The Kronprinzenpalais has a truly eventful past, having been converted various times and even fully rebuilt on one occasion since it was constructed in 1663. The Nationalgalerie’s modern art collection was housed here from 1919 to 1937. The ‘Galerie der Lebenden’ (‘Gallery of Living Artists’) hosted at the site was an exhibition of modern art unlike any other in the world and served as a model for the way in which contemporary art is still shown today. In 1937, the Nazis moved the Prussian Academy of Arts into the building and denounced the works previously on show there as ‘degenerate’. The building burned down to its foundations in World War Two and was reconstructed in the same location in 1968/69.
The neighbouring Prinzessinnenpalais (photo) is also a reconstruction. Now home to the Operncafé, it was previously a residential dwelling. A stunning façade on the Lindenallee was built in 1810. In addition, a bridge was constructed so that its new residents, the daughters of King Frederick William III, could access the palace inhabited by their brother, the Crown Prince. The Prinzessinnenpalais’ garden extends all the way to the Opera building.
