Babelsberg Palace () 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 of

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, the capital of the German state of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

, near

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. For over 50 years it was the summer residence of Prince William, later German Emperor

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

and King of Prussia and his wife, Augusta of the

House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach () was a 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 to a grand duchy in 1815 by resolutio ...

, 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 (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage list World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

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 or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

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, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...

, who was in charge of the works until his death, in 1841, Ludwig Persius and Johann Heinrich Strack. 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 (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...

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; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

, by Schinkel's pupil, Friedrich Hitzig.

World Heritage Site

Since 1990, Babelsberg Palace has been part of the UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin () are a group of palace complexes and extended landscaped gardens located in the Havelland region around Potsdam and the German capital of Berlin. The term was used upon the designation of the cultural ensem ...

". 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. Schloss Babelsberg um 1900

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

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 Architecture is the art and technique of designing and bu ...

, 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 of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palaces and Park ...

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

History

World Heritage Site

Gallery

See also

References

External links