Pfaueninzel Palace

Pfaueninzel Palace is a small, pretty castle with a park. It was built by the king for his mistress. The palace is stylized as ruins and looks a bit fake. You can only get to it by ferry.

Palace Pfaueninsel (Schloss Pfaueninsel), photo TsungTsung Wu

The name Pfaueninzel translates as Peacock Island. The park and the Pfaueninsel Palace (Schloss Pfaueninsel) are really located on a small island (1.5 km long and 0.5 km wide) surrounded by stunningly beautiful nature. Only a ferry can get there. The island is a nature reserve, so you can’t ride bicycles, skateboards and skis here; spoil the nature; disturb the birds; to smoke. The island does not sell food.

Romantic love story

In the XVII century there was a rabbit farm, then the alchemist lived until his laboratory was burned down. For a hundred years the island was empty, right up to the 18th century. The further history of the island is a love story of the twenty-year-old crown prince Friedrich Wilhelm and the thirteen-year-old daughter of the palace trumpeter, whose name was Wilhelmina Enke. Two years later, this illegal couple had their first child (there were four in total), and Wilhelmina became the official favorite.

Pedestrian bridge between the towers, photo riesebusch

In 1794, the king decided for his long-term girlfriend to build a palace on the island, then peacocks were brought to the island, and he got the current name. Over the year, a wooden palace appeared on the island - a small cube with two towers connected by a pedestrian bridge, first wooden, and later metal. The gates on the facade of the building were painted. The palace in the form of romantic ruins was erected by the palace carpenter Brendel.

Drawn gate, photo by Wolfgang Staudt

Wilhelmina in 1796 received the title of Countess, and a year later, Frederick Wilhelm II died and the favorite was "demoted." The owner of the palace was the son of Frederick William II, making it his favorite residence.

Palace and park today

Palace and park Pfaueninsel, photo by riesebusch

Two architects worked on the palace building - Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Peter Joseph Lenne. The palace is built in the English style. The 2nd floor of the building was completely erected, and the 3rd floor was left unfinished. Today in the palace a museum dedicated to the history of Peacock Island and the Pfaueninzel Palace is open.

Fountain in the park, photo riesebusch

Flowerbed, photo by michael.berlin

Around the castle there is a park, a kitchen, a hunting lodge and other farm buildings were built on its territory. The park from 1821 to 1834 was designed by Peter Joseph Lenne according to the English model. Today it is a landscape park where trees alternate with green meadows. In summer, one lawn is reserved for lovers of grass!

View of the palace from the river, photo Karin

Working hours

From April to October: VT-Sun 10:00 - 17:30;
Mon day off.
Closed from November to February.

Tickets

A full ticket costs € 6;
preferential - € 5.

How to get there

By city train to Berlin Wannsee station, then by bus 218 to Peacock Island, and then by ferry.

Category Germany, Next Article

Italian language

We speak Italian since childhood

When I first arrived in Italy, I was sitting in one of the cozy cafes on the Rimini promenade and did not know how to ask for a cup of coffee. The slender brunette waitress looked at me piercingly for a long time, smiled, and then came up and asked "caffè"? Yes, I really wanted coffee! Burning, fragrant, a little bit bitter and leaving a pleasant aftertaste.

Italian language

Italian tutorial for beginners or language in 30 days

The Internet has already flooded such an incredible number of different “information products” that the Italian language tutorial for beginners in video format, it would seem, should have been “on the shelves” for at least 3 years. But, surprisingly, some really complex solution for Russian-speaking audience caught my eye only 2 weeks ago.

Italian language

How to learn Italian from scratch on your own?

Say what you like, and learning from scratch a foreign language - what a job! Especially mental and, most often, emotional. This is exactly what happened for me. In school years, I, like many, began to learn English. He was primitive, at the level of knowledge of the alphabet, personal pronouns, standard phrases such as “My name is Natasha” and “I live in Moscow” or scanty poems that I have eyes and I can see the book and the pen in front of me, I see ceiling and floor, I see a window and a door. You know, many years have passed, but I still remember the poem.

Italian language

Italian: words that are most often used

Traveling the popular tourist routes of Italy, it is quite possible to do without knowledge of the language. In Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice, many Italians, especially young people, are quite fluent in English. But if you want to "dig" the country deeper and turn off the highway into the village, then knowledge of at least the basics of Italian will be very useful here.