Peacock Island House

As a group, you can look forward to a visit to the enchanting pleasure house on Peacock Island, which will be open again from the end of May 2025! This architectural jewel was built in 1794 by King Frederick William II for himself and his mistress, the later Countess Lichtenau. The timber-framed building clad with wooden planks looks like the romantic backdrop of a ruin and is often referred to as a “dilapidated Roman country house”.
The discovery of the South Sea island of Tahiti 20 years before the house was built and the description of the island by the Frenchman Louis-Antione Bougainville, which appeared soon afterwards and was enthusiastically received all over the world, also inspired the king, who was open to sensual pleasures: he brought the seemingly unattainable South Sea exoticism into the Prussian palace in the form of the “Otaheitisches Kabinett”. The tower room, imaginatively painted as a bamboo hut with exotic plants and colorful peacocks, offers palm-fringed views of the real world. In contrast, the beautiful interior from the early classical period is impressive with its furniture, wallpaper, carvings and floors. It is largely original and gives a real impression of how people lived in a palace around 1800.

Frederick William III and his wife Queen Luise later used the Peacock Island House as a summer residence - and actually brought palm trees to the island. From 1818, Peter Joseph Lenné was commissioned to transform the island into a landscape garden. A number of other buildings were added, such as the Palm House (burnt down in 1880) and the Cavalier House by Schinkel.