About Bellevue
Since 1994 Bellevue has been the official residence of the President of Germany. It is located in the middle of Tiergarten park, on the bank of Spree River. It’s close to Berlin Victory Column and the Brandenburg Gate. Schloss Bellevue was built in 1786, as a summer residence for Prince August Ferdinand of Prussia, the youngest brother of Friderich the Great.
Architect Philipp Boumann designed the palace between 1785 and 1787. It’s a combination of Baroque and Neoclassical style, with a large park. This space is one of the most beautiful landscape gardens of its time. The building itself was named Bellevue precisely because of stunning views over the park. The main building has two stories and two separate wings. The left wing is called “women’s wing” and the one on the right is the “Spree wing”.
When to visit Bellevue
Bellevue isn’t open to the public, but the exterior alone is remarkable, and strolling through the park would be worth visiting. You can enter Bellevue in a guided tour (in German language only). A few tours are offered every month, but you’ll have to book your ticket in advance. The tour takes visitors through all rooms, including the office of the President.
Why to visit Bellevue
The interior of Bellevue was constantly rebuilt, and it displays various styles. The Entrance Hall is the impressive space, where President receives visitors. Langhans Hall is the only room reconstructed in the original neoclassical style. It was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1789/90. There is also the Schinkel Hall, dominated by the large Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s painting, depicted in 1809. On the first floor you can see a large dining room.
Significance of Bellevue
For a long time Bellevue was a private villa, and it was not used in stately affairs. Many important guests, like Friedrich Schiller, or Napoleon stayed here. From 1844 to 1865 the park was open to the public, and the first museum of contemporary art in Prussia was opened here, under the name Patriotic Gallery. Moreover, it was the headquarters of German Supreme Command during the First World War.
In the following years it was divided into several residential units. In 1928 Bellevue became the property of the state of Prussia, instead of the private palace of Hohenzollern family. It was used for different exhibitions, and as the museum of German Folk History. From 1959 it started serving as a second official residence of the President. Finally, in 1990s the government moved from Bonn to Berlin, and Bellevue became President’s main residence.