Charlottenburg Palace began as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte and grew through successive royal generations. Its changing rooms and extensions preserve shifts in taste and function, making the palace an architectural record of court life rather than a single frozen design.
Guide preview
The palace is not the product of one ruler’s taste. Its first core, Schloss Lietzenburg, was built from 1695 to 1699 as a summer residence for Sophie Charlotte, Electress of Brandenburg, and her husband Frederick I.
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Quick facts
- The original summer residence was built from 1695 to 1699 for Sophie Charlotte.
- The palace complex expanded after Frederick I became King of Prussia in 1701.
- The palace suffered severe Second World War damage and was largely rebuilt and refurnished.
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