A Morning at the Grunewald Hunting Lodge

The first of April could not have been more perfect for the WiB group Palaces, Villas and Parks. The sun was shining from a cloudless sky, a gentle breeze in the air and the temperatures were pleasantly spring-like as the participants of the tour gathered in the courtyard for the visit to the Grunewald Hunting Lodge. Professionally informative and with much wit, Susanne von der Osten-Sacken led the group through the hunting lodge. The visit began with a tour of the largest Cranach collection in Berlin, which is housed at the lodge. 

When visiting castles, a certain eerie factor is of course essential: during the tour, Susanne shared the story of Anna von Sydow, who is said to have met her tragic end in a tower room at the top of a spiral staircase, bricked up alive. To this day, the corridor and access to this room remain sealed by decree and must not be opened. This prohibition had been explicitly upheld until the beginning of the 20th century by the last German Emperor Wilhelm II. The secret behind the closed corridor and the „white lady“ remains intact.

After a group photo on the picturesque terrace by the lake, specially opened for the WiB group, the members ended the morning with coffee and cake on the sunny courtyard terrace of the hunting lodge café.