Berlin's dreamy Pfaueninsel island - where the royalty fled in summer

By Aliki Nassoufis Aug 24, 2010, 12:23 GMT

Berlin - A fairy-tale castle, lots of nature and ample space for rest and recreation: the Pfaueninsel (peacock island) in the Wannsee Lake of south-western Berlin was the favourite spot for Queen Luise.

And no wonder. For the island was not far removed from the royal residence, yet far enough to help Luise to escape everyday routine. On the Pfaueninsel she could relax with her family and enjoy the outdoors.

To this day the island charms visitors as a quiet getaway spot just on the outskirts of the huge city. And now, as the 200th anniversary of the death of Queen Luise is being commemorated, a visit is worthwhile.

'In Luise's time it was en vogue for the aristocrats to leave their castles and venture out into Nature,' explains Susanne Fontaine, director of the castle on the Pfaueninsel. At the time, French Enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau had propagated his 'back to Nature' ideas - and the Pfaueninsel fit ideally into this picture.

'As an island, it was a projection for yearnings and dreams,' Fontaine said about the Pfaueninsel.

Even today the island appears to be some kind of dream world. It can only be reached by a small ferry boat, and from the landing a narrow path leads past sumptuous rose bushes to the island's western tip. And then, behind dense trees it suddenly appears - the white Schloss Pfaueninsel castle, built in 1794 with its fanciful towers and impressive view out over the Havel River which forms the Wannsee lake.

The castle was built under King Friedrich Wilhelm II. He died soon afterwards, so that it was above all his son Friedrich Wilhelm III and his wife, Queen Luise, who made use of it.

What is remarkable about the castle is its facade. From a distance it appears to be built of stones. But up close, you see that these were simply painted on the surface, for in reality the facade was made of coarse oak planks - simple and natural.

Nor is there scarcely any overwhelming splendour on the inside. That was also the case in Luise's time.

'After her death the castle was barely used by the succeeding generations and so it fell into a kind of Sleeping Beauty state,' Fontaine says. And it is for this reason that most of the interior features are still the originals - the furniture, the paper wall tapestries and the 'Otaheitisch cabinet' - a room for yearning and wanderlust.

The huge paintings on the walls of this room suggest a view of an exotic world filled with parrots, palm trees and exotic plants. The ceiling was painted in a way that visitors gained the impression that they were sitting in a bamboo-covered hut.

And the dairy farm on the northern end of the island illustrated the effort to be as close to Nature as possible. From the outside it appears to be the ruins of some Gothic church, but inside, Luise and her husband could milk the cows and try their hand at churning butter.

'This was a way the royalty would have fun - acting like they were peasant farmers,' Fontaine said.

In addition, there were stalls and a barn which, while they were used for agricultural purposes, made it possible for the royals to live temporarily on the farmstead - but only for pleasure and without having to work too hard.

Between these two buildings there stretches a large landscape garden which in particular the architect Peter Joseph Lenne helped to design. In doing so, the Pfaueninsel's 67 hectares of land do not have the appearance of a neatly laid-out garden, but rather like something created directly by Nature itself.

Today, visitors can not only escape the hectic pace of daily life the way Luise did, but also let themselves be surprised by the island.

For, though one might believe oneself to be simply walking beneath a stand of oak trees, one also discovers not only some peacocks here and there from which the island gets its name, but also over and over, some fanciful pieces of architecture.

Here, the Beelitz hunting stand for the duck hunt, there an aviary, and further on, a fountain and the classical-style Luise temple, hidden among tall trees.

Visitor information: through October 31 the Pfaueninsel is holding a special exhibition called 'Luise. The Island-World of the Queen.' Opening hours on the island are 8 am to 9 pm daily through August 31, 9 am to 7 pm in September and 9 am to 6 pm in October. Tickets cost 5 euros (discount tickets 4 euros) for the island and 3 euros (2.50 euros) for the castle. Family tickets cost 10 euros. Telephone: +49 331 969 4200. email: info@spsg.de