Schloss Charlottensburg

Okay, so this past weekend it rained. This is not new news anymore, in fact, it is almost funny. I resolved to go out and do some of the big sights that I need to fit in before my time in Berlin is over.

On Saturday I met Louise (another classmate at the Goethe-Institute) at the Schloss Charlottensburg. The tours of the interiors and our stroll around the gardens took most of the day. Sunday, I traveled with a group from the institute to Sachsenhausen, a WWII concentration camp located just outside the city. I'll have to post on this another time. It was a rather overwhelming experience, and the overcast skies and constant drizzle certainly contributed to the somberness of the setting. Its grim history was also quite a contrast to the splendour of the Prussian court at Charlottensburg.

Entrance courtyard to Schloss Charlottensburg

The Baroque palace in Charlottensburg was built as a summer residence for Queen Sophie-Charlotte when she was the wife of Elector Frederick III (to become Frederick Ist), and was expanded as the living quarters of the royal Hohenzollern clan (in the tradition of such Baroque palaces as Versailles). Although the palace was significantly damaged in World War II, its furnishings and works of art had been removed for safe-keeping, and the interiors have been mostly restored. It makes for a full day of touring if you follow all the intineraries on the audio guide! But it is worth it. The interiors are stunning, with a large oval ballroom at center facing the gardens at back. The most interesting (and most kitsch) was the porcelain room designed by Frederick after Sophie-Charlotte's death to hold and display her collection of Chinese blue-and-white. It is crazy. You'll have to take my word for it, since photography inside the palace wasn't allowed...

I would have loved to sneak at least one or two photos, however. The art collection of the Hohenzollerns included Watteau's "Pilgrimage to Cytheria," "Return from Market" by Chardin, and J. L. David's "Napoleon on the St. Bernard Pass." These were all delightful surprises on the brocaded and silk-covered walls.

The palace served another generation of rulers under Friedrich Wilhelm III and Queen Luise. Her mausoleum is tucked away in the gardens. It was on our trip out to find this sepulchre that the skys opened up and it began to pour. We took refuge under the trees at first, but soon the amount of falling water was about the same under the trees as out in the open. We gave up and continued our way out to the Belvedere, where more of the royal porcelains were on display. These were behind glass cases, and some of them incredibly beautiful. I need to start saving for a tea-set like that... maybe I'll purchase one by retirement!

Mausoleum for Queen Luise

View of the Schloss Charlottensburg across the lake and gardens

Belvedere, built as a tea house for Friedrich Wilhelm II