1. The Palace was originally built for Queen Sophia Charlotte as a summer residence.
In 1695, then Frederick III. of Brandenburg ordered the construction of a summer residence for his wife Queen Sophia Charlotte in the village of Lietzow. He hired the architect Johann Arnold Nering for the job. It took 4 years to finish the construction but in the end, the outcome was one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in all of Germany. After the coronation of Frederick as the King in Prussia in 1701, some extensions were made in the palace, making it a proper royal residence. And after Sophia Charlotte’s death in 1705, the name of the district in which the palace is located was changed to Charlottenburg, thus making the palace adopt the name Charlottenburg Palace.
2. The Palace was intended to have a room decorated in amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors called the “Amber Room”.
During the extension of the palace after Frederick’s coronation as the King, a room with fancy decorations was designed to be installed in the palace. The room was designed by architect and sculptor Andreas Schlüter. Best amber masters in Germany at the time were hired to make the decorations. The decorations were mostly made out of quite expensive pieces of amber and gold. Even though initially made for Charlottenburg Palace, the room was later moved to Berlin City Palace. But the room’s journey did not end there, as after a short time, Frederick’s son and successor Frederick Wilhelm gifted the room to Russian Tsar Peter the Great in 1716.
3. With the 19th century, the Palace became the main royal residence of the Hohenzollern Dynasty.
Even though it was built in late 17th century, it wasn’t mainly used by Prussian kings as a residence in 18th century except for brief periods. Frederick’s successor Frederick Wilhelm almost never settled in the palace and his son Frederick the Great only used the palace for a brief period during his crown prince years. Through 18th century, the palace was mostly settled by female members of the dynasty. Charlottenburg became the main royal residence in the 19th century, taking the place of Frederick the Great’s Sanssouci Palace in that regard.
4. Many members of the Prussian royal family are buried in Charlottenburg Palace.
As we said above, with the Charlottenburg becoming the royal seat for the Hohenzollerns, a Mausoleum for the royal family started to be built in the palace in 19th century. In the Mausoleum, there are the graves of; Frederick Wilhelm III, his wife Queen Louise, his son Prince Albert, his son and the first German Emperor Wilhelm I and the wife of Wilhelm, Queen Augusta.
5. Charlottenburg Palace is the largest royal palace in Berlin and a major tourist attraction.
Berlin is one of the most visited cities by tourists in Europe with millions of visitors ever year. And for these visitors, Charlottenburg Palace shines as a major attraction as it is the largest royal palace in the city. The Palace is a unique example of Prussian architecture and demonstrates the art and culture of Prussia fairly well. With its beautiful interior decorations and spectacular Baroque style architecture, Charlottenburg Palace is a must-visit for every tourist or visitor in Berlin.
