Now occasionally used as an event space and for special exhibits, this froufrou baroque palace was blueprinted by Johann Arnold Nering as the residence of young King Frederick before he became ‘the Great’. In the 1920s the National Gallery showcased top contemporary artists here, until the Nazis deemed them ‘degenerate’ and closed down the exhibit. In 1990, the formal German reunification agreement was signed here on 31 August.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Deutsches Historisches Museum

0.02 MILES

If you’re wondering what the Germans have been up to for the past 1500 years, take a spin around the baroque Zeughaus, formerly the Prussian arsenal and…

2. Neue Wache

0.05 MILES

This temple-like neoclassical structure (1818) was Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s first important Berlin commission. Originally a royal guardhouse and a…

3. Palais Populaire

0.05 MILES

Contemporary art, culture and sports activities are the focus of this gallery sponsored by Deutsche Bank and set within the updated rooms of a rococo…

4. Schlossbrücke

0.07 MILES

Marking the transition from Unter den Linden to Museum Island, the Palace Bridge is considered among Berlin’s prettiest. Designed by Karl Friedrich…

5. IM Pei Bau

0.09 MILES

High-calibre temporary exhibits, curated by the Deutsches Historisches Museum, occupy this spectacular contemporary annexe designed by Chinese-American…

6. Staatsoper Unter den Linden

0.1 MILES

Berlin’s opulent state opera was commissioned as the royal opera house by Frederick the Great and designed by his friend and master architect Georg…

7. Bebelplatz

0.14 MILES

The heart of a cultural centre envisioned by King Frederick the Great, austere Bebelplatz is infamous as the site of the first full-blown public book…

8. St Hedwigs-Kathedrale Berlin

0.14 MILES

This copper-domed church (1773) was commissioned by Frederick the Great, designed by Knobelsdorff, modelled after the Pantheon in Rome and named for the…