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Frederick the Great in Charlottenburg
Schloss Charlottenburg, Detail aus den Innenräumen – Schloss Charlottenburg, Detail aus den Innenräumen © SPSG / Foto: Franca Wohlt
© SPSG / Foto: Franca Wohlt
This newly conceived and revised permanent exhibition focuses on Frederick the Great (1712-1786) as the builder of the New Wing and presents the important monarch of Prussian-German and European history beyond the usual clichés. The project is made possible by the generous support of the Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin (DKLB) and the Freunde der Preußischen Schlösser und Gärten e.V. (Friends of Prussian Palaces and Gardens).
Visitors will get to know a different facet of the king in each of the 16 rooms on the upper floor. The function of Charlottenburg as a place of courtly festivities is explained, the sometimes problematic relationships between the monarch and his court artists are discussed, and it is explained how and by whom the image of the thrifty and self-sacrificing monarch was actually created. In addition, the question of how the king actually made his art purchases can be pursued. Another topic will be the photographic documentation of all of Antoine Pesne's (1683-1757) ceiling paintings, which was completed two weeks before their final destruction in the winter of 1943.
Only two months after Frederick the Great ascended the throne, he had the foundation stone laid for the first palace building of his reign: the New Wing in Charlottenburg. Under the direction of Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff (1699-1753), apartments were built there for the young king and his wife Elisabeth Christine (1715-1797), but above all two new banqueting halls, as Frederick used the New Wing primarily for family celebrations. Especially on the occasion of the weddings of his siblings, nieces and nephews, the king hosted large celebrations in Charlottenburg.
After the severe destruction during the Second World War and the reconstruction, it was decided to reconstruct most of these Frederician interiors. While an important part of the high-calibre paintings with which Frederick had the Concert Room and the Gris-de-Lin Chamber in particular decorated have been preserved, all the furniture from the Frederician period was removed from Charlottenburg as early as the 19th century. In order for visitors to be able to experience these interiors again, they are furnished with preserved furniture that Frederick had commissioned for the Potsdam City Palace, which was also severely damaged in the Second World War and subsequently demolished. The furniture was created between 1745 and 1747, at the same time that the king's second apartment was furnished in the New Wing. The rooms of Frederick's apartments in Charlottenburg and Potsdam also corresponded completely in their function. At the same time, most of the paintings belonging to the original Frederician furnishings will now be on display again in the rooms in which they were demonstrably located from the beginning. For visitors, this opens up a "visual experience" that largely corresponds to the situation in the 18th century and conveys an impression of Frederician court culture.
In addition to the rooms on the dynastic history of the Hohenzollern dynasty, which opened a year ago, the fundamental overhaul of the Rococo rooms is the result of the "Charlottenburg 2030" project, which comprises the first complete and comprehensive museum redesign of the palace since its reconstruction.
Visitors will get to know a different facet of the king in each of the 16 rooms on the upper floor. The function of Charlottenburg as a place of courtly festivities is explained, the sometimes problematic relationships between the monarch and his court artists are discussed, and it is explained how and by whom the image of the thrifty and self-sacrificing monarch was actually created. In addition, the question of how the king actually made his art purchases can be pursued. Another topic will be the photographic documentation of all of Antoine Pesne's (1683-1757) ceiling paintings, which was completed two weeks before their final destruction in the winter of 1943.
Only two months after Frederick the Great ascended the throne, he had the foundation stone laid for the first palace building of his reign: the New Wing in Charlottenburg. Under the direction of Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff (1699-1753), apartments were built there for the young king and his wife Elisabeth Christine (1715-1797), but above all two new banqueting halls, as Frederick used the New Wing primarily for family celebrations. Especially on the occasion of the weddings of his siblings, nieces and nephews, the king hosted large celebrations in Charlottenburg.
After the severe destruction during the Second World War and the reconstruction, it was decided to reconstruct most of these Frederician interiors. While an important part of the high-calibre paintings with which Frederick had the Concert Room and the Gris-de-Lin Chamber in particular decorated have been preserved, all the furniture from the Frederician period was removed from Charlottenburg as early as the 19th century. In order for visitors to be able to experience these interiors again, they are furnished with preserved furniture that Frederick had commissioned for the Potsdam City Palace, which was also severely damaged in the Second World War and subsequently demolished. The furniture was created between 1745 and 1747, at the same time that the king's second apartment was furnished in the New Wing. The rooms of Frederick's apartments in Charlottenburg and Potsdam also corresponded completely in their function. At the same time, most of the paintings belonging to the original Frederician furnishings will now be on display again in the rooms in which they were demonstrably located from the beginning. For visitors, this opens up a "visual experience" that largely corresponds to the situation in the 18th century and conveys an impression of Frederician court culture.
In addition to the rooms on the dynastic history of the Hohenzollern dynasty, which opened a year ago, the fundamental overhaul of the Rococo rooms is the result of the "Charlottenburg 2030" project, which comprises the first complete and comprehensive museum redesign of the palace since its reconstruction.
Runtime: from September 2020
Price: €12.00
Reduced price: €8.00
Reduced price info: Admission for Old Palace and New Wing. New Pavilion, Belvedere and Mausoleum cost extra admission. Ticket charlottenburg+ Valid for one visit to all palaces in the Charlottenburg Palace Garden on one day (excluding special exhibitions). Sold at participating palace ticket offices, visitor centers, and online: (Purchase of online ticket includes a fixed admission time at Charlottenburg Palace) Ticket charlottenburg+ family 25 euros for all houses. Valid for two adults and max. four children for one visit on one day.
Reduced price: €8.00
Reduced price info: Admission for Old Palace and New Wing. New Pavilion, Belvedere and Mausoleum cost extra admission. Ticket charlottenburg+ Valid for one visit to all palaces in the Charlottenburg Palace Garden on one day (excluding special exhibitions). Sold at participating palace ticket offices, visitor centers, and online: (Purchase of online ticket includes a fixed admission time at Charlottenburg Palace) Ticket charlottenburg+ family 25 euros for all houses. Valid for two adults and max. four children for one visit on one day.
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