Schloss Glienicke, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Related people

Karl Friedrich Schinkel (architect)
Peter Joseph Lenne (landscape architect)

Date

1826 (creation);1990 (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Location

Europe->Germany->Brandenburg->Potsdam

Description

When Prince Carl of Prussia returned to Berlin from his trip to Italy in 1823, the 21-year old prince had made up his mind to realize his dream of an Italian villa in a charming, Mediterranean landscape right in the middle of the "dry sandbox of the Brandenburg Marches." The Glienicke estate, with its lovely grounds of lush meadows, surrounded by hills of rich foliage gently rolling down to the Havel River, fully complied with the prince's taste. The landscape gardener Peter Joseph Lenn had created its pleasure ground for the previous owner, Prince Karl August von Hardenberg. Nevertheless, radical changes were first implemented after Prince Carl took over the property. Glienicke was built in an "antique style" according to Karl Friedrich Schinkel's designs. The palace, the Casino, and two pavilions, known as the "Great Curiosity" and the "Small Curiosity" were clearly structured with well-balanced proportions each radiating a "bright, festive dignity," which even Goethe and Winckelmann admired. The Red Hall forms the center of the interior, to which are attached the Green Salon, the Turquoise Bedchamber of the princess, the Marble Room and the Deep Blue Library. The gilded frames of the paintings glisten upon the brightly colored walls, the chandeliers sparkle, while the marble fireplaces and Schinkel's exquisite furniture set the accents. Everything is very luxurious, with each individual component formed in the right proportions that contributes to a harmonious whole. --http://www.spsg.de/index.php?id=124

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