Glienicke palace

Schloss Glienicke – © Scholvien

The young prince was enchanted by Italy. When the 21 year old Carl of Prussia returned to Berlin from his first big journey in 1823, he had only one dream: he wanted to live in an Italian villa set in a Mediterranean-style landscape. And it was to be here, of all places, in the heart of Brandenburg's sandy plains.

The Glienicke estate seemed the perfect place to him. And so, in 1825, at the behest of the prince, the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel turned the original building into a summer residence – in a classical style, of course, with clear outlines, well balanced and proportioned. Everywhere you go, you can see Italian-style elements such as the great fountain with the golden lion, which is modelled on the one found at the Villa Medici in Rome.

Glienicke park was also lovingly designed. It is decorated with a variety of small buildings full of fanciful details. The prince, for instance, had ancient mosaics from Carthage laid in the "Small Curiosity" tea pavilion. And the terrace of the casino was also designed by Schinkel so that it offers a wonderful view of the River Havel, also known as the 'Gulf of Potsdam'.

Glienicke Bridge, which crosses the river directly behind the palace linking Berlin and Potsdam, can also be seen from here. During the Cold War, half of the bridge belonged to West Berlin and the other half belonged to the GDR. It became famous around the world as the place where spies were exchanged.