Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg)
Often described as the “Prussian Versailles”, the Charlottenburg is the largest and most significant palace and park complex. It was built in the suburbs of Berlin (currently part of the Greater Berlin) by order of Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg as a gift for his wife Sophia Charlotte.
The original small summer palace was built in 1695–1699 after the design by architect Johann Arnold Nering (or Nehring). In 1701, when the Elector became Frederick I of Prussia, architect Johann Friedrich Nilsson Eosander Freiherr von Göthe was asked to expand the building. In the period between 1702 and 1712, extensions to the main building were erected to turn the palace into a U-shaped complex with two long wings. At the same time, a vast garden in the French Baroque style was laid out at the loop of the Spree River. It was designed and laid out by Siméon Godeau, a disciple of the famous French landscape architect André Le Nôtre. By the end of the 18th century, a parterre composition with a large fountain in the center and completed with a spacious pond was set out in front of the palace. Bosquets with fountains were located on both sides of the parterres.
On June 18/29, 1712, the palace was visited by his Highness Prince Alexander Menshikov who was then the commander of the Russian troops in Pomerania. According to the Travel Journal, Peter I visited the Charlottenburg on November 17/28, 1712. Accompanied by Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, the Tsar went there by yacht in the morning. At that time, the Charlottenburg was under construction: a high drum with a dome was erected on top of the old building in the period between 1708 and 1713. The Tsar looked around the palace and the garden, dined at the Charlottenburg, and returned to Berlin by water on the same day.
Peter I was undoubtedly attracted by the abundance of canals and the water way connecting the palace with Berlin. In the Charlottenburg, it was the first time that he saw a park that was laid out in accordance with the latest French trends, featuring a symmetrical composition and the strong main axis. The windows of the central hall of the palace faced the perspective of the parterres with a large fountain, the water surface of the pond, and an island with an obelisk in the middle of the Spree River.
It was quite useful for the Tsar to see the Charlottenburg ensemble, as the construction of Peterhof began about that time. At the same time, the Tsar was nurturing plans of building a “Russian Versailles” in Strelna. The magnificent palace interiors with picturesque plafonds decorated with wooden panels, artificial marbles and mirrors were surely retained in Peter’s memory. He was also impressed with the Porcelain Cabinet. The impressions from the Charlottenburg were embodied in the Monplaisir Palace in Peterhof founded in 1714, which has the Chinese Cabinet with a collection of chinaware and the sculptural herms on the plafond of the Great Hall repeating the plot found on the front staircase herms in the Charlottenburg, called “The Seasons”.
German emperor Frederick III (1831–1888), who reigned for 99 days only, was the last of the monarchs to use the Charlottenburg as a residence. After him, the palace was only used to receive guests of the imperial family and was opened to the public.
The palace complex was hugely damaged during the World War II. Restoration works began in the 1950s and continue to this day. Since 1995, the palace has been administered by the Foundation of Prussian Palaces and Gardens in Berlin – Brandenburg. It is a museum and is also used as a venue for high profile ceremonies. As a monument of history and culture, the entire ensemble is protected by the government.
