May 1, 2024 marked the bicentenary of Prince Carl of Prussia (1801-1883) taking possession of the Glienicke estate. A small presentation in the second half of the year now focuses on life in Glienicke. At the heart of the exhibition are exhibits from Berlin private collector Bernd Schmidt, supplemented by a few selected pieces from the collection of the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG). The selection of objects consolidates the permanent presentation shown in Glienicke.

Carl came into possession of the grounds as a young man and had the manor house remodeled into a palace according to designs by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The prince also devoted great attention to the garden, originally designed by Peter Joseph Lenné. Until the end of his life, the summer residence and place of longing Glienicke occupied a special place in the life of the princely family.

On the one hand, the presentation focuses on Prince Carl's life, represented, for example, by a magnificent charter of the Order of St. John, of which the Prince was Master, or a selection of books about his travels. His wife Princess Marie, née Princess of Saxe-Weimar (1808-1877), also spent many of her summers in Glienicke. Her interest in medicine is documented in books on medicine dedicated to her; a graphic shows the family of five in the garden.

Marie and Carl received numerous prominent guests at the palace. Registration books and invitation cards provide evidence of the culture of visits and celebrations at Glienicke. Carl's older sister Charlotte (1798-1860), later known as Alexandra Feodorovna as Tsarina of Russia, was a particularly popular visitor. The siblings maintained an intensive correspondence, some of which is on display. Gifts from the sister, such as the fountain sculpture of the "Laitière" in the garden, also bear witness to the intensive exchange.

Translated with DeepL