Charlottenburg Palace - Prussia's first Queen Sophie Charlotte
Hello and welcome to my new video. It's nice to have all of you back with us. Today I am visiting charlottenburg palace with its old castle and new Wings it is one of the most impressive Castle complexes of the former Brandenburg electors Prussian Kings and German Emperors and today I would like to introduce you to the old castle in more detail [Music] after Sophie Charlotte of Hanover her husband elector Friedrich III he returned his country estate in kaput near Berlin he handed it over on the 30th in June 1695 the village of Lisa was replaced Sophie Charlotte then hired architect Johann Arnold nearing to plan and build a summer residence on the property foreign was famous for her beauty worldliness charm and taste she was an extremely educated and self-confident princess and she was able to lead her life relatively independently on July 11 1699 the castle was inaugurated and has been Sophie Charlotte's residence ever since her husband's birthday his name was selected in honor of the adjacent Village leitzenberg in the oval Hall Sophie Charlotte and Friedrich the first received their guests who could enter the castle from both the courtyard and the garden side the hall is bigger than the other rooms as it extends into the garden offering a particularly good view of the surrounding grounds he connects the castle to Nature blending them harmoniously [Music] originally there were over 80 portraits of important princes and kings hanging in this oval Hall all of whom were related to Sophie Charlotte and her husband through one of the two fireplaces you can see in a richly carved and gilded frame the father of the Prussian King the great elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg and above the second fireplace his second wife Dorothea of Holstein [Music] Sophie Charlotte's parents were Ernst August von Braunschweig Lunenburg from the house of wolfen and Sophie Von de Felts who was a granddaughter of the king of England and Scotland this relationship later resulted in Sophie Charlotte's eldest brother Georg Ludwig becoming George the first who became the king of England [Music] during Sophie Charlotte's lifetime one would initially enter this room before being able to access her bedroom it is the so-called green chamber the original wall paneling was replaced during the time of Frederick the great with a yellow wall covering the tapestry is currently present here only arrived after the second world war from the destroyed Potsdam City Palace [Music] thematically they are intended to evoke the ceiling paintings depicting scenes from the ancient Tales of cupid and psyche [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] this room adorned with green damask and glass mirrors warmly greets us it is also referred to as the glass bedroom he belongs to Sophie Charlotte's so-called first apartment so it was created during the quiet times of the Electoral existence [Music] thank you Sophie Charlotte loved her garden the many mirrors were used to capture the light coming in from there the flowers and Blossoms and to bring nature into the castle in this way the green damask wallpapers reinforce this impression the inventory listed numerous extremely magnificent furniture for this room foreign [Music] with this large room the old Gallery we enter the parade Chambers the walls of the Alton Gallery which sustained only minor damage in 1943 are entirely covered with Oakwood a multitude of portraits depict members of the Brandenburg Prussian ruling Dynasty after Sophie Charlotte had given birth to a successor to the throne she started to withdraw more often to lisenberg Palace and focused on her great Passion music and theater she also loved intellectual conversation very much she turned to the study of philosophical and Theological questions and called Scholars and intellectuals to the court with her teacher philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm leibniz she helped found the Berlin Academy of Sciences completed by her husband in 1700. [Applause] [Music] Sophie Charlotte was skilled at playing the shambalo her Talent was greatly admired not just because people wanted to honor the Regent's memory they had multiple shambali including the one that is currently being exhibited here it's white and it's colorful painting designed in a Chinese manner testifies to Sophie Charlotte's passion for Chinese fashion [Music] the queen loved beautiful things shortly after moving into leitsenberg Sophie Charlotte came up with the plan to add a theater to the Palace it was inaugurated in June 1700. from then on Sophie Charlotte's whole Endeavor was to invite the best composers the Italian atelio arasti gave her the pleasure and Giovanni bonchini were guests of her Muse Court they performed concerts and composed and staged operas with the courts ladies and gentlemen playing prominent parts once Sophie Charlotte even managed to win the affection of her young son Friedrich Wilhelm he appeared as Cupid that is as the Roman god of love although the latest Soldier King was already terribly frightened by courtly entertainment at that time Sophie Charlotte's passion was passed on to her grandson Friedrich the crowsen once more he was the one who furnished the room with the beautiful tapestries as well during Sophie Charlotte's lifetime the room was an anti-chamber to the audience chamber [Music] if the guests of Sophie Charlotte had entered the palace through the large oval Hall then waited for a while in the anti-chamber they were now received here by the queen in the audience chamber although they did not see Sophie Charlotte in front of these tapestries with scenes of the Italian Comedia de latte which were commissioned Again by Frederick the great but in front of a fine wallpaper with Chinese motifs foreign the equipment of the room was very similar to today's above all the small table with the two geridons which are stands for candlesticks is original small turkeys are said to support the table top they're made of wood but painted white to imitate the appearance of porcelain the Golden acanthus Leaves can be found on the Gilded ceiling again indicating that the furniture belonged in this room garadons illuminated the room no chandeliers like the Magnificent one with glass crystals in Pearl shape existed in Schloss leitsenberg during Sophie Charlotte's time [Music] the fire in the fireplace will have provided a pleasant light in the evening hours above the real fireplace there was no painting or mirror instead there was a relief encircled by a series of small consoles Sophie Charlotte used these consoles to Showcase her cherished porcelain [Music] ing of the audience chamber is considerably taller than in the two previous rooms she is already in the extension building which Sophie Charlotte and her husband added to the old castle after 1702 in the year 1701 Frederick the elector of Brandenburg was officially crowned as the first King of Prussia marking a significant historical Milestone power political rise should be seen in castles construction enlargement and decoration occurred everywhere in charlottenburg a parade apartment was built which however was only completed shortly after the death of Sophie Charlotte it extends over seven rooms the Magnificent audience chamber is a first highlight of this parade apartment here the king received important state guests the granting of the audience whether standing or sitting depended on the rank of the guest Friedrich the first if the guest was requested to be seated he would be provided a chair based on his position either with or without arm rests and upholstery in European castles audience rooms were furnished with valuable objects like marble covered walls and tapestries creating an impressive and opulent Ambience for visitors at that specific point in time the value of it clearly overshadowed the price of a painting the tapestries in this room depicts scenes from the lives of famous Greeks and Romans which were recorded by the ancient writer Plutarch by choosing this topic the host consciously aligned himself with the role models of classical antiquity [Music] the red damask chamber is a gallery-like room with walls covered in red damask wallpaper and adorned with golden braids made of woven metal threads creating a richly decorated ambience above the doors there are portraits of the royal couple King Friedrich the first and queen Sophie Charlotte opposite each other both individuals are currently represented by elements from their respective Coats of Arms the crown and the eagle of Prussia along with the jumping horse of the House of Hanover are depicted in the freeze beneath the ceiling [Music] thank you the room would have appeared even more representative if a particular and detailed plan had been implemented because this Gallery was originally intended to house the world famous Amber Room Treasure unfinished charlottenburg Palace hosted an extraordinary meeting in 1709 [Music] Frederick the first is in this year Augustine starken from Saxony who was also the king of Poland and the Danish King Frederick IV both reigned attending as a guest the meeting of the monarchs is set to be remembered as the historic Gathering of the three kings to achieve this purpose the still unfinished room needed to be equipped in a representative manner their plan was to rearrange and Adorn the walls using red damask and gold brocade panels as the coverings for the wall decorations [Music] a select few visitors were cordially invited to the exclusive private audience room for a special Gathering such a conversation was more exclusive and intimate than the public audiences that took place in the large representative audience chamber [Music] although one could not completely dispense with the ceremony here either the visibility of rank differences played a less important role in the private audience at times the king would offer his guest an armchair that was indistinguishable from his own this gesture should indicate to the guest that a conversation has taken place on an equal footing [Music] the ceiling consists of five large oil paintings on canvas each meticulously painted the annual cycle is represented by the Four Seasons the 12 Zodiac signs and the ancient mythological deities of the Sun and the Moon Apollo and Diana [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the parade bedroom the impressive bed from Friedrich the first Sierra catches the eye in the eye because of the valuable textiles used for their canopies curtains and blankets beds were highly attractive Furniture in castles however in most of these expensive beds hardly anyone ever slept as part of the parade apartment the room should be observed and appreciated above all therefore even private audiences were held here this room also played an important role in the context of the ceremony that regulated the weddings of the Royal House [Music] between 1700 and 1888 in numerous weddings were celebrated in charlottenburg after the festivities the court Society took the bridal couple to this room to conclude the celebration the historical reports however do not mention whether the wedding night also took place here foreign the today's painting presentation of the paradisima refers to the Furnishings during the time of Frederick the great in the mid-18th Century Century the portraits made between 1680 and 1700 some of which were already hung here at that time Show members of the English royal family or individuals who were related to and politically connected to the reigning monarch [Music] one of the civican features of the room are the four cabinet cabinets decorated with exotic lacquer paintings the valuable Furniture was used to store important documents or interesting small items displayed to guests during special occasions for safe keeping and admiration protected from thieves by the massive Castle's presence between the windows you can see a wind vane Through the Mirror he is connected to a Weather Vein on the roof by a gear mechanism this method allows for reading the wind direction in the room as well [Music] [Applause] there is a small bathroom next to the bed with its sunken marble Basin and supply of running water it was intended to impress visitors of the Baroque Period as a technical innovation unlike the parade bed it is likely that the king also made use of the bathroom because he could access it from his private living quarters through a small corridor [Music] yeah Sophie Charlotte lived relatively independently at leitzenberg Palace after the castle was solemnly inaugurated in 1699 the summer residence was later expanded by AO sander Von Gerta into a representative three-wing complex [Music] Sophie Charlotte was a strong opponent of prime minister dankelman's politics after his fall in 1697 she retreated to her castle litzenberg unable to achieve anything politically at the Berlin Court from 1696 until her death she raised Carolina Von Brandenburg on spark as her foster daughter who later married Sophie Charlotte's mother the Elektra Sophie of Hanover with her grandson Georg Von Hanover the future English King George II [Music] on the first in February 1705 Sophie Charlotte died of a sore throat while visiting her mother in Hanover after the Queen's death the king renamed lietzenberg as charlotteenberg to honor his late wife's memory and Legacy leibniz who survived Sophie Charlotte by 11 years wrote about her after her death she often wanted to have me close to her so I often enjoyed the conversation of the princess whose spirit and Humanity were never surpassed by anyone the queen possessed an incredible knowledge even in remote areas and an extraordinary thirst for knowledge and in our conversations she strove to satisfy this more and more from which one day a considerable benefit for the general public would have emerged if death had not carried her off foreign [Music] the porcelain cabinet contains more than 2 700 porcelain vessels which are organized based on their size and function the glazed walls increase the impression of perplexing wealth and infinite abundance [Music] the ceiling painting was created by Anthony coxy around the year 1706. the theme of the picture is the expulsion of the Night by the day in the middle on her Chariot with eight horses appears Aurora the goddess of dawn under their team the Knight crashes with their children the light prevails and becomes the radiant center of the world [Music] Sophie Charlotte did not personally witness the design of the porcelain cabinet however it is highly probable that she had seen the drafts for this she laid the foundation for the execution through her husband with her enthusiasm for porcelain and collection thank you [Music] [Applause] no no no no no no no no no no no wow [Music] foreign the Magnificent design of the chapel is reminiscent of Christian Catholic places of worship from the Baroque Period however the ruling family of Brandenburg Prussia had been members of the Evangelical Reformed Church since 1615 and only the word of God from the Bible applied to the reformed every Pomp and every ornament were frowned upon foreign Charlotte and her spouse however found here a chance to merge the power of the Lord with their own sensitivity [Music] on the side of the entrance you can see the mighty Royal Crown in the clutches of the Prussian Eagle she looks absolutely great and very impressive the organ was reconstructed by the renowned organ Workshop Shuka after being destroyed in World War II only the royal family had exclusive access to the small area near the entrance Sophie Charlotte herself did not witness the completed Chapel but she did commission the construction and also reviewed the drafts from her architect eosander [Music] you Angels which names the queen as the donor of the Sacred Space as well as the year 1704.
it was the year before her death foreign [Music] to all of you you have now gained an exciting insight into the castle grounds and learned a lot about the history of the prussians did you like the video then I would be very happy to receive a thumbs up again and if you never want to miss a beautiful castles and palaces video again then it's best to subscribe to the channel right away I'll say goodbye and see you next time goodbye foreign foreign
2023-09-28 10:28
