Schloss Schönhausen is surrounded by a lovely park and packs a lot of German history into its pint-size frame. Originally a country estate of Prussian nobles, in 1740 it became the summer residence of Frederick II's estranged wife Elisabeth Christine, who had it enlarged and rendered in playful rococo. Taking a page from Sleeping Beauty, the palace fell into a long slumber after her death in 1797 until the Nazis used the dilapidated structure as a storeroom for 'degenerate' modern art. In 1949, the building was restored once more and became the seat of East Germany's first head of state, Wilhelm Pieck, before later becoming the country's state guesthouse.
