Berlin’s Top 10 : Schloss Charlottenburg (part 1)

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The construction of Schloss Charlottenburg, designed
as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, wife of the Elector
Friedrich III, began in 1695. Between 1701 and 1713 Johann Friedrich
Eosander added a cupola and the Orangerie was extended. Today, it has
been extensively renovated.

Spandauer Damm

  • Admission charge in all museums

  • Two-day ticket for all museums: €12

Altes Schloss

  • 10am–5pm Tue–Sun (to 6pm summer)

Neuer Flügel

  • 10am–5pm Wed–Mon

  • 030 32 09 11

Belvedere

  • Apr–Oct: noon–5pm Tue–Fri; Nov–Mar: noon–5pm Tue–Sun

Neuer Pavilion

  • Re-opens 2010 following renovation

Mausoleum

  • Apr–Oct: 10am–6pm (noon–4pm Nov–Mar) Tue–Sun

  • 030 32 09 14 46

Museum Berggruen

  • Schloßstr 1

  • 10am–6pm Tue–Sun

  • 030 326 95 80




Palace Layout



Schloss Charlottenburg

The Orangery Café (left of the main entrance) has an attractive garden.


At weekends, the palace park is overcrowded, but a midweek early-evening stroll can be very romantic (open 6am–dusk).

Top 10 Sights

  1. Altes Schloss

    The
    Baroque tower of the oldest part of the palace (1695) by Johann Arnold
    Nering is crowned by Richard Scheibe’s golden statue of Fortuna.




  2. Porzellankabinett

    The
    small, exquisite mirrored gallery has been faithfully restored to its
    original glory. Valuable porcelain items from China and Japan are on
    display.




  3. Schlosskapelle

    The
    luxurious splendour of the palace chapel recalls the once magnificent
    interior design of the palace, before it was destroyed in World War II.
    But appearances can be deceptive: apart from the altar which is
    preserved in its original form, the entire chapel – including the king’s
    box – is a costly reconstruction.

  4. Monument to the Great Elector

    The
    equestrian monument of Friedrich Wilhelm I is considered to be one of
    his most dignified portraits. Made in 1696–1703 by Andreas Schlüter, it
    originally stood on the Rathausbrücke, near the destroyed Stadtschloss.




  5. Neuer Flügel

    Built between 1740 and 1747 by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, the new wing contains Frederick the Great’s private quarters.




  6. Schlossgarten

    The
    palace park, originally Baroque in style, was redesigned by Peter
    Joseph Lenné between 1818 and 1828 as an English-style landscape garden.

  7. Belvedere

    Friedrich
    Wilhelm II liked to escape to the romantic Belvedere, a summer
    residence built in 1788 by Carl Gotthard Langhans, which served as a tea
    pavilion. Today it houses a collection of precious Berlin porcelain
    objects.




  8. Neuer Pavillon

    This
    Italianate villa behind the palace, designed by Schinkel for Friedrich
    Wilhelm III in 1825, was inspired by the Villa Reale del Chiatamone in
    Naples. The pavilion clearly shows the Hohenzollern’s love of the
    Italian style.




  9. Mausoleum

    Slightly hidden, this Neo-Classical building by Schinkel, is the final resting place for Queen Luise and other Hohenzollerns.




  10. Museum Berggruen

    Situated
    in the Western Stüler Building, opposite Schloss Charlottenburg, this
    modern art gallery houses the permanent exhibition, “Picasso and his
    Time”, featuring more than 100 works that span the artist’s career.
    Other highlights of the collection include works by Matisse, Klee and
    Giacometti.