From Rabbit Island to Royal Menagerie: The Strange Evolution of Berlin’s Pfaueninsel

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Nestled in the Havel River, Pfaueninsel has served as a rabbit farm, a secret glass foundry, a royal summer retreat, and a sprawling exotic zoo. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage site remains a protected nature reserve, preserving a layered history of Prussian ambition and architectural whimsy within its 67 hectares.

Pfaueninsel, or Peacock Island, has undergone radical transformations since the late 17th century. Initially known as Rabbit Island under Elector Frederick William I, it briefly hosted a glass foundry run by Johann Kunckel, who pioneered a method for creating artificial ruby glass. After a fire destroyed the facility in 1689, the island sat largely neglected for a century until King Frederick William II commissioned a castle there in 1794. Designed by Johann Gottlieb Brendel, the structure served as a private summer escape for the monarch and his mistress, Wilhelmine Enke.

The island’s most eccentric era began under Frederick William III, who turned the landscape into a model farm and a massive menagerie. Between 1821 and 1834, designers Peter Joseph Lenné and Karl Friedrich Schinkel reimagined the grounds, adding Italian-style villas and an aviary. The collection eventually grew to include over 900 animals across 100 species, ranging from lions and bears to kangaroos and alligators. The king personally fed many of these creatures and opened the island to the public, though the resulting crowds forced him to limit access to three days a week.

The island’s exotic character was further enhanced by the Palmenhaus, a grand structure designed by Schinkel in 1831 to house tropical plants like bananas and tobacco. Praised by Alexander von Humboldt, the building was tragically lost to a fire in 1880. By 1842, the menagerie had been relocated to the newly opened Berlin Zoo. Despite its turbulent history—including a 1936 Olympic celebration and its proximity to Cold War border fortifications—the island is now managed by the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, maintaining its status as a protected sanctuary for flora and fauna.

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