Charlottenburg Palace

Charlottenburg Palace

Berlin's grand royal palace

In the heart of Berlin stands the largest and most magnificent royal palace to survive in the German capital: Charlottenburg. With its long baroque façade, its great domed tower and its formal gardens stretching behind, it recalls the days when Berlin was the capital of the powerful kingdom of Prussia and the home of its kings and queens. Though Berlin has changed enormously over the centuries, Charlottenburg remains a window into its royal past.

A palace for a queen

The palace was begun in 1695 as a summer home for Sophie Charlotte, the clever and cultured wife of the Elector of Brandenburg — who soon became the first King of Prussia. Sophie Charlotte loved art, music and philosophy, and gathered brilliant minds around her. After her early death, the grieving king named the palace and the surrounding town "Charlottenburg" in her honour.

Over the following century, successive Prussian kings enlarged and embellished the palace, adding new wings, grand state rooms, a domed tower and beautiful gardens, until it became the splendid royal residence we see today.

Halls of splendour

Inside, Charlottenburg is famous for its lavish baroque and rococo state rooms. Among its treasures are a dazzling hall lined with hundreds of pieces of Chinese and Japanese porcelain — a "porcelain cabinet" of the kind beloved by royalty of the age — and richly decorated apartments, galleries and a chapel. Later rooms in the elegant rococo style reflect the tastes of Frederick the Great.

These rooms display the wealth, art and ambition of the Prussian monarchy at its height.

Gardens in two styles

Behind the palace lie extensive gardens, first laid out in the formal French baroque style of straight paths and geometric beds, and later partly reshaped in the more natural English landscape style. Within the park stand smaller buildings, including a mausoleum where members of the royal family are buried and a charming garden pavilion.

The gardens make a peaceful green retreat in the busy city and a lovely setting for the grand palace.

War and restoration

Charlottenburg, like much of Berlin, was severely damaged by bombing during the Second World War. After the war, a great effort was made to restore the palace and its gardens, rebuilding the halls and recovering or recreating their decoration. Today the palace shines once more as a major museum and one of Berlin's most important historic sites.

Visiting today

Visitors can tour the palace's baroque and rococo state rooms, marvel at the porcelain cabinet and the royal apartments, and stroll the extensive gardens with their pavilions and mausoleum. Displays tell the story of the Prussian royal family and the palace's destruction and rebirth. Grand, elegant and rich in history, Charlottenburg Palace is the finest royal residence in Berlin.