21

21

Swan’s palace

“The undersigned sincerely requests the permission of the honourable magistrate to name the pavilion in the Cross Pond (Kreuzteich) ‘Swan’s Palace’ and asks for a prompt decision because the dishes shall be inscribed accordingly.” Fragments of this very first tableware do still exist and are on display in a glass show case in the dining area on ground floor.
I was intended as an exotic, Indian-style eyecatcher, but that did not work out. Instead, after a second attempt, in 1898 a permission was issued to set up a small pavilion as “Gondola and Ice-skating Station in the Cross Pond”; in addition it offered “hot drinks, beer in bottles as well as cognac and liqueurs”.
After a long period of decay after the war, the popular restaurant was closed in 1970 and subsequently demolished. In modern materials it has been rebuilt – true to its original appearance in almost every detail and as popular today as it was 100 years ago.