Peacock Island House
A Far Remove from Everyday Life
Please note: Restoration works
The Palace on Peacock Island is closed due to restoration work performed as part of the "Prussian Palaces and Gardens Master Plan". Thank you for your understanding.
Built on Peacock Island in 1794, this pastoral pleasure palace was commissioned by King Frederick William II for himself and his mistress Wilhelmine Encke, later Countess Lichtenau. The half-timbered construction with wooden sheathing, described as a “dilapidated Roman country house,“ resembles a ruin in a romantic setting.
The discovery of Tahiti in the southern Pacific Ocean 20 years before the palace’s construction and a description of the island by the Frenchman Louis-Antione Bougainville, published soon after its discovery and eagerly received the world over, also inspired this king with a taste for sensory pleasures. With his Otaheitisches Kabinett (Tahitian Chamber) he succeeded in incorporating the seemingly unattainable exoticism of the South Pacific to a Prussian palace. Imaginatively decorated as a bamboo hut, the tower room is painted with exotic plants and colorful peacocks, as well as palm-fringed vistas of the world outside. The rest of the palace’s magnificent Neoclassical interior, with its furniture, wallpaper, carved decorative elements and wooden floors, forms a surprising contrast. It has been almost completely preserved in its original condition and provides an authentic account of courtly living arrangements around 1800.
Later, Frederick William III and his wife Queen Luise would spend their summers here, and had real palm trees planted on the island. From 1818 Peter Joseph Lenné was commissioned to convert the island into a landscape garden. A number of other buildings were added, such as the Palm House (which burned to the ground in 1880) and the Kavalierhaus (Gentleman’s Building) designed by Schinkel.
Address
Peacock Island House [Schloss auf der Pfaueninsel]
Nikolskoer Weg
14109 Berlin
How to get there
Public Transportation
Stop "Pfaueninsel (Berlin)"
vbb-online | Timetable information »
Parking
Parking is available on Nikolskoerweg
Opening Hours
The Palace on Peacock Island is currently closed due to major renovations.
Admission Prices
Peacock (Ferry) Single Ticket
We highly recommend to get your tickets online at https://tickets.spsg.de.
Price : 4.00 reduced : 3.00
Peacock Island Family Ticket (Ferry)
Valid for one day for up to 2 adults and up to 4 children (aged 18 or younger).
Price : 8.00
Annual Pass for Peacock Island (Ferry)
Valid for use of the ferry to Peacock Island for one year.
Price : 23.00
Annual Pass for the Palaces
Valid for all SPSG palaces open to the public incl. special exhibitions, for one year after date of issue (except Sacrow House, Stern Hunting Lodge; in the Belvedere on Potsdam’s Pfingstberg, ticket owners are granted the reduced rate). Including discounts in museum shops and selected restaurants. Non-transferable. On sale at all palace registers and visitor centers.
Price : 60.00 reduced : 40.00
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
Accessibility
Unfortunately, exhibition spaces are not wheelchair accessible.
Unfortunately, for conservation reasons the use of baby carriages and strollers is not permitted in exhibition spaces.
Downloads
Museum shop on Peacock Island
The opening hours of the museum shop on Peacock Island are as follows:
April to October: 10:45 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.
November to March: 10:45 a.m. – 3.15 p.m.
Luggage storage
Please note: No luggage or baggage may be left in the entrance area of the palace for security and safety reasons.
Unfortunately, there are no facilities for storing larger pieces of luggage or similar baggage on the premises of this historical site. We appreciate your understanding.
Dining
Kaffeegarten auf der Pfaueninsel
on the lawn
Impressions
