Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841) is one of the most important German architects in early 19th-century Berlin, where most of his works are located. They include: Altes Museum, Friedrichswerder Church, Konzerthaus, Neue Wache, Schlossbrücke, and the Humboldt Schloss (known also as Tegel-Palais or Schloss Tegel).
There’s a modest patch of Humboldt family history in Tegel, about 10 km northwest from Berlin city centre. What started as a mid-16th century manor house would by the mid-18th century be owned by the Humboldt family. Brothers Wilhelm and Alexander Humboldt grew up in the house in the (17)70s and 80s. Many years later in 1819, Wilhelm commissioned Schinkel to rebuild the palace in the Classicist style. Inside there are many Greco-Roman decorative elements, reflecting the years Wilhelm and his wife, Caroline, lived in Rome. Schinkel would also go on in 1829 to design the family burial site on the palatial grounds.
Humboldt-Schloss (Tegel-Palais): entering the property.
The property is under private ownership, and the only access is a guided-tour of the house on Mondays from early-May to the end of September. There’s an admission charge for the 1-hour tour in German; neither photos nor video allowed inside. The tour is not for the casual visitor, but for those who’re serious to learn more about the Humboldts, Schinkel’s architecture, and their respective impact on Berlin history.The info here was useful.
Main entrance, east side of the house; the west entrance is off-limits. The ticket counter is on the north side of the building.
About 600 metres on a sandy path west from the palace is the Humboldt family cemetery, designed by Schinkel.
At the top of the central column is a copy of “Spes” (Roman goddess of hope) by Bertel Thorwaldsen (1817). Favoured by Caroline Humboldt, the original sculpture for the column is inside the Humboldt palace and visible during the guided tour.
Wilhelm Humboldt: diplomat, linguist, philosopher; born 22 June 1767, died 8 April 1835.
Alexander Humboldt: ecologist, geographer, natural historian; born 14 September 1769, died 6 May 1859.
The Humboldt family palace in the background, as seen from the family cemetery.
View of the palace from the west, in late-day sun.
Sign at entrance to the property.
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 2 June 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
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