Unspecified/General

Bellevue Palace, set in parkland beside the River Spree at the edge of the great Tiergarten park in Berlin, is the official residence of the President of Germany and one of the city's most elegant neoclassical buildings. The palace was built in 1786 for a younger brother of the Prussian king Frederick the Great, designed in the early neoclassical style with a graceful white facade, and it takes its name, meaning beautiful view, from the pleasant outlook it once enjoyed over the river and gardens. Over its history it served various royal and state functions, was used as a museum and a guesthouse, and suffered damage during the Second World War before being restored. Since 1994 it has been the principal seat of the federal head of state, and the raising of the presidential standard above its roof signals when the president is in residence. Because it is a working official residence, the interior is not generally open to the public, but the palace can be admired from the surrounding park, and its dignified architecture and historic significance make it a notable landmark on the route between the famous Brandenburg Gate and the western districts. The adjacent park and the broad green expanse of the Tiergarten offer pleasant walking, and the palace forms part of the cluster of governmental buildings that have given this part of the reunified capital renewed importance. Freely viewable from the surrounding grounds, it can be appreciated by visitors throughout the year across every season of the calendar. The palace has played many roles across its long history, serving in turn as a princely summer residence, a museum, a school and a guesthouse for distinguished visitors before assuming its present function as the seat of the head of state, and its survival, after damage in the war and careful restoration, makes it a link between the city's royal past and its democratic present. Set amid lawns and mature trees beside the river, with the vast green expanse of the Tiergarten stretching away from its grounds, the palace enjoys a tranquil setting that belies its proximity to the bustle of the city centre and the cluster of government buildings nearby. Although the interior is reserved for official functions and is not generally open to the public, the graceful neoclassical exterior can be admired from the surrounding park, and the raising of the presidential standard tells passers-by when the head of state is in residence. Lying between the famous gate that symbolises the city and the green heart of the Tiergarten, the palace makes a pleasant point on a walk through this historic and verdant quarter of the capital.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Spreeweg 1, Berlin, Germany

Opening Date: 01/01/1786