Tom`s travels: Pfaueninsel (28/08/2024)

After work, Ania and I decided to head to visit the Pfaueninsel, or Peacock Island, an island in the River Havel close to Potsdam. After reaching Berlin Wannsee station we got off and hopped on a bus that took us to the northern edge of the Westlicher Düppeler Forest where we were then able to take the little ferry that in just a few meters took us to the island. The ticket included both the ferry and the entry into the island which is part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a a nature reserve. Once off the ferry boat, we started walking along the island's perimeter, passing by the first building of many, the frigate boathouse built in 1833 specifically to hold the miniature frigate gifted by the British King George IV to the Prussian King Frederick William III to commemorate the victory over Napoleon. Nowadays only a copy of that original, which was scrapped after WWII, survives and is held there during the winter months. Nearby we then walked through a nice small garden with plants, herbs, and some vines. Next up we passed the Maschinenhaus, a steam engine built in 1822 to bring a regular water supply to the island by pumping the river's water uphill and then through the rest of the island in pipes. Walking further we then reached the Beelitzer Jagdschirm, a peculiar bark-covered building that served as a hunting cabin. The interior of the first floor had a salon for the hunting party with curtains and wallpaper while the basement had holes from which the hunters could shoot aquatic birds. Continuing along the perimeter we reached the northern part of the island where a gothic-like structure was set. Looking like a church this is actually a dairy farm built at the end of the 19th century and still has sheep roaming around. As we continued on we noticed a small pond and saw something move it in. As it was in the shadows and the figures dark we couldn't make out what it was until we saw one of its horns move. They were water buffaloes just enjoying a nice cooling bath in the muddy pond. After this incredible sight, we then walked over to another building, a Greek temple built as a grave monument for Queen Louise. Heading then to the core of the island we found a large aviary with birds of all kinds, many of which exotic. Once the whole island itself was a mix of architecture, nature, and animals with many people from Berlin coming specifically to see the king's menagerie that held alligators, buffalos, kangaroos, monkeys, chameleons, wolves, eagles, lions, lamas, bears, beavers and peacocks. The number of animals peaked at over 900, from over 100 species, while today only the aviary is what remains of that menagerie. Not far from there we then passed by another building, the Kavaliershaus built at the beginning of the 19th century and expanded a couple of decades later by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Interestingly an additional tower-like structure was added to its side by using a Gothic house from Gdansk. This structure actually had a long history. It is said that the bricks for the façade of the house were made in Venice around 1360 for parts of a palace in Nuremberg and in 1480, the late Gothic façade was transported to Gdansk for a house there. The gothic house was crumbling and in need of repair and being too costly was thus dismantled and sold at auction, being then bought for the King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm III and eventually brought to the peacock island. Moving onwards we reached the western part of the island where the Schloss, or palace was set. It was the first structure to be completed, built in 1797 as a summer residence for the king and to be seen from his Marmorpalasi in Potsdam, across the water. The palace was under refurbishment and so we continued on to reach the last structure on the island, the Schweizerhaus. This was a representation of the romantic ideal of closeness to nature as Swiss houses were widely used in European landscape gardens during the Romantic period in the 19th century. Finally after our walk we were back at the start and we waited then for the ferry to take us back to the mainland and from there head home.