Jagdschloss Fürstenwalde, Baroque hunting lodge in Fürstenwalde/Spree, Germany

Jagdschloss Fürstenwalde is a two-story Baroque manor located along the Spree River, marked by 13 window axes symmetrically arranged beneath a hipped roof and a projecting central section. The building sits directly on the riverbank and displays the balanced proportions typical of Baroque design with regular fenestration.

Friedrich I had the hunting lodge built between 1699 and 1700 by court architect Martin Grünberg, who also worked on Jagdschloss Grunewald. After Friedrich I died in 1713 the building fell into disrepair and was used illegally as housing and a workshop. In 1750 Friedrich II ordered it converted into a military grain store, adding an intermediate floor and removing the exterior staircase and pleasure garden.

The site served Prussian nobility as a place for hunting trips and leisure with formal gardens and fish ponds designed for royal enjoyment. Visitors can still sense how the building and its grounds functioned as a place where the court mixed nature with architecture.

The building underwent comprehensive renovation from 2020 to 2023, carefully preserving key original features from its different periods of use. Visitors will find an easily accessible location on the riverbank whose exterior appearance reflects its complex construction history.

The interior still bears the heavy wooden beam ceilings that Friedrich II had installed during the 1750 conversion to grain storage. This sturdy construction is a visible reminder of how the building shifted from a royal pleasure retreat to a military storage facility.