The gardens and grounds of Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin

Visitors to Berlin’s Charlottenburg Palace can not only enjoy the delights of its many rooms, now restored to their Baroque splendour after damage caused by a wartime air raid, but can also explore 55 hectares (136 acres) of gardens, lakes and other grounds at the rear of the Palace. These areas are free to visit and are an open space that is greatly valued by local residents.

The original owner of Lietzenburg Palace, Sophie Charlotte, after whom the Palace was renamed after her death, was very interested in garden design and planned a large formal garden after the pattern of that at Versailles, near Paris. The emphasis was on straight lines, long paths and geometric shapes, with regularly placed statues, vases and potted plants. Good use was made of the adjoining River Spree in that a harbour was created for gondolas.

Sophie Charlotte was also very keen on building an Orangery on the western side of the main building and this housed more than 500 orange and lemon trees.

However, later kings, notably Frederick William II and III had other ideas and transformed the Baroque garden into something more along the lines of an English landscape garden with grassy meadows, copses, meandering paths, isolated statues in flower beds and watercourses that surrounded irregularly-shaped islands that could only be reached by rope-ferries. By 1833 virtually nothing remained of the original Baroque layout.

World War II was a disaster for the grounds of Charlottenburg Palace, which either became completely overgrown or were used for growing crops.

Post-war restoration, between 1952 and 1968, managed to combine the designs both of Sophie Charlotte and the later kings. However, it was not until 2001 that the large French-style Baroque garden, complete with a fountain, reached its final form and now looks much as Sophie Charlotte would have seen it.

At the far end of the formal garden is a long lake beyond which, and to one side, is a large area of woodland and grassy areas, with wandering paths and watercourses, which are more in keeping with the landscaping notions of the two Frederick Williams.

There is therefore much to explore and enjoy, with many opportunities to spot birds and other wildlife.

The Mausoleum

Hidden away in the woods, at the end of an avenue of fir trees, is a small building on the model of a Doric temple. This was built between 1811 and 1814 as the final resting place of Queen Louisa, the wife of King Frederick William III. She died in 1810 at the age of 34. Her funerary monument was sculpted from Carrara marble and is a particularly moving piece of Neoclassical sculpture.

The Mausoleum was later used to house the remains of Frederick William in 1840 and the first German imperial couple, William I and Augusta.

The New Pavilion

This building, which is close to the far end of the New Wing, was built after the death of Queen Louisa and after Frederick William’s second marriage (to Augusta of Harrach). He did not wish to live in the New Wing (which had been his home with Louisa), so he had this private residence constructed instead.

The two-storey New Pavilion is cubic in shape, with a flat roof, French windows and an Italian-style all-round balcony at first-floor level. Frederick William had stayed in a very similar building in Naples and wished to have his own version of it at Charlottenburg. The interior was decorated in Neoclassical style.

The building one sees today is actually a reconstruction of the original which was destroyed in the 1943 air raid that did a huge amount of damage to the Palace. Since 1970 it has been used to house an art collection that includes works by Caspar David Friedrich and Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

The Belvedere

Towards the northern end of the Palace grounds is The Belvedere, a three-storey observation tower on an oval ground plan. The building was originally on an island, but the nearby watercourses have since been altered.

It was built in 1788 on the orders of King Frederick William II, who wanted somewhere private to which to retreat and from which he could observe his estate. It is also believed that King Frederick William, who believed in spirit manifestations, used the Belvedere for carrying out Rosicrucian seances.

After World War II only the shell of the building was left standing and the interior was rebuilt in a greatly simplified form. It is now used as a Museum of the History of Berlin Porcelain.

© John Welford

Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin

Charlottenburg Palace is a remarkable ensemble of buildings and gardens that demonstrate the wealth and splendour of the Hohenzollern monarchy of Prussia during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Situated in the northwest of Berlin, but within easy reach of the centre, it is well worth a whole day visit.

The Palace suffered considerable damage during World War II, but the restoration work was done to a very high standard, so one can be assured that one is seeing the Palace much as it would have appeared to its first royal residents.

The Palace started out as Lietzenburg, a modest summer residence built between 1695 and 1699 for the Electress Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg. However, when he declared himself “King Frederick I in Prussia” in 1701, Lietzenburg underwent a major expansion with the main axis stretched out both east and west and – on the city side – two wings built at right-angles to the main building to create the Great Courtyard.

This work was completed in 1702, but Queen Charlotte did not live long to enjoy her private retreat. She died in 1705 at the age of 37, after which King Frederick renamed the place in her honour and it has been Charlottenburg ever since.

Not much changed at Charlottenburg until the grandson of Frederick and Charlotte became King Frederick II (“Frederick the Great”) in 1740. He commissioned the long eastward extension of the main axis that was known – than and now - as the New Wing. He had the rooms of the extension richly decorated in the Rococo style that was fashionable at the time and indulged his taste for collecting paintings, furniture and objets d’art that were used to fill the spaces.

Frederick’s successor, his nephew King Frederick William II, had some of the rooms redecorated in Neoclassical style and indulged a taste for Chinoiserie – Chinese style.

Later monarchs and their consorts used Charlottenburg to varying degrees and did not make huge changes to the décor. Interest waned after the death of King Frederick William IV, as neither his brother, who succeeded as King William I (and then became the first German Emperor in 1871) lived in the Palace at any time of the year.

After the end of the monarchy following Germany’s defeat in World War I in 1918, Charlottenburg Palace became a field hospital and plans were then put in place to transform it into a museum.

During World War II Berlin suffered considerable air raid damage and during the heaviest raid, on 22^nd November 1943, the Palace received several direct hits. These destroyed much of the original structure, including the central domed tower and portions of the wings to the west and east. Fortunately, most of the contents had been placed in safe storage, but nothing could be done to save elements such as many ceiling paintings.

The later reconstruction and restoration were done extremely well, and at great expense, although some of the work proved to be controversial. Most visitors, however, find little to complain about!

A look at some of the rooms

Red Chamber

This room was probably used as a conference room by King Frederick I. The walls are hung with red damask wallpaper and gold braid. Portraits of Sophie Charlotte and King Frederick I hang over the doors at each end of the room.

The Porcelain Cabinet

This room was badly damaged during the 1943 air raid and demonstrates the enormous efforts made at restoration. The porcelain collection of the Hohenzollerns was extensive and a testament to their love of chinoiserie (including pieces from Japan). Most of the pieces currently on display are replacements, there being around 2,700 items predominantly from the K’ang-hsi period (1622-1722). The ceiling painting (much restored) dates from 1706 and shows the goddess Aurora surrounded by personifications of the continents, signs of the zodiac and allegories of the seasons.

Palace Chapel

The Palace Chapel was consecrated on 5^th December 1706, which was after the death of Sophie Charlotte. She had taken particular care over its planning, which she decreed should be “the most richly decorated place of any in her palace”. She certainly got her wish, if only posthumously. Enormous care was taken over its restoration following massive air raid damage, including total reconstruction of the ceiling painting and the organ.

A carved oak pulpit stands opposite the royal gallery, above which a huge golden crown and the Prussian eagle are held aloft by trumpet-blowing angels. Temporal and spiritual power are therefore held in balance and are in accordance with the Hohenzollerns’ Reformed Calvinist faith and their belief in the divine right to rule.

The Golden Gallery

This ballroom is on the upper floor of the New Wing and extends across the whole width, being 42 metres (138 feet) long. It was completely restored between 1961 and 1973 and is a splendid example of Rococo interior design.

The gilt décor features shells, tendrils, flowers and fruits set against green marble-effect stucco.

Antechamber Room

The most notable feature of this room is the painting “Napoleon Crossing the Alps” by Jacques Louis David (1748-1825). This is one of five versions of the painting made by the artist, each of them being slightly different from the rest. This one was originally housed in the Chateau de Saint-Cloud in Paris, from where it was “liberated” by Count von Blucher after the defeat of Napoleon and presented to King Frederick William III.

© John Welford

Neue Synagoge, Berlin

This splendid building is on Berlin’s Oranienburger Strasse. It has had a tragic history that continues to this day, as is evident from the fact that armed policemen stand guard over its entrance right round the clock and visitors must pass through a metal detector before being admitted.

The “Neue Synagoge” (New Synagogue) no longer acts as the main synagogue of Berlin but it contains prayer rooms and the Jewish Centre – a research facility and museum relating to the local Jewish community.

The building is a reconstruction of what was originally built here between 1859 and 1866. It was a highly innovative design that was a masterpiece of 19^th century civil engineering, particularly in its use of ironwork. It its heyday the synagogue could accommodate 3,000 worshippers.

Everything changed on the night of 9^th November 1938 when organized protests against the Jewish community took place that have gone done in history as “Kristallnacht”, the “night of broken glass”. The synagogue was badly damaged, with more destruction following due to Allied bombing during World War Two. The ruins were completely demolished in 1958.

Reconstruction began in 1988 and was completed in 1995. The building now looks from the outside just as it did when first built, including the splendid eye-catching dome.

Despite the much greater tolerance towards Jews (and all religious minorities) that is evident in Berlin today, the sad fact remains that anti-Semitism is still rife – hence the armed guards outside the door.

©John Welford

The Reichstag, Berlin

The Reichstag is the home of Germany’s Parliament, and it has also proved to be a highly symbolic site – for various reasons - throughout its existence.

It was originally built – construction began in 1884 and was completed in 1894 – to symbolize German reunification after the Franco-Prussian War and the declaration of the German Empire that began in 1871.

The design, in a neo-Renaissance style, was by Paul Wallot and was intended to capture the spirit of German optimism. The building was funded by reparation payments made by the defeated French Republic.

In 1916, at the height of World War I, the words “Dem Deutschen Volke” (meaning “to the German people”) were added to the façade and are still in place today. At the end of the war in 1918, German defeat led to the formation of the Weimar Republic, the declaration of which was made by Philip Scheidemann at the Reichstag.

The symbolic importance of the building became apparent in February 1933 when the main hall of the Reichstag was destroyed by fire. Many explanations have been offered down the years as to how the fire started, but at the time the blame was placed on a young Dutch Communist named Marinus van der Lubbe, who was later executed for the crime.

Adolf Hitler had become Chancellor of Germany only four weeks before the fire, and the Nazis used the event as potent ammunition in their fight against the Communists.

The Reichstag had not been rebuilt by the time that World War II broke out in 1939, and further damage was caused during the war by air raids and the 1945 Battle of Berlin. The Soviet troops that captured the city made a beeline for the Reichstag and flew the hammer and sickle flag from the top of the building to symbolize German defeat.

Between 1957 and 1972 much of the damaged stonework, including the dome, was removed. The building had no official function at this time, given that Germany was again divided, with the Parliament of West Germany located in Bonn.

When the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 it passed close to the Reichstag, but on the eastern side. It could therefore form a highly symbolic backdrop for demonstrations and events, such as rock concerts, held on the western side that could be heard on the other side of the Wall, much to the annoyance of the East German authorities.

Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, reconstruction of the Reichstag began in 1995 and was completed in 1999. The result was a modern meeting hall built within the original shell, and with a highly original design for the dome that was the work of the British Architect Sir Norman Foster. This takes the form of a glass structure that visitors can walk around on the inside, looking down into the main hall and out across Berlin.

The Reichstag is an iconic building that has packed a huge amount of history into its relatively short existence.

© John Welford

Tiergarten, Berlin

Tiergarten is the largest park in Berlin, occupying an area of 495 acres (200 hectares) at the heart of the city.

It was originally a forest used as the hunting reserve of the Electors of Prussia, but during the 1830s it was transformed into a landscaped park by Peter Joseph Lenné. Towards the end of the 19^th century a Triumphal Avenue, lined with statues of German statesmen and rulers, was laid out at the eastern end, but this was destroyed during World War II.

Postwar reconstruction included a great deal of replanting and the erection of many statues and memorials to famous Germans.

The park contains many delightful vistas, especially over the many lakes and ponds it contains, and it is a popular place for Berliners to walk, jog or cycle.

At the centre of Tiergarten is Grosser Stern (Great Star) which is a large five-way roundabout with a triumphal column (Siegessäule) in the middle. This column, which has a viewing platform at the top, was built to commemorate victory in the Prusso-Danish War of 1864. After further military successes, against Austria in 1866 and France in 1871, the figure of “Goldelse”, representing Victory, was added at the top.

It was moved to its present position in 1938 and can now be seen if one looks straight through the Brandenburg Gate down the Strasse des 17 Juni.

© John Welford

The Five Old Ladies of Museum Island, Berlin

Five elderly ladies live on Museum Island. Or, to be more accurate, they don’t actually live in the generally accepted meaning of that word, because they are the spirits who hover over five iconic buildings and who invite anyone who passes by to visit their homes.

The ladies may not be real, but the buildings they haunt most certainly are. Museum Island is a real place, being in the heart of Berlin and surrounded by the narrow waterways of the River Spree and the Spree Canal. This is where you will find Berlin’s four oldest museums and its original art gallery, plus the magnificent cathedral known as the Berliner Dom. There are no other buildings at the northern end of the Island.

The ladies issue their invitations with a few conditions. One is that you pay a few euros for the privilege and that you leave your backpack in the cloakroom before you start looking around. However, a free audioguide – in your own language if not too obscure - is offered and is well worth accepting.

The most senior of the ladies is the spirit of the Altes Museum. This was opened in 1830 in a magnificent neo-classical building that was originally built to house the Prussian monarch’s collection of paintings and antiquities. It now stages permanent exhibitions of the art and culture of Ancient Greece downstairs and Etruscan and Roman art upstairs.

Next in line is the lady who looks after the Neues Museum, whose home first opened in 1855 as a means of relieving pressure on the Altes Museum, the collections of which were growing too fast for the available space. Bomb damage during World War Two meant that it had to undergo considerable rebuilding and it did not reopen until 2009, but it now houses a major collection of Egyptian art with the world-famous bust of Queen Nefertiti as its star exhibit.

Another major collection at the Neues Museum features the Stone Age and other prehistoric eras.

The third old lady presides over the Alte Nationalgalerie, which opened in 1876. The building is a copy of a Greek temple, reached by a double staircase. This lady has a name, which is Germania, the patroness of German art, and her image forms part of the tympanum above the entrance to the gallery.

The national art collection has now vastly exceeded the capacity of the Alte Nationalgalarie and it is now also housed in five other buildings around Berlin. The original building displays works by German masters such as Caspar David Friedrich, but there are also paintings by French Impressionists and even a few pieces by John Constable, although these are not easy to find.

The Bode Museum is the preserve of the fourth lady, her home having been opened in 1904. This museum had to be built to fit the space available at the top end of the island, which is a rough triangle cut off from the rest by a railway line that runs across the island.

The museum is named after Wilhelm von Bode, who was Director of the Berlin state museums at the time the museum opened, but before 1956 it was known as the Kaiser Friedrich Museum. The collection is somewhat mixed, including sculptures, Byzantine art, and an outstanding coin collection that includes items from ancient Athens and Rome.

The new kid on the block, as far as our old ladies is concerned, is the patroness of what is arguably the most remarkable museum of the lot. The Pergamon Museum, which opened in 1930, is unlike anything one is likely to see anywhere else in the world, and it owes its existence to the activities of German archaeologists who worked in the Middle East during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries and sometimes acted in ways that many people today would question. That said, the results of their efforts are well worth seeing.

The Pergamon Museum is currently undergoing a major redevelopment, which means that the main reason for its naming is not available to view. This is the Pergamon Altar, which was discovered in the ancient city of Pergamon in western Turkey and reconstructed in Berlin at around the turn of the 20^th century. The Pergamon Museum was built specifically to display the Altar and associated friezes and other objects from the site.

The Museum was expanded to allow for the display of other huge monuments, and these are what can be seen at present in the South Wing of the Museum while the other parts remain closed.

You can therefore walk down the Processional Way of the city of Babylon and then, like King Nebuchadnezzar, walk through the Ishtar Gate. Both of these are adorned with thousands of brick-shaped glazed blue tiles that are decorated with images of real and mythical animals. These were discovered in fragments and shipped to Berlin in more than 500 huge crates, to be re-assembled according to documentary evidence from the time of Nebuchadnezzar.

When you go through the Ashtar Gate you find that you have also walked through the Market Gate from the ancient Greek colonial city of Miletus. This is a massive two-storey structure that stands nearly 95 feet across and 55 feet high. It dates from the 2^nd century AD and stood as a link between two public areas in the town until it was felled by an earthquake in the 10^th century.

The reconstruction in Berlin contains around 60% of the original marble blocks, despite further damage having been caused during World War Two.

The Miletus Hall also contains a superb mosaic floor from a house in Miletus, a round tomb from north of Rome, and a partial reconstruction of a porticoed hall from Pergamon, this being one of the few items currently on display in the Pergamon Museum that actually came from that city.

Go upstairs and you will find exhibits relating to Islamic Art. These include the remarkable Aleppo Room, consisting of painted wall panels from around 1600 that once adorned a merchant’s house in the Syrian city of Aleppo. It is probably just as well that the panels are now in Berlin, seeing that the building, which had survived for hundreds of years, fell victim to bombing in the recent conflict in that region.

The five old ladies are doing a grand job in looking after a huge quantity and variety of treasures in Berlin. Long may they continue so to do.

© John Welford