"To the Green Forest": the Jagdschloss Grunewald

Copyright Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg.

Berlin's oldest palace, the Renaissance-era royal hunting lodge known as the Jagdschloss Grunewald, opened  on May 28 after almost three years of renovation.

The Jagdschloss has opened with an art exhibition called "Von Angesicht zu Angesicht," featuring 300 years of Berlin portrait painting (17th-19th c). This returns the building to its 1932 role, when art historian Georg Poensgen first transformed the royal quarters into exhibition space for Berlin portrait art and paintings by Old German and Dutch Masters.

The paintings are mostly unremarkable, and not till the Lucas Cranach paintings that belong here return in 2011 (beginning October, they are showing at Schloss Charlottenburg in an exhibition called "Cranach and the Art of the Renaissance under the Hohenzollerns) will there be an art lover's reason to visit.

For now, a better reason to visit the Jagdschloss -- and it is well worth a visit --  is for its setting and interiors, both a part of Berlin's architectural and archaeological history.

Getting There

The path through the Grunewald forest to the Jagdschloss must be one of the loveliest approaches to a museum. The ground is soft underfoot, tree branches rustle overhead and the only people you will meet are walkers, joggers and dog owners. 

If you want to savor a bit of history as well, you will breathe deep and revel in treading ground that was once the hunting environs of the Hohenzollern royalty. In 1542, when Prince Joachim II  had the palace built,  he called it simply "Zum Gruenen Walde" or (in a clumsy translation) "to the green forest."

In summer the deep green foliage keeps the palace from sight till you actually get there. It has a modest exterior, this white and brick-red building on the side of the placid Grunewald lake. But for Berliners,  it has a special significance. Over 460 years old, it is the only remaining Renaissance-era palace in the city since the the Berliner Schloss was destroyed in 1950. 

There's History in these Rooms

In 1973, construction work in the Große Hofstube (Great Hall) revealed painted wooden ceilings behind the Baroque moldings, and 15th c. arches which had been walled in by Baroque-era architects. Thanks to archaeological reconstruction, the beautiful Renaissance wooden ceilings and arches are now back in view. 

In other interior rooms, the baroque moldings from the time of King Friedrich I (1705-06) have been retained. And in the exhibition rooms you sense the spirit of the 1930s: the clean functionality of white walls and oxblood red hardwood floors. The fresh blue of the lake visible through large windows on each floor pervades the atmosphere of these interiors.

Sunset over Berlin: The Lake Terrace

What a pity that the viewer is denied access to the neo-baroque lake terrace, which once led directly from the castle, and which has also been handsomely restored. The reason? Dogs, says the guard on duty. We had to cordon it off to keep the dogs from using it as a diving board.

The lake terrace in summer is an ideal spot to enjoy the natural beauty of the Grunewald. "Here you can experience the most beautiful sunset over Berlin," rhapsodizes Hartmut Dorgerloh, General Director of the Palace Foundation, and I believe him. The terrace is open for a glass of wine after special events, but how about making it available for ticket holders to the museum? 

Jagdschloss Grunewald is at Hüttenweg 100, 14193 Berlin.

The Jagdschloss is open every day (except Monday) from May to October,  from 10 am to 6 pm, and from November to April on Saturday, Sundays and holidays from 10 am to 4 pm. 

The exhibition "Von Angesicht zu Angesicht runs from 28.05.09 to 31.10.10.

Reaching there:

By car: To Hüttenweg up to the parking lot for Forsthaus Paulsborn, then walk about 400 m. 

By public transportation: U-Bahn Dahlem Dorf or S-Bahn Zehlendorf, then with Bus X83 to the corner of Clayallee/Königin Luise Strasse, then a 10 minute walk through the Grunewald.

A green trail for those who prefer to hike: From U-Bahn Podbielski Allee, take Im Dol to Messel Park, cut through Messel Park till Pücklerstr. Take a left and keep straight till you enter the Grunewald. Follow signs to Jagdschloss (about 30 min).

For more information: www.spsg.de