Schloss Köpenick ( en, Köpenick Palace) is a Baroque water palace of the Hohenzollern electors of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a 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 area of 29,480 sq ...

which stands on an island in the Dahme River surrounded by an English-style park and gives its name to

Köpenick Köpenick () is a historic town and locality (''Ortsteil'') in Berlin, situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme and Spree in the south-east of the German capital. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially adopt ...

, a district of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. The castle was originally built on the foundations of a Slavic castle (6th century) in 1558 as a hunting lodge by order of Elector Joachim II Hector of Brandenburg. The building in a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

style was located on the river island at the site of the former medieval fort. Joachim II died here in 1571. In 1631 it served as the headquarters of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, where he - without results - asked his brother-in-law Elector George William for assistance in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

Frederick I of Prussia Frederick I (german: Friedrich I.; 11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function h ...

had the lodge rebuilt and enlarged from 1677 and lived here together with his first wife Elizabeth Henrietta of Hesse-Kassel. In 1730 Frederick II of Prussia, then Crown Prince, and his friend

Hans Hermann von Katte Hans Hermann von Katte (28 February 1704 – 6 November 1730) was a Lieutenant of the Prussian Army, and a friend, tutor and possible lover of the future King Frederick II of Prussia, who was at the time the Crown Prince. Katte was executed by Fr ...

faced the court-martial for desertion at Schloss Köpenick. Today the castle surrounded by a small park serves as the Museum of Decorative Arts, run by the

Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (german: Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz; SPK) is a German federal government body that oversees 27 museums and cultural organizations in and around Berlin, Germany. Its purview includes all of Berlin's ...

as part of the

Berlin State Museums The Berlin State Museums (german: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin) are a group of institutions in Berlin, Germany, comprising seventeen museums in five clusters, several research institutes, libraries, and supporting facilities. They are overseen ...

. Since 1963, Köpenick Palace has been used by the Kunstgewerbemuseum as an exhibition space. Being renovated in 2004, the palace accommodates museum of arts with the permanent exhibition "RoomArt", featuring the decorative arts of the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo periods. The museum also presents the outstanding masterworks in interior design from the 16th to 18th centuries.

* Josef Batzhuber: ''Garten der Schlossinsel Köpenick, Stadtbezirk Treptow-Köpenick''; in: Bund Heimat und Umwelt in Deutschland (Hg.): ''Weißbuch der historischen Gärten und Parks in den neuen Bundesländern''; 2., überarbeitete Auflage, Bonn 2005; ; S. 34–36. * Folkwin Wendland: ''Berlins Gärten und Parke von der Gründung der Stadt bis zum ausgehenden neunzehnten Jahrhundert''; (Das klassische Berlin); Propyläen: Berlin 1979; ; S. 338–341. * Raimund Hertzsch: ''Schloß Köpenick''; (Der historische Ort 90); Kai Homilius Verlag: Berlin 1997; . * Lothar Lambacher (Hrsg.): ''Schloss Köpenick. Archäologie, Baugeschichte, Nutzung''; Schnell & Steiner: Regensburg 2005; . * Günter Schade: ''Schloß Köpenick. Ein Streifzug durch die Geschichte der Köpenicker Schloßinsel''; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kunstgewerbemuseum: 4., verbesserte Ausgabe, Berlin 1975. * Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Hrsg.): ''Schloß Köpenick. Kunstgewerbemuseum: Europäisches Kunsthandwerk aus zehn Jahrhunderten''; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kunstgewerbemuseum: Berlin 1976.

External links

Schloss Köpenick
- official site at

Houses completed in 1558 Baroque architecture in Germany Palaces in Berlin Museums in Berlin Buildings and structures in Treptow-Köpenick Water castles in Germany Hunting lodges in Germany Decorative arts museums in Germany Royal residences in Berlin Frederick I of Prussia Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden {{Germany-palace-stub

Further reading

External links