An avenue of Douglas fir trees leads from Charlottenburg Palace to the mausoleum in the park, which Frederick William III had built for his wife, Queen Louise, who died young. Her coffin was transferred here from Berlin Cathedral in 1810.

The mausoleum, designed by Heinrich Gentz, was originally a private place of worship: a small temple with a columned sandstone front - replaced in 1828 by a portico made of reddish granite - and a higher hall. The famous marble monument to the queen by Christian Daniel Rauch was erected there in 1814, effectively illuminated by a skylight.

The mausoleum was extended at the rear for the first time after the death of Frederick William III in 1840 to accommodate his tomb. The altar niche, the marble crucifix and Bible verses on the walls gave the building the character of a chapel.

In 1890/91, it was enlarged a second time to accommodate the tombs of Emperor Wilhelm I and his wife Augusta. The private place of remembrance was thus transformed into a dynastic monument.
The sarcophagi of the rulers are located in the crypt beneath the hall.