Queen Luise always spent cheerful summer days in the New Wing of the palace.
Charlottenburg Palace is located just 3 kilometres from our Hotel Louisa’s Place. Charlottenburg Palace and its extensive park are a total work of art that has grown over 300 years, characterised by outstanding architecture, magnificent interior design and perfect garden art. Monarchs of all eras have contributed to the expansion of the complex, making it a much-visited testimony to Prussian cultural history. If you want to experience the palace in its entirety, you should take your time. There is a lot to see.
The living quarters of Queen Louise
The queen’s bedroom ©SPSG, Picture: Wolfgang Pfauder
Queen Louise’s flat is located on the upper floor of the New Wing. It was originally designed for Frederick II. However, from 1747 he favoured his newly built Sanssouci Palace. The rooms were redesigned in 1796-97 as a winter residence for King Frederick William II. However, he died before they were completed. Afterwards, Luise used these suites of rooms during her regular stays in Charlottenburg. In 1809, the royal couple returned to Berlin from exile in East Prussia. Based on a design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, a new bedroom was furnished at the end of the rooms to the queen’s taste.
The mausoleum
Immediately after the death of the popular Queen Luise in 1810, her mausoleum was built according to the ideas and at the instigation of Frederick William III. Here, too, the design can be traced back to Schinkel.
Originally, the mausoleum was only intended for the queen’s marble sarcophagus. Over the course of time, it was extended several times and today also houses the sarcophagus of Frederick William III, Emperor William I (son of Luise) and his wife Augusta. Beneath the mausoleum is a crypt in which the youngest son, Prince Albrecht, and the heart of the eldest son, Frederick William IV, are buried alongside Frederick William III’s second wife. Unfortunately, the crypt is not open to the public.
The Luisen Island
It is located between the mausoleum and the large water basin. The landscaping was commissioned by King Frederick William III in 1799. Queen Luise is said to have enjoyed sitting on a simple bench on the southern tip of the island.
A simple wooden bench still stands there today. Originally, the island was only accessible by a small ferry. Since 1989, the year the island’s landscape was restored, a bridge has led across. It leads past the bronze statues of Cupid and Venus. The bronze bust of the Queen stands at the northern tip, hidden among dense vegetation.
©SPSG Bust in the park ©SPSG, Picture: Hans Bach
The palace garden
However, the most beautiful experience is the castle park itself. It is free to stroll through at any time of year. It consists of a baroque parterre and the adjoining park, which is designed as an English landscape park.
Location & Directions
Charlottenburg Palace and Park is located in the north of the Charlottenburg district on Spandauer Damm. There is a paid car park to the left of the Court of Honour.
Bicycles are not permitted. Dogs must be kept on a lead.
Without a car, take the M45 metro bus from Zoologischer Garten station in the direction of Spandau to the Luisenplatz/Schloss Charlottenburg stop. The journey takes about 10 minutes. The bus runs every 6 minutes.
