Freienwalde Castle

The castle's origins date back to the late 18th century, when Queen Friederike Luise, wife of Frederick William II, commissioned plans for a summer palace on the Apothekerberg. The master mason Anton Hilke drew up the initial designs, which were revised in 1798 by David Gilly. By 1799, construction was largely complete. After the Queen's death in 1805, the castle stood empty. In 1822, the park was redesigned by Peter Joseph Lenné. In the late 1820s, the Polish Grand Duke Anton Heinrich Radziwill inhabited the castle for several summers, during which it was renovated and the facade received pilasters. In 1834, his daughter Elisa Radziwill died there. A turning point for the castle occurred in 1909 when Walther Rathenau acquired it. He had it rebuilt according to plans by Johannes Kraaz, which included the addition of a semicircular balcony on the north side.