection of Chinese blue and white ceramics.
Gallery, photo Joop van Meer
The Gallery of Romanticism exhibits German painting of the 19th century.
The former Royal Theater has become an expocenter for temporary exhibitions.
Tourists are offered to explore the Royal Treasury, the Silver Chamber, the mausoleum and the tomb of Queen Louise.
Palace Park, photo by Gabi Jekova
The palace park, originally created according to the Versailles model, acquired the features of an English landscape garden.
Chamber concerts take place in the Grand Orangery of Charlottenburg, and a restaurant operates in the Malaya.
Working hours
April-October: VT-Sun 10:00 - 18:00;
November-March: VT-Sun 10:00 - 17:00;
Mon, December 24 and 25 - closed.
Tickets (from 01.10.2017)
Ticket charlottenburg + - a combined ticket that allows you to visit all the palaces of Charlottenburg in one day (except for special exhibitions):
full - € 17,
preferential - € 13.
By purchasing an Online-Tickets charlottenburg + ticket, you reserve a fixed entrance to the palace. Such a ticket will cost you € 2 more, but you will avoid the queue.
Buy tickets online on the official website.
Permission for a photo without a flash (for personal use) costs € 3.
Entrance to the park is free.
How to get there
Take the U7 metro to Richard-Wagner-Platz Station, and then walk about 15 minutes to the palace.
Charlottenburg can be reached from Spandau by bus M 45 or from Zoologischer Garten at 109.
How do I save on hotels?
Everything is very simple - look not only at the booking. I prefer the search engine RoomGuru. He is looking for discounts at the same time on Booking and on 70 other booking sites.
