I visited Schloss Köpenick for an afternoon and I wanted to share what I discovered there. When you think of Berlin, royal palaces are perhaps not the first thing that pops into your mind. But the longer I live here, I’m discovering that Berlin and its surrounding Brandenburg area have several really impressive Schlösser with an equally interesting history to them. So what is so special about Schloss Köpenick?
Cloudy April Saturday at Schloss Köpenick.
Influences from Italy, France and Germany
Schloss Köpenick is now a museum, with a collection of mostly Continental European examples of Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo style decorative arts. The collection forms part of the collective of museums operating under the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. So before you go, just know that this is no Waddesdon Manor. The furniture on display has been pieced together afterwards to create a story for us visitors.
The main building standing today was erected between 1677 and 1690 by the Elector of Brandenburg (1657-1713) and later his heir Friedrich I “the Soldier King” (1688-1740). Since Schloss Köpenick’s first owner, the palace has lived through many lives, even hosting a teacher’s training collage in the 20th century. If you are interested to read more details about the Prussian royal family, this blog entry from Mad Monarchs is quite fun for an overview.
I thought the most fun part of the visit was being able to compare the different periods to each other one floor at a time. The first floor covers German and Italian Renaissance, the second mostly Baroque and the two upper floors 18th century decorative arts, porcelain and silver in particular.
A Dutch Renaissance inspired cabinet in the style of Hans Vredeman de Vries and Androet du Cerceau from Ulm ca. 1580.
An ebony curiosity cabinet from 1650, with Pietra Dura decoration of flowers and birds in marbles and stones. Stamped with the Augsburg hallmark of a pinewood cone.
Baroque Stucco
The palace is most famously known now for it’s incredibly elaborate Baroque stucco ceilings. After an extensive restoration program completed in the early 2000s almost all the original ceiling designs have been brought back to their former glory. The walls and ceilings were originally the work of renowned Italian craftsmen, invited by Friedrich I to bring Schloss Köpenick to level with the splendour other royal palaces at the time. I think I was most blown away by the detail and 3D effect of the Heraldic Room pictured below. I’ve definitely seen impressive ceilings before in churches for example, but here the ceiling is so low it’s really special to see it so close up. Some of the figures look as if they are ready to jump out at you.
Mirrored display of a dinner service by Königliche Porzellan-Manufacture porcelain, commissioned by Friedrich the Great for his city palace in Breslau. You can also see a glimpse of the stucco ceiling from the Heraldic Room. Photo © Ferdinand Prinz.
Detail from one of the many Baroque style stucco ceilings, this one on the second floor.
On Rococo, Fredrich the Great and White Gold
The Schloss Köpenick collection of French and German 18th century silver and porcelain was really impressive. Nicknamed “white gold”, porcelain was a favourite of the heir of Schloss Köpenick, Friedrich the Great (1712-1786). Dinner services as well as chandeliers in various sizes were produced as gifts to other European royal houses by the Königliche Porzellan-Manufactur (KPM), still in operation today.
This chandelier from 1768 below is part of a larger series loved by the king. And that whole pineapple situation on top, so wow. It’s a trompe d’oeuil to cover the attachment hook to the ceiling. Ikea should learn from this.
Porcelain and bronze flower chandelier from 1768 by KPM. The pineapple decoration is a trompe d’oeuil to cover the ceiling hook.
Faience
French 18th century hand-painted Faience porcelain.
How do I get there?
Address is Schloss Köpenick, Alt-Köpenick 1, 12557 Berlin.
The easiest was to get to Schloss Köpenick with public transport is to take the s9 as if you were going to go to Schönefeld Airport. Get off at station Adlershof, and change to a ten minute tram ride with M63.
What does it cost?
You need just a return journey with a regular AB zone transport card or monthly ticket. The entrance fee is a really fair deal, it’s 6 euros or less if you have a museum or student card. The ticket includes access to the whole building with an audio guide.
When can I go?
I promise that jumping on a short train ride to check out Schloss Köpenick is well worth the trip, whatever your interests are. The palace is open daily from 11am to 6pm apart from Mondays. Considering that so much of the original interiors have been lost, the museum has done a great job to include quality examples of each style. I was really impressed with how the museum has managed to piece together this vast collection of the furniture, dinner services and cabinets from Europe, Schlösser around Brandenburg and other private collections over the years. Have fun!
An extravagant frame for an extravagant man…. A good example of theatre, drama and opulence typical of the Baroque era.