Station: [15] The Queen's Salon

You are in the Queen’s Salon, one of the castle’s most magnificent rooms. As soon as you enter, the richly gilded coffered ceiling catches your eye. The floor is also particularly exquisite; it is made of five types of wood: maple, oak, cherry, walnut, and mahogany. Because of the color of its upholstered furniture, this room is also called the Blue Salon.

The salon served as both a living room and a study for Queen Augusta, who later became empress. You can see her portrait to the right of the mantelpiece. The initial “A” also refers to Augusta. It adorns the gold-colored walls—alternating with the eagle—which were painted using a stencil technique. To the right of Augusta is a portrait of her husband, Wilhelm I.

To the left of the mantelpiece, you’ll find the portraits of the second German imperial couple. Pictured are Emperor Frederick III, the so-called “99-Day Emperor,” and his wife, Empress Victoria. She was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain. After her husband’s death in 1888—the “Year of the Three Emperors”—she took the name Empress Friedrich. Victoria was also a talented artist. This is evidenced by the portrait of her son, Prince Waldemar, which she painted herself. It hangs above the Neo-Gothic writing desk.

The last pair of portraits can be found to the left and right of the bay window facing the inner courtyard. They depict the third and final German imperial couple: Emperor Wilhelm II and his wife, Empress Auguste Victoria of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.

If you now look up, you’ll discover round portraits in the frieze below the ceiling. They depict the consorts of the Brandenburg electors from the House of Hohenzollern. This series illustrates how important strategic marriage alliances were for the rise of dynasties. A famous example from more recent times is the marriage policy of Queen Victoria of England, the mother of Empress Victoria. Because of her children’s advantageous marriages, she was also known as the “Grandmother of Europe.”

And then there’s a little surprise in this room. Have you spotted the blue bird in front of the bay window yet? The blue macaw fascinated people as early as the 18th and 19th centuries. These magnificent animals were particularly popular in aristocratic salons. In the summer of 1849, the future Empress Augusta received a blue macaw as a precious gift from Prince Pückler. Augusta was still a Prussian princess at the time and took the bird with her to Koblenz. The macaw became a dear companion to her. She delighted in its affection and was proud of this magnificent animal. When it died in the spring of 1855, she was deeply saddened. She wrote to Prince Pückler: “I confess that tears came to my eyes.”

If you’d like to continue, the door trimmed with red velvet will now lead you into the reception room and antechamber.