Babelsberg Palace in Germany, Potsdam spa
Rating: 8,3/10 (5021 votes)  Palace (or castle) Babelsberg is one of the main attractions of the park of the same name in Potsdam. The architectural style of this remarkable building is – English gothic. The palace was conceived as the summer residence of Prince William and his wife Augusta. It was she who took the most active part in the construction of the palace. As part of the architectural ensemble of Potsdam, Babelsberg is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The project was led by the architect Schinkel, based on the sketches of a Gothic castle created by his student Ludwig Persius. In 1833, construction began. The Gothic lover Augusta insisted on an abundance of lush decorative elements, while Schinkel adhered to rather restrained Gothic forms. In addition, relatively modest funds were allocated for the construction of the castle. Due to these reasons, at first only part of the palace was built with large neo-gothic windows opening up excellent landscapes and yellow brickwork. The octagonal wing was initially used as a dining room. Meanwhile, Wilhelm became heir to the throne, and Babelsberg received a new, more serious status, which required an expansion of the scale of construction. Ludwig Persius took the baton of construction after Schinkel's death. Another wing of the building appeared, connected with the first one through a high hall, also in the shape of an octagon. The new wing had bedrooms, a new dining room. Everything was complemented by a massive tower. After the death of Persius, the construction was taken over by Johann Heinrich Strack. The tastes of this architect finally coincided with the wishes of Queen Augusta, and the castle was supplemented with a variety of Gothic turrets, bay windows and windows of different shapes. All this became elements of a style that was later called `` burgher ''. Only in 1849 was the opening of the Babelsberg Palace in its final form. However, after 1888, Wilhelm's heirs chose not to live here. World War II destroyed most of Babelsberg's beautiful interiors. Today this building is used as a museum. The palace also distinguished itself by the fact that it was here that the famous Otto von Bismarck received from King William I his appointment as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. We also recommend reading Cecilienhof in Germany, Potsdam spa Topic: Babelsberg Palace in Germany, Potsdam spa. |
