Pfaueninsel, or Peacock Island, is a small island at the western edge of Berlin before Brandenburg. You can only get there by a small ferry, but it is perfect for a day trip.

Pfaueninsel gets its name from the numerous peacocks that remain from the Prussian era when it served as a private zoo for King Frederick William III.

In the ten years after 1821, he made the island a park with many exotic animals, reaching over 900 animals from more than 100 species. After he died, the next leader moved the animals to what is now the Berlin Zoo in Charlottenburg.

The island’s royal history begins in the 17th century when it was known as Rabbit Island, named after a rabbit breeding station established there.

A century later, King Frederick William II built a small castle on the island for himself and his mistress, known as Pfaueninsel Castle. His successor later transformed the island into a private zoo.

Other buildings were built during the Hohenzollern era. The House of Palms had exotic plants like banana, mangold, and tobacco. It was said to be admired by the botanist Alexander von Humboldt. It was destroyed by fire and never rebuilt.

Also, there is the fort-like House of Cavaliers, a shelter for a small frigate, a dairy, a memorial temple for Queen Luise of Prussia, and a phallic fountain bursting water from its tip.

Since 1990, after the Berlin Wall fell, Pfaueninsel has been a UNESCO World Heritage site. You can only get there by a small ferry, and it’s best to book ferry tickets ahead of time. To enter the castle, you must join a guided tour.