Jagdschloss Grunewald

The Jagdschloss Grunewald stands on the southern shore of the Grunewaldsee in Berlin’s Dahlem district. Built in 1542–43 for Elector Joachim II Hector of Brandenburg, it is the city’s oldest surviving castle. Originally called *Zum grünen Wald*, it gave its name to the surrounding forest and lake. The lodge was later remodelled in Baroque style under Frederick I, with Martin Grünberg leading the work. Since 1932 it has been run as a museum by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation. The building reflects the shift from medieval fortresses to Renaissance pleasure palaces. Only this lodge survives from the many hunting seats commissioned by Joachim II across Brandenburg. Its Renaissance plan shows a moated water castle with square towers and outbuildings for stables and kitchens. Excavations in the 1970s uncovered original decorative fragments, allowing a reconstruction of its 16th-century appearance. Inside, visitors find paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and his son, alongside works from 15th- to 19th-century Germany and the Netherlands. The sole surviving Renaissance hall in Berlin is preserved here. Nearby, a hunting-kit collection is displayed in a separate building. The lowered lake level now reveals the original moat’s outline, linking past and present around the quiet waters.