Jagdschloss Glienicke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jagdschloss Glienicke is a small German hunting lodge in Berlin-Wannsee near Glienicke Bridge. The Glienicke Palace and Babelsberg Palace can be seen nearby. It was begun in 1682 by Charles Philippe Dieussart for Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and completed in 1693 during the reign of Frederick William I of Prussia. Frederick I of Prussia used it as a lazaret. In 1763, Frederick II of Prussia gave it as a present to Isaac Levin Joel, a wallpaper and carpet maker who used it for wallpaper manufacture. From 1827, it was owned by Wilhelm von Türk, who turned it into an orphanage in 1832. In 1859, Prince Charles of Prussia hired the court architect Ferdinand von Arnim to renovate the castle in Neo-baroque style for his son Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia. In 1889, Albert Geyer expanded the central block of the building and added a tower.

In 1939, the castle came into possession of the city of Berlin. After World War II, the castle first became a facility of the Soviet army, then a youth hostel. In between, it was used as a storing location for Universum Film AG. Additionally, many families found a new home there after the Russians cleared out Berlin and Neubabelsberg. One of the families was the family of an ex-mayor of Berlin. In 1963/64, Max Taut rebuilt the castle by adding a glass bay to the two lower floors. Between 1964 and 2003, the castle was used as a youth meeting place. Since 2003, the castle is home of the Sozialpädagogische Fortbildung Jagdschloss Glienicke.

Jagdschloss Glienicke after the rebuilding by Ferdinand von Arnim, around 1865

The castle is a UNESCO-World Heritage Site.

On March 31, 2003, the south wing of the castle caught fire caused by faulty wiring.^[1] Because the castle had no fire alarm and its water intakes had become clogged with silt, the resulting damage was particularly severe and has yet to be fully repaired. A rebuilt in line with accepted conservation practice began in November 2005. The topping-out ceremony was on August 23, 2006. The awarding authority was the Senate Office For Education, Science and Research. The price for the rebuilding of the roof was approximately €400.000.