Rheinsberg Castle (detail)

Rheinsberg (German Rheinsberg - "Rhine Mountain") is a castle and park in Germany, west of Berlin, near Potsdam, on an island in the middle of Lake Grinerik. It is associated with the youthful years of the Prussian king Frederick II the Great, who lived in this castle in 1734-1738, while still the crown prince. Frederick would later say: "The only place on earth where I was happy is Rheinsberg."

The court architect G.V. von Knobelsdorff, the author of the palace and park in Sanssouci, rebuilt the old building of the 16th century. to a cozy castle, separated from the water by a narrow parterre. The park was laid out in the French "regular style". Rheinsberg Castle became a meeting place for poets, musicians, artists who dreamed of making the Prussian courtyard a little Versailles. The French painter Antoine Peng (from 1732 director of the Academy of Painting and Architecture in Berlin) and the sculptor F. X. Gloume worked here. Both masters are the creators of the original Prussian, or Friderian, Rococo style.

In 1752 - 1802. Reinsberg was the seat of Prince Heinrich, the younger brother of Frederick II. During this period, the architect GF Bowmann the Younger made additions to the castle and turned the park into a "landscape" park with "Chinese" pavilions, as well as grottoes and ruins. Rheinsberg Castle is currently home to a museum.