Schloss Charlottenburg

Schloss Charlottenburg: Insignia of the Royal Prussia

Charlottenburg Palace or the Schloss Charlottenburg is one of the prevalent palaces in Berlin, Germany. It is built in the region of Charlottenburg which falls under the Wilmersdoff borough. The erection of the palace began in 1695 and it took nearly eighteen years to complete. It was formerly commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, who was the wife of Friedrich the third. Friedrich the third was the elector of Brandenburg, which was then the village of Lietzow. The palace served as the summer house for Sophie Charlotte.

The grand palace was designed by Johann Arnold Nering, who was a German Baroque architect, a native of Wesel, Cleves. He was formerly appointed as the senior engineer or as they call it in German, Oberingenieur, by Frederick William the first, in 1964. The designer, Nering, is also responsible for the formation of the design for the Linden-markt or the Gendarmenmarkt and the Schloss Oranienburg.

Charlottenburg aided as one of the most important palace complex, which once performed as an anchorage for the former Brandenburg electors, the Prussian kings, and the German emperors, who lived in Berlin and adjacent areas. It is still one of the most imperative sites in Germany, which reflects the life and times of the Hohenzollern clan, which once reigned the region from early fifteenth to early twentieth century.

The Charlottenburg Palace and its History

The palace of Charlottenburg was originally built as an unexceptional summer house for Sophie Charlotte. Frederick, who then was crowned as the Prussian king, in 1701, had deliberated for a grand enlargement of the palace. Frederick commissioned, Johann Friedrich Eosander von Goethe, a Swedish court architect, who then administered the expansion.

But the expansion did not go as anticipated and reached an impasse when Friedrich’s son, the ‘Soldier King’ ascended the throne in 1713. He expressed the least curiosity in architecture, and all of the expansion work soon came to a standstill. It was then in 1740, that the construction of the Charlottenburg Palace recommenced when Frederick the Great commissioned Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdroff, a Prussian architect, with the job of expansion of the Neuer Flügel or the New Wing. The grandness of the west wing stood in stark contrast with the east wing. However, the expansion of the east wing or the Neuer Flügel then complemented the larger west wing. It took almost a time period six years for the accomplishment of this extension.

However, during the Second World War, in 1943, the palace was almost ruined. During a British air raid, a bomb hit the palace, triggering the eruption of an unrestrained fire. Post-war there were plans to annihilate the ruins of the palace. The East German government, took steps to gobble the main palace of the Hohenzollern clan in 1950, but the West German authorities Flügel decided to take a conflicting step for the apt preservation of the country’s antiquity. The decision to reinstate the palace was then taken, which almost took sixty years to complete.

The Charlottenburg Palace: Features and Highlights

• Altes Schloss

The central charm of the palace and one of its eldest construction is the Old Palace or the Altes Schloss. It is also known as the Nering-Eosander-Bau, titled after the two architects who constructed the domed Old Palace.

One of the most vital highpoints of the Altes Schloss is the dwelling of Frederick the first and Queen Sophie Charlotte. The chief features of the room comprise of the attractive portrayal of Baroque-styled architecture. This is outdone with lavish wood cladding, ornaments, and murals/frescoes. Although not all the murals have been reinstated post the destruction and many of the ceilings within the Old palace are merely smeared in plain white. One of the motives for this was the authorities did not know what it was originally viewed.

• Oak Gallery

One of the other acmes of the Old Palace is an oak paneled gallery. This is known as the Oak Gallery. This hall comprises of oval cut family portraits, which illustrate the family and members of the Hohenzollern clan. Other quarters in Old Palace of the Charlottenburg Palace comprises of the Oval Room, which stares out to the beautiful and grand gardens. The affluent chapel, Schlosskapelle, is topped with an arresting royal box. The Porcelain chamber within the Old Palace covers roughly two thousand Chinese ceramic and porcelain in pieces.

• Neuer Flügel

The revamping of the Neuer Flügel took a substantial amount of time and was resurrected to the masses in December 2014. Some of the palace’s most attractive rooms can be admired in the New Wing or the Neuer Flugel. The refurbishment took almost two years to complete and included the renovation of the one fifty meter stretched frontages.

One can study through the living quarters within the Neuer Flügel, about the lavish life of Frederick the Great and the modest living of Frederick William II. One can regard the beauty of French paintings, as Frederick the Great was an admirer of the art. A large part of the king’s collection are on display in the private rooms which encloses a great assemblage of eighteenth-century art.

One of the striking features of this collection is the painting illustrating Napoleon with his army trooping through the Swiss crags. It is said that the painting has been transported to the Charlottenburg Palace from Paris post the downfall of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

But the most prominent room of the Neuer Flugel are the two enormous halls: the White Hall (or the Weisser Saal) and the Golden Gallery (or the Goldene Galerie). The White Hall is a magnificent hall for dining, while the Golden gallery is forty-two meters long ballroom, which is adorned with mirrors and ornaments representing the Rocco style. The marble sculptures from the 19th century displayed in the foyer of the New Wing, adds to the salient beauty of the Palace.

• Schlossgarten

Simeon Godeau constructed a park behind the Charlottenburg Palace between 1697 and 1701. Godeau was an apprentice of Andre le Notre, who was also accountable for the creation of the gardens of Versailles. The garden in Charlottenburg palace bears a resemblance to the French Baroque style. The hedgerows and parterres within the garden are clipped in symmetrical patterns.

But during the 18th and 19th century the park underwent an alteration, espousing a certain Englishness in its landscape, as the garden was rendered less formal. Post the war annihilation the garden behind the palace was restored, but this time around by adopting the French Baroque grace. The rest of the garden still stays whole in its original layout.

• Neuer Pavillon

Neuer Pavillion or the New Pavilion or the Schinkel Pavillon (named after its architecture Karl Friedrich Schinkel) is a quadrangular shaped building next to the New Wing. It was built in 1825 and was ordered by Frederick William the third. The king wanted to use the pavilion as a modest retreat for himself. The architect under the appreciation of the king sculpted the pavilion on the Villa Chiatamone which is located in Naples. The king stayed in this Villa during one of his trips to France, which then later served as an inspiration behind the architecture of this Pavilion. Right in front of this pavilion are the two statues which stand to symbolize conquest and glory.

• Belvedere

At the northern end of the gardens within the palace flows the Spree, and near this river is located the Belvedere. It was built between 1788 and 1790 under the expertise of Frederick William II by Carl Gotthard Langhans. Although it may seem as a mini palace at the first glimpse, it served the purpose of a teahouse. The building shaped like a dome bears a resemblance to Rocco Style of architecture. The architect of this Belvedere was also occupied on the Brandenburg gate during this instant of time.

Like most of the palace, this section too was ruined during the Second World War and was reestablished between 1956. The then teahouse now serves as a museum of eighteenth-century porcelain exhibits by the Berlin manufacturers.

• Mausoleum and Burials

1. Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz: The Duchess was Queen of Prussia when she got betrothed to King Frederick William the third.
2. Frederick William III of Prussia: His reign as the Prussian king lasted for forty three years, beginning from 1797 and lasting till 1840.
3. Wilhelm I: He was the Prussian king who belonged to the Hohenzollern clan. His reign lasted for twenty seven years, from 1861 to 1888.
4. Prince Albert of Prussia: He was the General Field Marshal of the Prussian empire. He was more popularly known as the Grand Master or Herrenmeister belonging to the Order of Saint John.
5. Augusta of Saxe-Weimar: She was the Queen of Prussia. She was also the first German Empress while she was the spouse of William the first.

• Statue of the Great Elector

At the epicenter of the courtyard, right at the entrance of the palace, stands an enormous statue of the Great Elector, erected in an equestrian position. Built in 1698, it was ordered by King Frederick the first, who was the Great Elector’s son, and was constructed by Andreas Schluter.

The history of this statue is appealing as the statue was not initially located here. In a bridge neighboring Stadschloss, the statue stood on the Kurfurstenbrucke. During the Second World War, the statue was inundated in the Tegeler See, one of the largest lakes in Berlin. The statue was found and restored at its current location in the palace in 1952.

• Emblems and Jewelry

The Royal insignia of the Prussian kings, the exotic Silver Chamber of the Hohenzollern clan, and the luxurious snuff boxes belonging to the Friedrichs, are some of the distinctive presentation that can be witnessed within the Charlottenburg Palace.

Some of these emblems and jewelry include:

1. Crown Jewels: the main emblems of the Prussian monarchy which include the imperial seal and the sword, along with the scepter and the orb, are all preserved within the Charlottenburg Palace.
2. Silver Collection: once within the palace was the Silver Chamber which served the purpose of preservation of historical panel made of gold and silver, or porcelain and glass. On a closer look the culinary preferences of the Prussian kings, one can note the magnificent Baroque design coupled with historicism.
3. Snuff Boxes: These snuff boxes belong to Frederick the Great. They are beautifully clad in semi-precious stones and are set in gold and diamonds. One can enjoy the sights of these snuff boxes, which are now presented in a permanent exhibition at the Charlottenburg Palace.