Rheinsberg Palace
Schloss Rheinberg is located in the town of Rheinberg, about 100 km north- west of Berlin in the district Ostprignitz- Ruppin.
Located on the eastern shore of Lake Grienericksee Castle is a textbook example of the so-called Frederician Rococo and also served as a model for Sanssouci Palace.
History
Where is now the Rheinberg castle, stood in the middle ages a moated castle. The family von Bredow had dominion Rheinberg in 1464 acquired by marriage of the von Platen and left after 1566 a moated castle in Renaissance style built in its place, which was badly damaged during the Thirty Years' War. In 1618 the castle was sold to Kuno von Lochow.
After the extinction of the line, it fell to Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, who gave it its General Francis du Hamel. With the approval of the electors but sold it to Benjamin Chevenix de Beville, who for 75,000 thalers to the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I sold the property in March 1734. Friedrich Wilhelm in turn gave it to his son Crown Prince Frederick, later King Frederick II for his loyalty. 1736 drew this with his wife Princess Elisabeth Christine in the southern wing of the palace. In the years to 1740, Friedrich had the castle extensively, to expand and extend from the architects Johann Gottfried Kemmeter and Georg Wenceslaus von Knobelsdorff, the architectural craft learned from Kemmeter certain extent. Thus, the single-storey building was added to an upper floor and extended to the east wing of 25 meters.
Friedrich himself referred to his years at Schloss Rheinberg always as the " happiest of his life." Here he founded the first Masonic Lodge in Prussia. His time in Rheinberg ended in 1740 with the accession to the throne.
Four years later he gave it to his younger brother Henry, who moved in 1752 with his wife Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse- Kassel and lived there until his death. The art-loving prince set out to extend the castle and the adjoining park and beautify. Completed in 1786 Georg Friedrich of Bouman and Carl Gotthard Langhans, the castle according to the original plans. Langhans was in 1766 for a few weeks in Rheinberg and customized designs for Prince Henry, which were implemented in the following years of his Bauintendanten Carl Wilhelm Hennert. Bouman, built 1785/86, the two pavilions at the castle, which probably already Langhans tore. During his lifetime did Henry build his tomb in the form of a truncated pyramid in the garden, where he was buried after his death in 1802. The French inscription Heinrich wrote itself
To literary fame, the castle came by Theodor Fontane in his wanderings through the Mark Brandenburg and the narrative Rheinberg: A picture book for lovers. by Kurt Tucholsky.
Until the 1945 expropriation castle and estate belonged to the House of Hohenzollern. In the GDR, the castle is a diabetes clinic was housed. Today, the castle is one with its gardens of the Foundation for Prussian Palaces and Gardens in Berlin -Brandenburg.
After elaborate and extensive restoration, the castle is open to visitors again as a museum and also houses the Kurt Tucholsky Literary Museum. In the former Kavaliershaus the Federal and State Academy of Music is housed since 1991, which operates the Palace Theatre. Since 1991, the International Opera Festival Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinberg place in the Palace Theatre ( Kavaliershaus ), courtyard and open-air theater ( Heckentheater ) instead.