 |
 |
pfaueninsel. there's an unusal and very unexpected thing in the city of berlin. it's called the pfaueninsel (faw-en-in-sel) and it's an island with a castle and, yes, peacocks. on a standard visit, you'll find the peacocks just walking around and showing off their plumage—in typical peacock fashion. german tourist info: pfaueninsel and its palace is without a doubt one of the most lovely excursions in the city. here, in an undisturbed, idyllic prussian arcadia, the visitor can experience one of berlin's most magical faces. the romantic palace lies on the idyllic pfaueninsel, part of the extensive landscape laid out by peter joseph lenné. until his death, lenné transformed the area around the havel lake between berlin and potsdam into a unique ensemble of cultivated nature and architecture. the pfaueninsel, which can only be reached by ferry, became a work of art consisting of landscaped gardens and park with a rosebush garden, a biedermeier garden and around 35 peacocks. a stroll around is rewarded with constantly changing views and picture-postcard buildings, such as the old dairy and the cavalier's house redesigned by schinkel. pfaueninsel palace was constructed from 1794-97 as a love nest for friedrich wilhelm ii. and his then sweetheart gräfin lichtenau. following the current fashion the architect johann gottlieb brendel created artificial ruins which give the illusion of being a medieval castle. the white wooden cladding and the trompe d'oeil paintings are intended to accentuate this illusion. the palace's interior is furnished in a romantic-exotic style, and is maintained in such a good condition that the taste of the time can be experienced first-hand. |
