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 Jagdschloß (Hunter's Castle) - Potsdam, Germany
N 52° 22.545 E 013° 08.795
33U E 373835 N 5804448
The smallest of Potsdam's Castles
Waymark Code: WMJDED
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 11/03/2013
Views: 10
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There are seventeen castles in an around the old Prussian Capital Potsdam. This one is by far the smallest. It may sound a little bit grandiose to call this two-room house a castle, but it was the summer residence of King Frederick William I of Prussia and in all its frugality, it tells us a lot about the monarch, who was called the "Soldier King."
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Picture courtesy of helmutcaspar.de |
The King was cheap in everything that didn't concern the military. The pompous castles of his predecessors were not his style. During his entire reign, this little house was the only building he had built for himself, and even that he got for a bargain as the main architect is believed to be one of his soldiers, a Dutch carpenter named Cornelius van den Bosch.
The King allowed himself only one hobby. If he wasn't counting money or exercising soldiers, he loved to go coursing, a kind of hunting in which the prey is simply run down.
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In addition to fast horses and dogs, this activity needs an area in which the animals can excel to top speed. Between 1725 and 1729, the King had 40 square miles of brush land turned into a coursing-heath. That included sixteen trails, all radiating from a star-shaped center, called the "Great Star." Hunters could easily make it back just by heading to the nearest trail.
The building was completed in 1732. But the King died in 1740 and his son, Frederick II, later called Frederick the Great, did not share his father's passion for game. In his opinion, hunting "... might strengthen the body, but it does not attend to the mind and breaks the spirit." Thus soon after the death of Soldier King, his "castle" was all but forgotten.
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In spite of all its ups and downs, the castle's interior is almost completely preserved in its original state. Like the outside, the inside too is modeled after a Dutch middle-class house - a lifestyle that suited the frugal king.
The kitchen (above) was built in simple Dutch style and the bed (below left) was modelt after a Dutch ship's bunk.
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Only the living room (above right) was a little bit more "stylish." Considering that this was the "Hunter's Castle," it is not surprising that most of the decoration (below) had hunting themes.
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Due to the fragile state of the interior, the castle is kept locked up and almost airtight most of the year. Only for a few special occasions, it is open to visitors. Opening days can be found at the Hunter's Castle Foundation website, but unfortunately only in German language. However, if your German is good enough, you can also read more about the castle at Potsdam-Wiki and at helmutcaspar.de.
Lucky for us, the annual reenactment of the Great Deer Coursing (below left) happened while we were there and we took the rare opportunity to see the inside of Potsdam's least known castle.
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Accessibility: Partial access
Condition: Intact
Admission Charge?: yes
Website: [Web Link]
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