Courtyard and central part of the front façade of Charlottenburg Palace (in German: "Schloss Charlottenburg"), City of Berlin, Germany
Some background information:
Charlottenburg Palace is a Baroque stately home in the city of Berlin, located in Charlottenburg, a district of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf borough. The palace was built at the end of the 17th century and was greatly expanded during the 18th century. It includes much lavish internal decoration in Baroque and Rococo styles. A large formal garden surrounded by woodland was added behind the palace, including a belvedere, a mausoleum, a theatre and a pavilion. During the Second World War, the palace was bomb-damaged but has since been reconstructed.
The original palace was commissioned by Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, who was the first Queen consort of Prussia as wife of King Frederick I. At that time, the location was just a small village at the gates of Berlin named Lietzow. Hence, the mansion was first named Lietzenburg. It was designed by the architect Johann Arnold Nering in Baroque style, consisted of one wing and was built in two and a half stories with a central cupola. Nering died during the construction of the palace and the work was completed by Martin Grünberg and Andreas Schlüter. The inauguration of the palace was celebrated on 11th July 1699, Frederick's 42nd birthday.
In the same year, Frederick appointed Johann Friedrich von Eosander as the royal architect and sent him to study architectural developments in Italy and France, particularly the Palace of Versailles. In 1701, he crowned himself as King Frederick I of Prussia. After Eosander had returned from his journed, he began to extend the palace, starting with two side wings to enclose a large courtyard. Afterwards, the main palace was extended on both sides. Sophie Charlotte died in 1705 and Frederick named the palace and its estate Charlottenburg in her memory.
In the following years, the orangery was built on the west of the palace and the central area was extended with a large domed tower and a larger vestibule. On top of the dome is a wind vane in the form of a gilded statue representing Fortuna, the goddess of fortune. The orangery was originally used to overwinter rare plants. During the summer months, when over 500 orange, citrus and sour orange trees decorated the baroque garden, the orangery regularly was the gorgeous scene of courtly festivities.
Various artists were invited to decorate the interior of the palace. As the court painter of Frederick I, the Flemish artist Jan Anthonie Coxie was commissioned to paint the walls and ceilings in various rooms of the palace. One room inside the palace, the Amber Room (in German: "Bernsteinzimmer"), was described as "the eighth wonder of the world". Its walls were surfaced in decorative amber. It was designed by Andreas Schlüter, and its construction by the Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram started in 1701. In 1716. Frederick’s son and successor the the throne Frederick William I gave the Amber Room tot he Russian Tsar Peter the Great as a present.
Frederick I died in 1713 and his son‘s building plans were less ambitious. But building was resumed after Frederick Wilhelm‘s son Frederick II (Frederick the Great) came to the throne in 1740. During that year, stables for his personal guard regiment were completed to the south of the orangery wing and work was started on the east wing. In 1747, a second apartment for the king was prepared in the distant eastern part of the wing. However, during this time, Sanssouci Palace was being built at Potsdam, and once it was completed, Frederick II became just an occasional visitor to Charlottenburg.
In 1786, Frederick was succeeded by his nephew Frederick William II, who transformed five rooms on the ground floor of the east wing into his summer quarters and part of the upper floor into his winter chambers, although he did not live long enough to use them. His son, Frederick Willliam III, came to the throne in 1797 and reigned with his wife, Queen Luise, for 43 years. They spent much of this time living in the east wing of Charlottenburg. In 1804, following Prussia's defeat at Jena-Auerstedt, Napoleon marched into Berlin and settled in the palace, which became his headquarters.
Frederick WillIam III’s and Queen Luise‘s eldest son, Friedrich WillIam IV, who reigned from 1840 to 1861, lived in the upper storey of the central palace building. After Friedrich Wilhelm IV died, the only other royal resident of the palace was Friedrich III, who reigned for 99 days in 1888.
In 1943, during Word War II, Charlottenburg Palace was badly damaged by allied bomb attacks. In 1951, the war-damaged Stadtschloss in East Berlin was demolished and, as the damage to Charlottenburg was at least as serious, it was feared that it would also be demolished. However, following the efforts of Margarete Kühn, the director of the State Palaces and Gardens, it was restored to its former condition.
Today, Charlottenburg Palace and its gardens are a major tourist attraction. The Old Palace contains many rooms with baroque decoration, and includes a room called the Porcelain Cabinet, which holds thousands of porcelain objects. On special display are the crown jewels and the royal silver and fine porcelain tableware. The New Wing includes the opulent rococo State Apartments of Frederick the Great and the more modest Winter Chambers of Frederick Wilhelm II. The formal and informal gardens are freely open to the public.
A Happy and Healthy New Year 2024 to all of you!
