Köpenick Palace: the Baroque palace on the water and the old town
Köpenick Palace (Schloss Köpenick) stands on an island in the Dahme river in south-east Berlin, reached by S-Bahn from the centre. Since 1963 this Baroque palace has housed a branch of the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) of the Berlin State Museums, devoted to Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo interiors. The park around the palace is free to enter; the rooms require a ticket. The opening hours and prices below were checked in October 2026 on the websites of the State Museums and visitBerlin. The present building replaces a Renaissance hunting lodge built in 1558 by Elector Joachim II on the foundations of an earlier Slavic fortified site. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style from 1677 for Crown Prince Frederick, the future Frederick I of Prussia. Köpenick was also the setting in 1730 of the court martial of the young Crown Prince Frederick (the future Frederick II) and his friend Hans Hermann von Katte after their attempted escape.
Highlights
The palace seen from the water
The Baroque façade with its pale walls and red-tiled roof is best seen from the bank of the Dahme as you arrive from the old town. The island is separated from central Köpenick by an arm of the river, and the park around it is open for strolling all year. Concerts and events held in the palace and on the island are announced on the palace website.
The state rooms of the Kunstgewerbemuseum
The "RoomArt" route, reopened after the 2004 renovation, presents 16th- to 18th-century decorative arts in restored rooms: panelling, porcelain, silverware and furniture. Pieces named by visitBerlin include the Wiesentheid mirror cabinet (1724-1725), a lacquer cabinet with Chinese scenes from Turin (around 1740-1750), Frederick I's silver buffet from the Berlin city palace, and the Coat of Arms Room with its royal porcelain. Four entire rooms from Swiss castles have also been reconstructed.
The old town and the town hall
Köpenick's Altstadt occupies a peninsula between the Dahme and the Spree: cobbled lanes, low houses and small cafés a few minutes' walk from the palace. The Rathaus, completed in 1904 in Brandenburg brick Gothic, owes its fame to the "Captain of Köpenick" affair: in 1906 the shoemaker Wilhelm Voigt, disguised as a captain, took the town's cash box here with a few soldiers. A bronze statue of the captain greets visitors at the entrance, and an exhibition tells the story in the former cash room.
From the palace to the Müggelsee
Köpenick is the gateway to the Berlin of lakes and forests. From the station, the S3 S-Bahn continues to Friedrichshagen and Rahnsdorf on the Müggelsee, the city's largest lake, surrounded by forest. You can easily combine a morning at the palace with a swim or a walk in the afternoon; see our guide to Treptow and Köpenick.
Practical info
Tips
The palace is not open every day: in October 2026 the winter schedule (October to March) is Thursday to Sunday, 11am-5pm; from April to September, Wednesday to Friday 11am-5pm and weekends 11am-6pm. Closed on Mondays all year. Full price €8, reduced €4, free for under-18s. The Berlin WelcomeCard gives a discount (see our guide to the Berlin WelcomeCard); the Museumspass gives admission. Check the hours before you go: they sometimes change because of works or events. Allow 1 hour for the rooms, 2 to 3 hours with the old town.
How to get there
Schloßinsel 1, 12557 Berlin. S-Bahn S3 to Köpenick station, then a tram to Schloßplatz Köpenick (lines 27, 60, 61, 62, 63, 67 and 68, according to visitBerlin), about a 2-minute walk from the palace. You can also get off at Spindlersfeld (S47) and walk along the Spree. For tickets and zones, see our guide to getting around Berlin. To continue, see the Spreepark and Treptower Park, further west along the Spree.
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