Oranienburg Castle

The origins of the palace lie in an Ascanian castle complex on an island in the Havel, first mentioned around 1288 as securing an important Havel crossing. After the extinction of the Ascanians, the castle changed hands several times until it fell to the Hohenzollerns in 1485. Elector Joachim II replaced the old castle with a hunting lodge around 1550. After the Thirty Years' War, the complex lost its military significance, and in its place, a palace in the Dutch style was built between 1651 and 1652. Elector Frederick William gifted the estate to his first wife, Luise Henriette of Orange, after whom the palace and later the town were named. The architect Johann Gregor Memhardt was responsible for the construction and design of a pleasure garden, where the Electress introduced, among other things, potatoes and cauliflower to Brandenburg. Under Elector Frederick III, an entrance portal was added around 1690 by architect J.A. Nering. From 1690, the palace was Frederick III's preferred residence and was expanded and furnished around 1700 under Eosander von Göthe and Arnold Nering.