Schlosspark Charlottenburg

Charlottenburg Palace Garden: from Baroque Garden to Landscape Park

The Charlottenburg Palace Garden was laid out starting in 1695 for Electress Sophie Charlotte and opened in 1699 with a grand celebration. It was designed by Siméon Godeau, a student of the Versailles court gardener André Le Nôtre, creating one of the first Baroque gardens in the French style in the German-speaking world. From 1788, Johann August Eyserbeck converted the complex into a landscape garden, and from 1819, Peter Joseph Lenné continued this work. Characteristic to this day is the layout along the central axis behind the palace, with the Baroque parterre, the large water basin with a fountain, and the broderie patterns of boxwood and gravel. This parterre is considered the only one of its kind in Germany and was faithfully reconstructed in 2001. Behind it, an extensive network of paths opens up down to the Spree river.

Mausoleum, Belvedere, and New Pavilion in Charlottenburg Palace Garden

Among the lawns stand the buildings that give structure to the visit. Frederick William III had the Mausoleum built by Heinrich Gentz after the death of Queen Luise in 1810; Emperor William I and Empress Augusta also rest in the crypt below, and Christian Daniel Rauch’s marble monument from 1814 stands in the hall. Admission costs three euros. The New Pavilion, built in 1824 and 1825 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel as a summer house in the style of a Neapolitan villa, now showcases art from the Schinkel era, including paintings by Caspar David Friedrich. The Belvedere by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 stands on an island in the landscape garden and houses the world’s largest KPM porcelain collection, but remains closed until further notice. Twelve euros are charged for the Old Palace. Barbecuing and ball games are not allowed in the palace garden; instead, there are lime avenues, a carp pond, and Luiseninsel (Luise Island) for enjoyment.