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Charlottenburg Palace
Between 1695 and 1699, the Elector
of Brandenburg, Frederick III, who in 1701 became the first
Prussian King (as Frederick I), built Lietzenburg Palace as
a summer residence for his beloved wife, Sophie Charlotte.
The palace, that later became the largest Hohenzollern residence
in Berlin originally consisted only of the main wing without
the tower. After the coronation of prince elector Friedrich
Wilhelm III to King Friedrich I of Prussia in 1701 the Swedish
architect J.F. Eosander von G?the was instructed with the extension
of the castle. Up to the year 1713 the 48 m high tower with
the dome, the two side wings, and the great orangery on the
west side were finished. After the death of Sophie Charlotte
in 1705, Frederick renamed it Charlottenburg in her memory.
The castle's theater was built at the western wing in 1788-91
by Langhans (the architect of the Brandenburg gate). The castle
finally gets its present shape with that.
Despite being badly damaged in World War II air raids, the Palace's
unique 18th century features can still be seen today. After
the war, the palace, along with many of the buildings in the
vicinity, was reconstructed and now boasts a number of museums
and exhibitions which serve to make it one of Berlin's cultural
centers.
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