I could
not inspect the interior, as the royal family was living there.
A side-path leads from here to the Ruinenberg, on which the ruins of
a larger and a smaller temple, raised by the hand of art, are
tastefully disposed. The top of the hill is taken up by a reservoir
of water. From this point one can see the back of the palace of
Sans Souci, and the so-called new palace, separated from the former
by a small park, and distant only about a quarter of an hour.
The new palace, built by Frederick the Great, is as splendid as one
can imagine. It forms a lengthened square, with arabesques and flat
columns, and has a flat roof, which is surrounded by a stone
balustrade, and ornamented by statues.
The apartments are high and large, and splendidly painted,
tapestried, and furnished. Oil-paintings, many of them very good,
cover the walls. One might fill a volume with the description of
all the wonders of this place, which is, however, not inhabited.
Behind the palace, and separated from it by a large court, are two
beautiful little palaces, connected by a crescent-shaped hall of
pillars; broad stone steps lead to the balconies surrounding the
first story of the edifices. They are used as barracks, and are, as
such, the most beautiful I have ever seen.
From here a pleasant walk leads to the lovely palace of
Charlottenburg. Coming from the large new palace it seemed too
small for the dwelling even of the crown-prince. I should have
taken it for a splendid pavilion attached to the new palace, to
which the royal family sometimes walked, and perhaps remained there
to take refreshment. But when I had inspected it more closely, and
seen all the comfortable little rooms, furnished with such tasteful
luxury, I felt that the crown-prince could not have made a better
choice.
Beautiful fountains play on the terraces; the walls of the corridors
and anterooms are covered with splendid frescoes, in imitation of
those found in Pompeii. The rooms abound in excellent engravings,
paintings, and other works of art; and the greatest taste and
splendour is displayed even in the minor arrangements.
A pretty Chinese chiosque, filled with good statues, which have been
unfortunately much damaged and broken, stands near the palace.
These three beautiful royal residences are situated in parks, which
are so united that they seem only as one. The parks are filled with
fine trees, and verdant fields crossed by well-kept paths and
drives; but I saw very few flower-beds in them.
When I had contemplated every thing at leisure, I returned to the
palace of Sans Souci, to see the beautiful fountains, which play
twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday, from noon till evening. The
columns projected from the basin in front of the castle are so
voluminous, and rise with such force, that I gazed in amazement at
the artifice. It is real pleasure to be near the basin when the sun
shines in its full splendour, forming the most beautiful rainbows in
the falling shower of drops. Equally beautiful is a fountain rising
from a high vase, enwreathed by living flowers, and falling over it,
so that it forms a quick, brisk fountain, transparent, and pure as
the finest crystal. The lid of the vase, also enwreathed with
growing flowers, rises above the fountain. The Neptune's grotto is
of no great beauty; the water falls from an urn placed over it, and
forms little waterfalls as it flows over nautilus-shells.
The marble palace lies on the other side of Potsdam, and is half an
hour's distance from these palaces; but I had time enough to visit
it.
Entering the park belonging to this palace, a row of neat peasants'
cottages is seen on the left; they are all alike, but separated by
fruit, flower, or kitchen-gardens. The palace lies at the extreme
end of the park, on a pretty lake formed by the river Havel. It
certainly has some right to the name of marble palace; but it seems
presumption to call it so when compared to the marble palaces of
Venice, or the marble mosques of Constantinople.
The walls of the building are of brick left in its natural colour.
The lower and upper frame-work, the window-sashes, and the portals,
are all of marble. The palace is partly surrounded by a gallery
supported on marble columns. The stairs are of fine white marble,
and many of the apartments are laid with this mineral. The interior
is not nearly so luxurious as the other palaces.
This was the last of the sights I saw in Potsdam or the environs of
Berlin; for I continued my journey to Vienna on the following day.
Before quitting Berlin, I must mention an arrangement which is
particularly convenient for strangers - namely, the fares for
hackney-carriages. One need ask no questions, but merely enter the
carriage, tell the coachman where to drive, and pay him six-pence.
This moderate fare is for the whole town, which is somewhat
extensive. At all the railway stations there are numbers of these
vehicles, which will drive to any hotel, however far it may be from
the station, for the same moderate fare. If only all cab-drivers
were so accommodating!
October 1st.
The railway goes through Leipzic to Dresden, where I took the mail-
coach for Prague at eight o'clock the same evening, and arrived
there in eighteen hours.
As it was night when we passed, we did not enjoy the beautiful views
of the Nollendorf mountain. In the morning we passed two handsome
monuments, one of them, a pyramid fifty-four feet high, to the
memory of Count Colloredo, the other to the memory of the Russian
troops who had fallen here; both have been erected since the wars of
Napoleon.
