Lustgarten

The Lustgarten in Berlin is a space rich in history and significance, located in the heart of Museum Island. Its evolution reflects the political, social, and cultural changes that have crossed the city of Berlin over the centuries. The Lustgarten was born in 1573, when Elector Johann Georg of Brandenburg ordered the drainage of a swamp near his castle to create a garden of fruit and herbs. This space, initially dedicated to cultivation, represents one of the first examples of urban transformation for agricultural purposes in the German capital. Among the most interesting curiosities, it is said that the first potatoes in Berlin were planted here. During the 17th century, the garden was transformed into a sumptuous pleasure garden by the Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, reflecting the baroque trend of the time to create elaborate and ornamental green spaces. However, under the reign of Friedrich Wilhelm I, known for his more practical than aesthetic aspirations, the Lustgarten was stripped of its greenery and transformed into a square for military parades. This metamorphosis represents the transition from a place of pleasure to an instrument of power and military discipline. With the advent of the reign of Friedrich Wilhelm II at the end of the 18th century, the Lustgarten underwent a new change: greenery was reintroduced and the park was once again embellished. This restyling was further strengthened by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, who, in conjunction with the construction of the Altes Museum in 1830, redesigned the garden to harmonize it with the new classical buildings. Schinkel collaborated with the landscaper Peter Joseph Lenné to create an area that was not only a backdrop for architectural monuments, but a real meeting and relaxation space for citizens. A central element of the Lustgarten is the Great Granite Bowl, created by Christian Gottlieb Cantian in 1828. This monumental work, weighing about 75 tons, was transported on a barge along the River Spree and placed in front of the Altes Museum. On the occasion of its inauguration in 1834, a special breakfast was organized inside the bowl, demonstrating its grandeur and attractiveness. In the popular Berlin language, the bowl is affectionately called “the Berlin soup tureen.” During the Nazi period, the Lustgarten was again transformed: in 1934 it was paved and used for mass parades and propaganda events of the regime. This dramatic change reflected the use of the city as a stage for totalitarian power, temporarily erasing the public and democratic use of the space. After World War II and the division of Berlin, the Lustgarten found itself in the eastern part of the city, under the control of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was renamed Marx-Engels-Platz and used for public demonstrations and state celebrations. Only in the 1990s, with the reunification of Germany, was the Lustgarten restored and brought back as much as possible to its 19th-century appearance, rediscovering its original vocation as a green space and meeting place.