Castles & Palaces
Glienicke Palace and Park – Mediterranean flair on the banks of the Havel river
In 1825, Karl Friedrich Schinkel set about converting an existing manor into a classicist villa, whilst Lenné designed a charming park. The plan was for both to be set on the banks of the idyllic Havel at a point where the river opened up into a lake.
When When Prince Charles of Prussia bought the Glienicke estate in the suburbs to the south-west of Berlin in 1824, he had his heart set on a lovely little Italian haven. Arcades, antique works of art collected by Prince Charles and the classicism-style tower dating back to 1832 all rounded off the image of the Mediterranean country estate. On the garden side, there is a large fountain from 1840 surrounded by two spectacular gilded lions squirting out water that is modelled on the Villa Medici in Rome.
In the garden itself, visitors are treated to a green work of art designed by famous landscape gardener Peter Joseph Lenné. It is divided up into a flower garden near the house and a 'pleasure ground'. Within this evocatively designed space, the architects placed a number of charming buildings. Schinkel's enchanting 'Little Curiosity', a tea house converted into a pavilion, is just one example. The casino located right on the water's edge provides visitors with a magnificent view of Potsdam and the Havel river.