Schloss Tegel

Tegel Palace, also known as Humboldt Palace, is the most important historic monument in Berlin's Reinickendorf district. The present-day Neoclassical building was constructed between 1820 and 1824 by Karl Friedrich Schinkel for Wilhelm von Humboldt. The history of the estate, however, goes back to the 16th century, when it was built as a Renaissance manor house and later converted into a hunting lodge. After passing through various owners, the estate eventually came to the Humboldt family, who made it their family seat. The famous brothers Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt spent many years of their childhood on the estate. Wilhelm von Humboldt, who inherited the property in 1797, had the palace extensively remodeled and died in Tegel in 1835.

Today the palace still belongs to the descendants of Wilhelm von Humboldt, the von Heinz family, who also live there. During the summer season, you can visit the private Humboldt Museum on Mondays as part of guided tours. The expansive palace park, which stretches almost to Lake Tegel, offers a special experience. It was originally laid out by Gottlob Johann Christian Kunth and later developed further by Wilhelm von Humboldt and Schinkel. The park is home to historic trees such as the "Dicke Marie" (Fat Mary) and the monumental Humboldt Oak.

A focal point of the park is the family burial site, designed by Schinkel in 1829. Alongside Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt, it is also the resting place of Wilhelm's wife Caroline and the family's descendants. Caroline's grave is marked by a marble sculpture of the Roman goddess Spes on a granite column, created by Bertel Thorvaldsen. The simple gravestones and the semicircular stone bench frame this monument and lend the place a dignified atmosphere.