Schloss Meseberg

Schloss Meseberg is a Baroque palace 65 kilometres north of Berlin in the state of Brandenburg, Germany which is the retreat of the Chancellor of Germany and the official state guest house of the German Federal Government. It is situated in an estate near the town of Gransee southeast of the Huwenowsee lake.

Schloss Meseberg

History
Schloss Meseberg
Ceiling fresco by Bernhard Rode

Built by the Wartensleben family in 1739 to replace a previous building on the site that had burnt down, the Schloss passed to the von der Gröben family in the second half of the century. In 1774, the property and adjacent land parcels were purchased by Prince Henry of Prussia, who resided in nearby Rheinsberg Palace, and one year later were gifted to his paramour, Christian Ludwig von Kaphengst (1740-1800). In this way Heinrich complied with the command of his brother, King Frederick II, to remove Kaphengst from the court at Rheinsberg. Kaphengst furnished and decorated the palace lavishly, commissioning ceiling frescoes from Bernhard Rode, including one depicting an apotheosis of Heinrich. The estate grew with the construction of additional buildings, including the stables. Under Kaphengst and his successors, the baroque garden was extended, and an English garden edging most of the lake shore was landscaped by Peter Joseph Lenné.

The property was later purchased by the Lessing family, owners of the Berlin newspaper Vossische Zeitung. During the Nazi era, it was forcibly acquired by Hermann Göring, only to be appropriated by the Soviet occupation in 1945. The East German government used it to house a grocery store and school rooms, which preserved it from demolition. A plan to renovate the dilapidated palace and turn it into a conference center for the Academy of Sciences was never realized.[1]

Following the reunification of Germany the estate was bought by the Messerschmitt Foundation in 1995. The foundation, devoted to preserving historical landmarks, spent 11 years and more than $30 million renovating the stucco building, with its Ionic half-columns and high mansard roof.[2][1]

In 2004, the Messerschmitt Foundation agreed to lease the palace to the Federal German Government for 20 years, for a symbolic annual rent of one euro. The government subsequently spent $17 million to install security and communications equipment and period furniture and paintings.[1] Since 2007, it has been the retreat of the Chancellor of Germany (as Chequers is for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Camp David for the President of the United States). The government regularly holds its cabinet conclave at Meseberg. Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts many state guests at Meseberg.

In their so-called Meseberg Declaration,[3] Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron of France publicly committed themselves in 2018 to a partnership aimed at reinvigorating European integration.[4]

Facilities
Park of Schloss Meseberg
Palace

The palace basement once housed the kitchen of the local agricultural cooperative. Today it houses the chancellor’s wine bar, with seats for 30 guests.[1]

Visits of foreign dignitaries (selection)

First term of Chancellor Angela Merkel

Second term of Chancellor Angela Merkel

Third term of Chancellor Angela Merkel

Fourth term of Chancellor Angela Merkel

See also

References
  1. Nicholas Kulish (March 15, 2012), A Village Where Europe Can Take a Stroll and Plot Its Future New York Times.
  2. Hutton, Robert (2013-04-10). "Merkel Invites Cameron and Family to Meseberg Retreat by Berlin". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  3. Meseberg Declaration Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, press release of 19 June 2018.
  4. Jim Brunsden (June 20, 2018), The best and worst of Meseberg Financial Times.
  5. Merkel trifft Olmert privat vor Regierungsgesprächen Reuters, February 12, 2008.
  6. "Bundeskanzlerin - Besuch im Kanzleramt". Bundeskanzlerin.de. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  7. Colm Kelpie (February 24, 2012), Irish PM Enda Kenny outlines the need to stimulate Irish economy to Angela Merkel Belfast Telegraph.
  8. David Cameron and Angela Merkel agree to co-operate on 'flexible' EU The Guardian, 13 April 2013.
  9. Stefan Blumberg (August 31, 2015), Die Angela Merkel-Show in Meseberg Märkische Allgemeine.
  10. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed meets German chancellor The National, May 9, 2016.
  11. Merkels ungewöhnlicher Gast in Meseberg Die Welt, April 25, 2017.
  12. "Німеччина готова активізувати "нормандський формат" – Цеголко". Українська правда. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  13. "India-Germany ties attract attention after Merkel's outburst - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  14. Kampf gegen illegale Migration: Merkel will enger mit Niger zusammenarbeiten Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, August 15, 2018.
  15. Marine Pennetier and Michel Rose (June 24, 2020), French President Macron to meet Germany's Merkel on June 29 Reuters.

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