Bellevue Castle

The palace was constructed between 1785 and 1786 on behalf of Ferdinand of Prussia, the youngest brother of Frederick II, following designs by Michael Philipp Boumann. Boumann integrated an existing leather factory on the banks of the Spree into the right wing of the new building. The complex was designed as a three-winged structure with a long main building and two side wings. The name Bellevue, meaning “beautiful view,” referred to the original vista over the park and the Spree. After Ferdinand's death in 1813, his son, Prince August of Prussia, used the palace. Later, from 1843, it belonged to King Frederick William IV, who established the first museum for contemporary art in Prussia there in 1844. During World War I, from 1916, it served as a meeting place for the Supreme Army Command and allied powers. After a period of vacancy and various uses, including as an office building and museum, it was converted into a guesthouse for the Reich government in 1938.