A masterpiece of Renaissance architecture
Spandau Citadel is considered one of the most important and best preserved Renaissance fortresses in Europe. It stands on an area that was already fortified with a stone castle in the Middle Ages. With the development of firearms, the Spandau castle no longer offered protection. Thus, from 1560 to 1594, the Brandenburg Elector Joachim II had a modern defensive fortress built as western protection for the residential city of Berlin-Cölln.
The specially engaged Italian architects Francesco Chiaramella de Gandino and Rochus zu Lynar designed a symmetrical complex with four bastions, completely surrounded by water. The ramparts and the defense galleries underneath were designed and equipped in such a way that attackers could be detected from anywhere and taken under fire.
The battlements can be visited during guided tours in the summer. A walk on the ramparts is an experience all year round.
