Köpenick Palace

Kopenick Palace is a Baroque jewel on an island in the Dahme River, in Berlins southeast district of Kopenick. Built between 1677 and 1690 as a hunting and summer residence for Elector Frederick III, the palace was designed by court architects Johann Arnold Nering and Martin Grunberg on the site of a medieval fortress. The building is largely unchanged from its 17th-century form: a compact three-storey structure with a central pediment, rusticated ground floor, and mansard roof, arranged around a small courtyard. Since 1963 the palace has housed the Kunstgewerbemuseum operated by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. The collection spans furniture, glass, porcelain, silver, textiles, and goldsmith work from the Renaissance through Art Nouveau, displayed in reconstructed period rooms. Notable pieces include 17th-century Augsburg silver furniture and the Wrangelschrank, a monumental 17th-century cabinet from the Prussian royal collection. The combined park, the palace silhouette reflected in the Dahme, and the often modest visitor numbers make this one of Berlin's most underrated historical buildings. It is accessible by S-Bahn to Kopenick station.