The
former is covered with fine sculptures; the latter is square, of a
brick-red colour, without any architectural embellishment, and
perfectly resembling an unusually large private house. The ground-
floor is turned into fine shops.
Near the palace lies the Opera Square, in which stand the celebrated
opera-house, the arsenal, the university, the library, the academy,
the guardhouse, and several royal palaces. Three statues ornament
the square: those of General Count Bulov, General Count
Scharnhorst, and General Prince Blucher. They are all three
beautifully sculptured, but the drapery did not please me; it
consisted of the long military cloth cloak, which, opening in front,
afforded a glimpse of the splendid uniforms.
The arsenal is one of the finest buildings in Berlin, and forms a
square; at the time of my stay some repairs were being made, so that
it was closed. I had to be content with glimpses through the
windows of the first floor, which showed me immense saloons filled
by tremendous cannons, ranged in rows.
The guardhouse is contiguous, and resembles a pretty temple, with
its portico of columns.
The opera-house forms a long detached square. It would have a much
better effect if the entrances were not so wretched. The one at the
grand portal looks like a narrow, miserable church-door, low and
gloomy. The other entrances are worse still, and one would not
suppose that they could lead to such a splendid interior, whose
appointments are indescribably luxurious and commodious. The pit is
filled by rows of comfortably-cushioned chairs with cushioned backs,
numbered, but not barred. The boxes are divided by very low
partitions, so that the aristocratic world seems to sit on a
tribune. The seats in the pit and the first and second tiers are
covered with dark-red silk damask; the royal box is a splendid
saloon, the floor of which is covered with the finest carpets.
Beautiful oil-paintings, in tasteful gold frames, ornament the
plafond; but the magnificent chandelier is the greatest curiosity.
It looks so massively worked in bronze, that it is painful to see
the heavy mass hang so loosely over the heads of the spectators.
But it is only a delusion; for it is made of paste-board, and
bronzed over. Innumerable lamps light the place; but one thing
which I miss in such elegant modern theatres is a clock, which has a
place in nearly every Italian theatre.
The other buildings on this square are also distinguished for their
size and the beauty of their architecture.
An unusually broad stone bridge, with a finely-made iron balustrade,
is built over a little arm of the Spree, and unites the square of
the opera with that on which the palace stands.
