Schloss Charlottenburg is the largest and most spectacular palace in Berlin. Originally built from 1695-99, it was later extended in 1701, 1740 and 1786 by various people. It was heavily bombed during World War 2, and rebuilt in the 1950s. Visitors can gain access to the palace for a fee to see interiors such as the banqueting hall with amazing wooden carvings, and the Porcelain room with its valuable Chinese and Japanese porcelains. The Museum for Pre and Early History occupies the former theatre, with exhibitions from excavations in Troy. The park-like grounds are popular with tourists and locals, and contain a mausoleum with the tombs of Queen Luise and Friedrich Wilhelm III amongst others.
