HISTORY
Island with peacocks and fake Gothic castles
A day on Berlin’s magnificent Pfaueninsel
Berlin has 2500 parks, but tourists and locals often limit themselves to the most popular ones, like Tiergarten or Charlottenburg. I don’t know about you, folks, but I got bored after two-three visits and decided to search for something new — and found Pfaueninsel.
This journey started on the upper floor of an empty double-decker #218 coursing from the station Wannsee to Pfaueninsel ferry. My traditionally early wake-up was worth it more than usual: I caught the first trip of the bus. Just imagine the first-person view and passing-by joggers and cyclists waving hello to the driver and me.
I was heading to the idyl place with adorable fortresses, flower gardens, freely walking peacocks, ancient oaks, and palm trees.
I was thinking: Sometimes, we all want to find ourselves in the legendary times of epic battles and glorious kings, do heroic deeds, and build the kingdom of our dream. For that sake, I used to play “Age of Empires” or “Stronghold” quite a bit during my school years. In the 18–19th centuries, there were, obviously, no computers, but people lacked magical stories in reality — just like now. So they embodied their fantasies in brick-and-mortar palaces, themed villas, and artificial landscapes.
The island turned out to be very close to the mainland. I could clearly see its miniature structures. It took the ferry only 3–4 minutes to make a trip from one bank to the other. I was thinking, “Why ferry? It could have been a bridge!” But a ferry probably helps preserve this site intact, being simultaneously an attraction and additional barrier.
Unlike ferries that are part of Berlin’s public transport and use the single trip ticket, this one requires extra payment, including the entrance fee.
Castle and the first peacock
When I stepped onto the island, I couldn’t decide where to go first, so I chose a random path to the nearest historic building. In a couple of minutes, I met the first feathered citizen.
Pathetic chickens — this is what my wife and I jokingly call peacocks. What a majestic creature and, simultaneously, a walking symbol of gender inequality. I suppose you know that only male peacocks have long patterned tails and glossy indigo necks.
That peacock accompanied me to the castle, probably the island’s most recognizable image. Surprisingly, its snow-white walls are made of plastered and painted wood — not brick or stone. Exactly like a 3D model from computer games, isn’t it?
The castle was closed, but the scenery below reveals what one can see from one of its two observation towers or a bridge in between.
Wait, have I already told you the history of this place? Nowadays, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a nature reserve, and part of the Potsdam and Brandenburg historical royal parks and palaces.
This one-kilometer-long island has been used in different ways over time. In the late 17th century, it housed the rabbit breeding station. Besides, Johann Kunckel, a Swedish nobleman, built here the glass foundry and produced unique ruby glass. Soon his business was destroyed by fire; he left for Sweden and never returned. The island remained unused, but at the end of the 18th century, the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II acquired it and built the Pfaueninsel castle as a summer residence.
In the 19th century, King Friedrich Wilhelm III kept over 900 exotic animals from over a hundred species here and enjoyed feeding them himself. Later, Friedrich Wilhelm IV moved all the animals to the Berlin Zoo, which opened its gates to the public in 1844.
These days Pfaueninsel is home to water buffaloes, horses, sheep, exotic curly chickens, and peacocks.
Like historical architecture? Then follow my Instagram with architecture photos every day — from 🏰 Gothic to 🏢 Modernism.
Kavaliershaus and more peacocks
The white castle isn’t the only remarkable structure on Pfaueninsel. Another conceptual building, Kavaliershaus, resembles a gothic cathedral or city hall, but only if you look at the facade facing the lawn.
At home, I learned an exciting story about the Kavaliershaus, and its architecture is more original than it seems. This house was planned as a one-story farm building and erected in 1803–1804. Twenty years later, Friedrich Wilhelm III learned that an old patrician house with a gothic facade from 1520 was to be demolished in Gdansk (also known as Danzig; nowadays, a city in Poland). So, the king purchased the facade and under the supervision of the architect, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, transported it to Berlin. Schinkel suggested rebuilding Kavaliershaus to add one more floor and strengthen the wall so that it could carry the purchased facade.
After World War II, the old patrician house in Gdansk was reconstructed due to the 16th-century design, but anyway, it’s a copy, whereas the original facade stands on Berlin’s Pfaueninsel!
Check on Google Maps: Kavaliershaus and Dom Schlieffów.
Did I promise more peacock photos? Here you go, folks. Although there are only 3–4 free-ranging birds on the island, you can easily find them owing to the peacocks’ characteristic voice. It sounds like a birdy variant of “meow”: check this recording on Wikipedia.
Even though the Kavaliershaus is a proud bearer of an old gothic facade, it looks more impressive from a distance. In close-up, I saw the other three walls stand barely finished. One more proof of my computer games metaphor — all the island’s architecture is nothing but theatrical props. On the other hand, it is really atmospheric and creates a mood.
Overheated under the sun, I found gorgeous river-themed benches and could hardly make myself get the ass out of this chilly seat.
I remember from biology lessons at school that human palms play a vital role in thermoregulating — so while seated, I gripped the cold edge of the bench and felt freshness rushing through my veins.
Meierei and buffaloes
Still, Pfaueninsel possessed more stuff to discover. My next destination was Meierei (dairy), which was erected together with the castle and designed to mimic a half-ruined medieval village church. Sorry, no original transferred facades this time.
As you might have noticed, Pfaueninsel is thoroughly designed — its landscape has numerous “windows,” long and narrow grassy corridors between the trees that allow a viewer to see things hundreds of meters away. For example, I noticed the dairy located on the southern bank of the island’s center. Also, you can observe the castle from the grand fountain terrace. What an amazing feeling each time you discover another “window”!
And as for the Meierei itself, some of the building’s “gothic” windows turned out to be just drawn in the niche.
After the dairy, I started circling around a large electric-fenced lawn, hoping to see the water buffaloes so vividly advertised on the information stand. And I was lucky enough to find the whole buffalo family (on such a sunny day, they’d prefer to stay in the shade of trees).
Oh, and look at this adorable barn. The raspberry-red brick and variety of doors pleased my eyes even more than Meierei. And what do you think?
Dairy and the adjacent area — done, but probably half of the island still ahead. This park is literally packed with interesting stuff.
Luisen-Tempel
About 5 minutes from the dairy stands the memorial temple for Queen Luise of Prussia. It was built in 1829 and belongs to the style of neo-Classicism if I am not mistaken.
My conclusion after visiting Pfaueninsel: you are not a true girl or woman unless you take at least five selfies near these beds of flowers. I tried to be original since those pink flowers felt too theatrical.
Beelitzer Jagdschirm and wildlife
There is a lot of neo-classicism in the center of Berlin; thus, it doesn’t excite me much anymore. But the next structure is undoubtedly worth attention — Beelitzer Jagdschirm, or, simply saying, hunters’ shelter. The walls of the shelter are entirely covered with oak bark. I cannot imagine how people straightened the bark and prevented it from further scrolling.
This pavilion with a salon-like wallpapered interior appeared on Pfaueninsel in 1796, owing to Friedrich Wilhelm II. The name originates from the Beelitz Mountains, where it had been standing before the king ordered to move it to the island. However, the current building is a 2012 reconstruction that uses Saxonian wood following the historical model.
Enough architecture for today. Wild nature is calling. The following series of macro photos features species I can hardly name. I’d be grateful for your help, by the way, in identifying what is what. And that brown bug literally is staring at me — so sharply the camera caught its eye!
On Pfaueninsel, I sometimes felt I was in my granny’s yard. Unripe blackberry and shiny red currant reminded me of careless days of school vacation when I picked berries straight from the bushes and immediately ate them (not washed, to be sure).
Looking at my pictures, you might get a misleading impression there are usually no people on the island. I should admit Peacock Island is especially crowded on the weekends — adults, kids, strollers, teens, and tourists with massive DSLRs. Fortunately, I discovered a trick.
Start your journey in the morning, when there are a few visitors. At midday, find a shadow on the lawn in the center of the island, lay down a blanket, buy yourself a beer or wine, and relax. Then, no sooner than 4 p.m., continue walking and enjoy the mild evening sun.
The silhouette on the photo above is, in fact, me taking the last picture of a peacock before rushing to the final trip of the ferry.
Close of day
Even on the hottest day, the weather on Pfaueninsel is never entirely still. If you choose the right spot at the central fountain, you’ll catch a spray of fresh droplets blown off by the breeze.
After the ferry brought me back to the mainland, I could take bus #208, but it wouldn’t have been interesting. That’s why I went from the terminus to the next stop — Rübezahlweg. Maybe you, folks, are accustomed to living in the woods, but I found this stop fantastic. Two bright poles and an approaching double-decker look so odd here.
And before I forget, when I was walking to the stop, I couldn’t help but take a photo of this hilariously amended road sign.
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