Caspar David Friedrich Country;The Genius of German Romanticism

Late morning flight with BA from London Heathrow to Berlin. Adjacent to the Palace of Charlottenburg lies the New Pavilion, built by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. This handsome Italianate villa houses an outstanding collection of paintings by Caspar David Friedrich and his contemporaries. From there continue to your four-star hotel. First of two nights in Berlin.

Morning walk to Museum Island to study the outstanding collection of Romantic paintings in the Alte Nationalgalerie. Works include Friedrich’s iconic Monk by The Sea and Abbey in the Oakwood. Both paintings were bought by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia for his collection in 1810, shortly after the death of his much-loved wife, Queen Luise. At the Kupferstichkabinett, the Collection of Prints and Drawings, works by Friedrich will be presented to us in a private viewing. Second of two nights in Berlin.

By coach from Berlin to Stralsund. En route we will stop at Neustrelitz. This charming town with its pleasure garden was created in 1701 from the drawing board as the capital of the newly established duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. After lunch, the coach takes us to Greifswald. The unmistakable silhouette of Friedrich’s hometown was thought by the artist to be the most beautiful in northern Germany and was painted by him and fellow Romantics time and again. Our exploration of the town will include a private view of the Pomeranian State Museum to see Friedrich’s paintings and drawings and a visit to the Dom St Nikolai, the Brick Gothic seat of the bishop of the Pomeranian Evangelical Church. Continue to Stralsund where the remaining three nights of the tour will be spent.

Morning walk through Stralsund: much of the wealth of this Hanseatic town was invested in monumental churches, magnificent gabled merchant houses and a grandiose town hall — spectacular examples of north German Brick Gothic. The townscape, listed as UNESCO World Heritage, has essentially remained unchanged for centuries. After lunch, coach excursion to the island of Rügen. The small town of Putbus was transformed into a dazzling Classicist residence of a princely family in the first half of the 19th century. Continue to Sassnitz for a boat trip along the coast to see the famous chalk cliffs featured in some of Friedrich’s works.

All day coach excursion to Güstrow. Its palace with elaborate stucco decoration and an excellent art collection is one of the few remaining buildings of the Renaissance in northern Germany — as is the pleasure garden whose intricate design follows Italian models. The cathedral, founded as early as 1226, is a veritable treasure chest including a rare example of a Late Gothic winged altar and Ernst Barlach’s deeply moving Hovering Angel of 1926. Further works by this Expressionist sculptor are on display in the Chapel of St Gertrud nearby.

Coach transfer from Stralsund to Hamburg. After lunch at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, we will conclude our study of German Romanticism by enjoying some of Caspar David Friedrich’s most impressive and powerful paintings such as The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog and The Sea of Ice. Early evening flight from Hamburg with BA to London Heathrow.