Grunewald Hunting Lodge

The courtly hunt had been a tradition in the forests and lake areas surrounding the picturesque Renaissance palace "zum gruenen Wald" (to the green forest) since 1542. The fortified base was built for Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg, an avid and enthusiastic hunter. Baroque extensions, meant to serve official purposes, and smaller court buildings were added at the beginning of the 18th century. Nearly all of the Prussian rulers used the palace to indulge their passions for the hunt. In 1828 Prince Carl of Prussia, the lord of Glienicke Palace, reintroduced a type of hunt called the "Parforcejagd" or coursing - through which, the running game would be chased to the point of exhaustion and cornered "par force de chiens" (by dogs), and subsequently killed by the hunters hurrying behind. Paintings and decorative arts objects graphically illustrate the hunt, as do the monstrous and abnormal representations of animals, which corresponded to Baroque collecting tastes and the pleasures in the spectacular. Serving as a museum since 1932, in addition to displays of furniture and porcelain, important paintings from the 15th-18th centuries can be seen in the palace today. Among these are portraits of the royal family by Lucas Cranach, as well as a gallery of well-known personalities from the 18th and 19th centuries. A highlight is the Great Hall on the ground floor. Numerous objects from the royal estates serve as records of the past, inviting the viewer to directly experience courtly art and the history of the hunt.