Pfaueninsel
Encyclopedia
Pfaueninsel is an island in the River Havel
situated in Berlin-Wannsee
, in southwestern Berlin
, near the borders with Potsdam
and Brandenburg
. The island is part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
World Heritage Site and a popular destination for day-tripper
s. Pfaueninsel is also a nature reserve in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive and a Special Protection Area
for wild birds.
financial aid to build a glass foundry on the island. After the elector's death in 1688, however, Kunckel gained no further support, and after the foundry was destroyed by a fire, Kunckel left for Stockholm
.
The island remained unused for about 100 years until, in 1793, the Prussian
king Frederick William II
acquired the island for the Hohenzollern dynasty and had the Pfaueninsel castle built for him and his mistress Wilhelmine Enke. The small Lustschloss
, in the shape of an artificial ruin
, was placed on the western tip of the island, visible from the king's residence at the Marmorpalais
in Potsdam with an adjacent English garden
including a dairy
.
His successor Frederick William III
turned the island into a model farm and from 1821 had the park redesigned by Peter Joseph Lenné
and Karl Friedrich Schinkel
, who planned several auxiliary buildings. The king also laid out a menagerie
modeled on the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes
in Paris, in which exotic animals including peacocks were housed. The Palmenhaus ("House of Palms") erected in 1831 caught fire for unknown reasons in 1880 and burnt to the ground. It was suggested that the fire was due to a stray spark from the chimney, as the Palmenhaus had been built out of wood. It was not rebuilt, but stone columns trace the outline of the building.
In the post-war period the Pfaueninsel belonged to the western part of Berlin in the Zehlendorf district, what is now the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf
. The island had largely retained its intended character as an idyll of nature: in addition to several free-ranging peacocks, other native and exotic birds can be found in captivity, complemented by a rich variety of flora. The entire island is designated as a nature reserve
and since 1990 has been a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
, along with the castles and parks of Potsdam-Sanssouci
and Berlin-Glienicke
.
Havel
The Havel is a river in north-eastern Germany, flowing through the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe river and in length...
situated in Berlin-Wannsee
Wannsee
Wannsee is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger Großer Wannsee and the Kleiner Wannsee , are located on the river Havel and are separated only by the Wannsee bridge...
, in southwestern Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, near the borders with Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
and Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
. The island is part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin refers to a group of palace complexes and landscaped gardens found in Potsdam, and the German capital of Berlin. The term was used upon the designation of the cultural ensemble as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990...
World Heritage Site and a popular destination for day-tripper
Day-tripper
A day-tripper is a person who visits a tourist destination or visitor attraction from his/her home and returns home on the same day.- Definition :In other words, this excursion does not involve a night away from home such as experienced on a holiday...
s. Pfaueninsel is also a nature reserve in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive and a Special Protection Area
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
for wild birds.
History
In the late 17th century the island was called Kaninchenwerder ("Rabbit Island") after a rabbit breeding station set up by Elector Frederick William I of Brandenburg. From 1685, he gave the chemist Johann KunckelJohann von Löwenstern-Kunckel
Johann Kunckel, awarded Swedish nobility in 1693 under the name von Löwenstern-Kunckel , German chemist, was born in 1630 , near Rendsburg, his father being alchemist to the court of Holstein...
financial aid to build a glass foundry on the island. After the elector's death in 1688, however, Kunckel gained no further support, and after the foundry was destroyed by a fire, Kunckel left for Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
king Frederick William II
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...
acquired the island for the Hohenzollern dynasty and had the Pfaueninsel castle built for him and his mistress Wilhelmine Enke. The small Lustschloss
Lustschloss
A Lustschloss is a small palace which served the private pleasure of its owner, usually the ruler of the area. It is located in, and was inhabited for court, ceremonial, and state duties.A Lustschloss is often coupled with a Jagdschloss...
, in the shape of an artificial ruin
Artificial ruins
Artificial ruins or imitation ruins are edifice fragments built to resemble real remnants of historic buildings.Artificial ruins became fashionable in German interpretations of baroque and english gardens, like the Ruinenberg. The ruins are mostly of gothic or ancient style.- External links :* 360...
, was placed on the western tip of the island, visible from the king's residence at the Marmorpalais
Marmorpalais
The Marmorpalais was a royal residence in Potsdam, eastern Germany, built on the grounds of the extensive Neuer Garten on the shores of Lake Heiliger See...
in Potsdam with an adjacent English garden
English garden
The English garden, also called English landscape park , is a style of Landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The...
including a dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
.
His successor Frederick William III
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
turned the island into a model farm and from 1821 had the park redesigned by Peter Joseph Lenné
Peter Joseph Lenné
Peter Joseph Lenné was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect from Bonn who worked in the German classicist style.-Childhood and development:...
and Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings.-Biography:Schinkel was born in Neuruppin, Margraviate of...
, who planned several auxiliary buildings. The king also laid out a menagerie
Menagerie
A menagerie is/was a form of keeping common and exotic animals in captivity that preceded the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in seventeenth century France in reference to the management of household or domestic stock. Later, it came to be used primarily in reference to...
modeled on the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes
Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes
The Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes is a zoo in Paris, France, belonging to the botanical garden Jardin des Plantes. It is the first and thus the oldest civil zoological garden in the world.- The location :...
in Paris, in which exotic animals including peacocks were housed. The Palmenhaus ("House of Palms") erected in 1831 caught fire for unknown reasons in 1880 and burnt to the ground. It was suggested that the fire was due to a stray spark from the chimney, as the Palmenhaus had been built out of wood. It was not rebuilt, but stone columns trace the outline of the building.
In the post-war period the Pfaueninsel belonged to the western part of Berlin in the Zehlendorf district, what is now the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Steglitz-Zehlendorf
Steglitz-Zehlendorf is the sixth borough of Berlin, formed in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by merging the former boroughs of Steglitz and Zehlendorf.-Demographics:...
. The island had largely retained its intended character as an idyll of nature: in addition to several free-ranging peacocks, other native and exotic birds can be found in captivity, complemented by a rich variety of flora. The entire island is designated as a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
and since 1990 has been a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, along with the castles and parks of Potsdam-Sanssouci
Sanssouci
Sanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is...
and Berlin-Glienicke
Glienicke
Glienicke may refer to:* Glienicke Bridge* Glienicke Palace ,* Glienicke/Nordbahn, to the north of Berlin* Glienicker Lake, part of lake Wannsee in BerlinGlienicke may also refer to:...
.