Schloss Charlottenburg

Schloss Charlottenburg review

Queen Sophie-Charlotte was the impetus behind this sprawling palace and gardens (and gave her name to both the building and the district) - her husband Friedrich III (later King Friedrich I) built it in 1695-9 as a summer home for his queen. Later kings also summered here, tinkering with, and adding to the buildings. It was severely damaged during World War II, but has now been restored, and stands as the largest surviving Hohenzollern palace.

The bafflingly complicated individual opening times and admission prices have many a visitor scratching their heads. The easiest option, therefore, is to go for the combination ticket that allows entrance to all parts of the palace, with the exception of the state and private apartments of King Friedrich I and Queen Sophie-Charlotte in the Altes Schloss (Old Palace), which are only accessible on a guided tour (€8; €5 reductions; in German only). This tour, through more than 20 rooms, some of staggering baroque opulence, has its highlights (particularly the Porcelain Cabinet), but can be skipped - there's plenty of interest elsewhere. The upper apartments in the old palace can be visited without a guided tour, but they are really only of interest to silver and porcelain junkies.

The one must-see is the Neue Flügel (New Wing). Also known as the Knobeldorff Wing (after its architect), the upper floor of the wing contains the State Apartments of Frederick the Great and the Winter Chambers of his successor King Friedrich Wilhelm II. The contrast between the two sections is interesting - Frederick's rooms are all excessive rococo exuberance (the wildly over-the-top Golden Gallery literally drips gilt), while Friedrich Wilhelm's far more modestly proportioned rooms reflect the more restrained classicism of his time. Frederick the Great was a big collector of 18th-century French painting, and some choice canvases hang from the walls, including Watteau's masterpiece The Embarkation for Cythera. Also worth a look are the apartments of Friedrich Wilhelm III in the New Wing.

By the east end of the New Wing stands the Neue Pavillon (New Pavilion). Also known as the Schinkel Pavilion, it was built by Schinkel in 1824 for Friedrich Wilhelm III - the King liked it so much that he chose to live here in preference to the grandeur of the main palace.

The huge gardens are one of the palace's main draws. Laid out in 1697 in formal French style, they were reshaped in a more relaxed English style in the 19th century. Within them you'll find the Belvedere, a three-storey structure built in 1788 as a teahouse, now containing a collection of Berlin porcelain. Also in the gardens is the sombre Mausoleum, containing the tombs of Friedrich Wilhelm III, his wife Queen Luise, Kaiser Wilhelm I and his wife. Look out for temporary exhibitions in the Orangery. There's a café and restaurant at the front of the palace. Note: the entire palace is closed on Mondays.