Babelsberg Palace (german: Schloss Babelsberg) lies in the eponymous
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
and
quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25.
Quarter or quarters may refer to:
Places
* Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town
Placenames
* Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland
* Le Quartier, a settlement i ...
of
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
, the capital of the German state of
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...
, near
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. For over 50 years it was the summer residence of Prince William, later German Emperor
William I
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...
and King of Prussia and his wife,
Augusta of the
House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (german: Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) was a historical German state, created as a duchy in 1809 by the merger of the Ernestine duchies of Saxe-Weimar and Saxe-Eisenach, which had been in personal union since 1741. It was raised ...
, German Empress and Queen of Prussia. Along with the surrounding park and other
parks in the area, the Babelsberg Palace was inscribed on the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage list
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNES ...
in 1990 for its architectural cohesion and its testimony to the power of the Prussian monarchy.
History
The building, designed in the English
Gothic revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style, was built in two phases over the period 1833–1849. The contract to plan the palace was given to the architects
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassica ...
, who was in charge of the works until his death, in 1841,
Ludwig Persius
Friedrich Ludwig Persius (15 February 1803 in Potsdam – 12 July 1845 in Potsdam) was a Prussian architect and a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
Persius assisted Schinkel with, among others, the building of the Charlottenhof Castle an ...
and
Johann Heinrich Strack
Johann Heinrich Strack (6 July 1805, Bückeburg – 13 June 1880, Berlin) was a German architect of the '' Schinkelschule''. His notable works include the Berlin Victory Column.
Life and work
His father, , was a painter of portraits and vedut ...
.
On 22 September 1862 in the palace and adjoining park the discussion between King William I of Prussia and
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...
took place that ended with the nomination of Bismarck as Minister President and Foreign Minister of Prussia.
The architecture of Babelsberg Palace formed the template for the construction of
Kittendorf Palace between 1848 and 1853 in
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
, by Schinkel's pupil,
Friedrich Hitzig
Georg Friedrich Heinrich Hitzig (8 November 1811, in Berlin – 11 October 1881, in Berlin) was a German architect, born into the Jewish Itzig family, converted to Lutheranism. He was a student of Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
After his diploma in ...
.
World Heritage Site
Since 1990, Babelsberg Palace has been part of the UNESCO
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
"
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (german: Schlösser und Gärten von Potsdam und Berlin) are a group of palace complexes and extended landscape gardens located in the Havelland region around Potsdam and the German capital of Berlin. The term ...
". The palace is administered by the ''
Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg''.
Since 2013, the palace has been undergoing an intense renovation of its facades and interiors.
Gallery
File:Schloss Babelsberg - Erzengel Michael (Babelsberg Palace - Archangel Michael) - geo.hlipp.de - 30233.jpg, Archangel Michael
File:Fratin - Schloss Babelsberg - DSC4295.jpg, Eagle and vulture devouring a deer
File:Schlossturm Babelsberg (Babelsberg Palace Tower) - geo.hlipp.de - 30232.jpg, Palace Tower
File:Schloss Babelsberg-DE168.JPG, ''The Palace of Prince Wilhelm at Babelsberg by'' Carl Daniel Freydanck, 1838
See also
*
List of castles in Berlin and Brandenburg
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (german: Schlösser und Gärten von Potsdam und Berlin) are a group of palace complexes and extended landscape gardens located in the Havelland region around Potsdam and the German capital of Berlin. The term ...
References
* Amtlicher Führer der Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg: ''Park und Schloss Babelsberg''. 3rd edition, 1999
* Gert Streidt, Klaus Frahm: ''Potsdam. Die Schlösser und Gärten der Hohenzollern''. Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. Cologne, 1996.
* Georg Poensgen: ''Schloss Babelsberg''.
Deutscher Kunstverlag
The Deutscher Kunstverlag (DKV) is an educational publishing house with offices in Berlin and Munich. The publisher specializes in books about art, cultural history, architecture, and historic preservation.
History
Deutscher Kunstverlag was fo ...
, Berlin 1929.
External links
Babelsberg Palace on the website ''Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten''
{{Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Houses completed in 1849
World Heritage Sites in Germany
Babelsberg
Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (''Stadtteil'') of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palac ...
Potsdam Babelsberg
Buildings and structures in Potsdam
Tourist attractions in Potsdam
1849 establishments in Prussia
Museums in Potsdam
Historic house museums in Germany
Royal residences in Brandenburg
Karl Friedrich Schinkel buildings
William I, German Emperor