Cranach in Grunewald
Masterpieces by Lucas Cranach the Elder, the Younger, and Their Workshop
Grunewald Hunting Lodge’s collection of Cranach paintings comprises nearly thirty works by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Lucas Cranach the Younger, and their workshop, including outstanding masterpieces conveying a striking impression of the rulers and artistic activity at the Berlin royal court in the 16th century.
Joachim II (1505–1571) was a formative figure for the development of the Renaissance in Berlin. The royal patron of Grunewald Hunting Lodge is depicted in portraits by both Cranachs at different stages of life – as electoral prince (c.1520) and as elector (c. 1570). His extensive commissions to Lucas Cranach the Elder and his workshop include panels of the Passion of Christ for the Berlin Stiftskirche (Collegiate Church) as well as a series illustrating virtues appropriate to a sovereign (Exemplum, or “example” panels) created specifically for the Berlin Palace.
The surviving panels reflect the Hohenzollerns’ increasing demand for prestige and also depict a period of great transformation in religion and denomination. Although Joachim II’s father belonged to the rulers known as the “Old Believers,” he followed a moderate religious policy oriented toward the Reformation based on Martin Luther’s teachings. New interpretations in the guise of traditional pictorial subjects can also be discovered in works by the Cranach family.
The outstanding Cranach paintings are supplemented by the SPSG’s collection of Early Netherlandish and German paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries. Grunewald Hunting Lodge, built as the lakeside palace “Zum Gruenen Wald” (to the green forest) in 1542, provides a historically appropriate setting for the collection.
Permanent exhibition
Address
Grunewald Hunting Lodge
Hüttenweg 100 (am Grunewaldsee)
14193 Berlin
How to get there
Public Transportation
Stop "Königin-Luise-Str./Clayallee (Berlin)" + ca. 1200m Fußweg
vbb-online | Timetable information »
Parking
Very limited parking (Hüttenweg / Parking Forsthaus Paulsborn).
Opening Hours
Summer Season | April to October
Monday | closed |
---|---|
Tuesday - Sunday: | 10:00 - 17:30 |
Winter Season | November to March
Monday - Friday: | closed |
---|---|
Saturday / Sunday: | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Christmas Eve (24.12.2022) | closed |
---|
Christmas Day (25.12.2022) | closed |
---|
Christmas Holiday (26.12.2022) | 10:00 - 16:00 |
---|
New Year's Eve (31.12.2022) | closed |
---|
New Year's Day (01.01.2023) | 11:00 - 16:00 |
---|
Can be viewed with a guided tour.
For organisational reasons, there may be waiting times. We ask for your understanding.
On public holidays, weekend opening hours apply unless otherwise stated.
Admission Prices
6 EUR / reduced rate 5 EUR
Accessibility
- not wheelchair accessible
Contact
Visitor's Center at the Historic Windmill in Sanssouci Park
An der Orangerie 1
14469 Potsdam
(Closed Mondays)
Visitor's Center at the New Palace in Sanssouci Park
Am Neuen Palais 3
14469 Potsdam
(Closed Tuedays)
info@spsg.de
Phone: +49 (0) 331.96 94-200
We recommend wearing a mask throughout your visit.
Impressions

Investition in Ihre Zukunft!
