In conversation – Wolfgang Hilbert on the Belvedere Pfingstberg
Belvedere Pfingstberg
Belvedere Palace on Pfingstberg was a pet project of Frederick William IV – the Italian dream of the romantically inclined king. How exactly did he envision his dream palace, and where did he find his inspiration?
Wolfgang Hilbert: Frederick William IV was a profound admirer of Italian Renaissance villas, some of which he knew from a copperplate engraving by Percier and Fontaine and from his two-month trip to Italy in 1828. Various Italian late Renaissance villas served as models for the planning and his own drawings for the development of Pfingstberg, although often with significant alterations. Elements such as the twin towers, modeled on the tower of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, as well as the castle, water basin, arcades, and colonnades are typical stylistic elements of this "stage-set architecture." The king was particularly taken with the Casino Caprarola, a small summer villa in the extensive gardens of the Villa Farnese in Caprarola. He intended for this to be rebuilt on Pfingstberg, architecturally almost unchanged. A magnificent water cascade would have followed downhill, but this would also have cost the Pomona Temple, Schinkel's first work from 1801, its "life"!
In the end, the palace looked quite different. But the king never knew this. He died before its completion. Nevertheless, the Belvedere became a magnificent building. What was it used for, and by whom?
WH: After the king's death in 1861, the construction of the Belvedere was completed, including the entrance hall, which echoes the aforementioned casino. Since the palace could not be used as a residence, a caretaker's apartment was established in 1877, and the palace was opened to visitors. Strict regulations, which the caretaker was responsible for enforcing, prohibited, for example, smoking and bringing dogs. After 1827, the palace came under the care of the "Prussian Palaces and Gardens" administration, and after the division of Germany, under the administration of the "State Palaces and Gardens Sanssouci."
The palace survived World War II almost unscathed, but it fell into increasing disrepair. Although Potsdam Palace remained open to the public until the 1950s, this came to an end with the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. The Belvedere became a "secret place." What exactly does that mean?
WH: Contrary to popular belief, Pfingstberg remained accessible and unfenced even after the Berlin Wall was built. However, the Belvedere, the Pomona Temple, and Lenné's garden fell into increasing disrepair. This was due to the ignorance of government authorities, coupled with a lack of funds, vandalism, and an exaggerated sense of security regarding sensitive areas such as Soviet barracks and military equipment in the northwest, the border with West Berlin in the north, and Military Town No. 7 (a listening post) in the east surrounding Pfingstberg, during the Cold War. The absurd culmination of this was arguably Pfingstberg's "disappearance" from maps in the 1980s, which subsequently turned it into a "secret place."
In the 1980s, dedicated Potsdam residents, including Matthias Platzeck, came together to awaken the palace from its slumber. An initiative was born that accomplished remarkable work. Was this the birth of the Friends of the Palace Association?
WH: In 1988, the Pfingstberg Working Group was founded, primarily on the initiative of Wieland Eschenburg, under the umbrella of the GDR's Cultural Association. Its initial goal was the restoration of Lenné's garden design. The following year, through various work projects, the group achieved visible successes, including clearing the eastern area of overgrown vegetation in front of the Belvedere and partially pruning the pergolas. The idea of reconstructing the Pomona Temple using their own resources was born. To present and promote the project to a wider public, the first Pfingstberg Festival was held on June 10, 1989, attracting approximately 3.000 visitors to the hill and proving a resounding success! Following German reunification, the non-profit association Förderverein Pfingstberg in Potsdam e.V. (Pfingstberg Support Association in Potsdam) was founded in 1990. The reconstruction of the Pomona Temple by the Hermann Reemtsma Foundation in 1993 likely served as a catalyst for the association's members, especially since they were granted the use of the building by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG) a year later. The legendary temple services, with a volunteer visitor service on weekends from Easter to October, and the "Culture in Nature" event series originated here.
In 1999, the Belvedere Palace and the Pomona Temple were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Was this also a result of civic engagement?
WH: To put it mildly, and with all due modesty, the answer is a resounding YES. Safety measures were in place for parts of the Belvedere ruins that were at risk of collapse, and plans for the reconstruction were drawn up. These plans were secured by generous donations from Prof. Dr. Werner Otto and the Hermann Reemtsma Foundation, as well as many other large and small donors. Nothing stood in the way of construction beginning. The growing number of members in the Friends of the Belvedere association, who generated further donations through their weekend work promoting the ambitious project, contributed significantly to its success. The Belvedere was partially reopened in 2001, partly due to the Friends of the Belvedere association's successful conclusion of an operating agreement with the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG), which continues to this day to allow the Belvedere to be open from March to November.
What kind of place is the Belvedere Pfingstberg today? What experiences does it offer its guests?
WH: It's a romantic and magical place, a place of peace and relaxation, but also of diverse experiences. Alexander von Humboldt praised the view from the towers as "one of the most beautiful in the world." We advertise it somewhat more modestly as "Potsdam's most beautiful view." In addition to visiting the Belvedere, our guests can look forward to: the permanent exhibitions "Potsdam Visions with a View – Pfingstberg and its Eventful History" and "Between Garden Shed and Russian Warehouse – Everyday Life on Potsdam's Pfingstberg 1945–1994," as well as changing art exhibitions in the Pomona Temple, Sunday tours, concerts, a fairy tale festival, romantic moonlit nights, an Advent market, and open-air yoga.
