Charlottenburg Palace — Attraction in Berlin

🏛️ History & Architecture

Origins: Built between 1695–1699 as Lietzenburg, designed by Johann Arnold Nering for Sophie Charlotte, Electress of Brandenburg — renamed Charlottenburg after her death in 1705 .

Expansion: King Frederick I enlarged it in the early 1700s, adding the grand dome and east wing inspired by Versailles .

18th-century additions:

The New Wing, reflecting Rococo elegance, and the Palace Theatre (1788–1791) by Langhans .

Vordergarten features like the Belvedere, a tea house/viewtower (1788–89) .

A neoclassical mausoleum (1810–1812) for Queen Louise by Gentz and later Schinkel .

World War II: Heavily damaged, restored by 1965 to mirror its 18th-century appearance .

🎨 Interiors & Collections

Baroque Old Palace: Includes the Porcelain Cabinet, chapel, mirrored halls, and the Silver Vault with Hohenzollern tableware and crown jewels .

New Wing: Highlights state apartments and Frederick the Great’s lavish tastes .

Art & sculpture: French 18th-century paintings, snuffboxes, and classical sculptures .

🌳 Gardens & Park

Designed in 1697 by Siméon Godeau in the French formal style, later partly converted to an English landscape by Steiner/Lenné .

Key garden structures:

Belvedere tea-house/viewpoint .

Neuer Pavillon by Schinkel (1824–25), an Italianate villa—renovated post-war .

Great Orangery (1709–1712), restored in 1977, now used for events .

Mausoleum: A memorial temple and burial site for Queen Louise, Wilhelm I, and others .

ℹ️ Visiting Information

Opening hours:

April–October: Tue–Sun 10:00–17:30 (last entry 30 min prior).

November–March: Tue–Sun 10:00–16:30 .

Tickets:

Old Palace or New Wing solo: €12/€8 reduced.

Charlottenburg+ combo (includes Old Palace, New Wing, Mausoleum, Belvedere, New Pavilion): €19/€14 reduced; Family ticket €45 .

Accessibility: Barrier-free access at Old Palace entrance; elevators to parts of upper floor .

🎭 Events & Experience

The former Orangery hosts concerts, banquets, and wedding events .

In winter, the Christmas market in the palace courtyard is particularly...

Built by the wife of Frederick III in the late 17 century this Baroque Palace is one of the largest palaces in the world. I am not a big fan of Baroque architecture and style, but this is a very beautiful version. It could also be classified as Rococo, which I am a fan of. I would say this is the prettiest palace I have seen in all of Germany, given that Neuschwanstein is more of a castle than a palace, which is my favorite building of any type in Germany. You can tell this palace was designed to host many different events and different people from all over the world. It’s extremely large with a giant garden and lake in the rear.

It’s located just outside of Berlin, and is a short cab ride. It would be too far to walk. It’s very cheap to enter and there are many different type of tickets you can do. We chose the most inclusive tickets. We were able to see all the parts of the palace as well as the grounds. Each room has different themes and as you go through them, you can tell that it’s not all one continuous style, rather a mix of many different eastern and western styles. Most of the artwork is done by French artists and you can really tell there was a big international influence in the design.

It’s also important to note some of the laws in Germany. I was in one of the giant dining rooms and in the next room were some students. Roughly around 10 to 12 in age range but I didn’t even notice that they were there. I was taking pictures of the ceiling and the giant dining room until one of the attendants came over yelling at me in German. She told me I had to immediately delete my pictures and I had no idea what she was talking about. Then I realized she was saying that it’s illegal to take pictures of children in Germany even though they weren’t even in the picture/video and were almost a full football field away from me. I guess you learn something new every day.

I would recommend to anyone visiting Berlin and feel it is one of the must see sites...

The original palace was commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Friedrich I, Elector of Brandenburg in what was then the village of Lietzow. Named Lietzenburg, the palace was designed by Johann Arnold Nering in baroque style. It consisted of one wing and was built in ​2 1⁄2 storeys with a central cupola. The façade was decorated with Corinthian pilasters. On the top was a cornice on which were statues. At the rear in the centre of the palace were two oval halls, the upper one being a ceremonial hall and the lower giving access to the gardens. 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 11 July 1699, Frederick's 42nd birthday. Friedrich crowned himself as King Friedrich I in Prussia in 1701 (Friedrich II, known as Frederick the Great, would later achieve the title King of Prussia). Two years previously, he had appointed Johann Friedrich von Eosander (also known as Eosander von Göthe) as the royal architect and sent him to study architectural developments in Italy and France, particularly the Palace of Versailles. On his return in 1702, Eosander began to extend the palace, starting with two side wings to enclose a large courtyard, and the main palace was extended on both sides. Sophie Charlotte died in 1705 and Friedrich 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 Fortune designed by Andreas Heidt. 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...