Wilhelm II's Weisser Saal and its Doppelthron

Abstract

Kaiser Wilhelm II's refashioning of the principal diplomatic space within his Berlin palace was both a political and an architectural endeavour. In his radical transformation of the Weisser Saal or White Hall of the Berlin palace, Wilhelm expressed not only his dual identities as both German Emperor and King of Prussia, but also his fascination with the latest technology. Working with architect Ernst Ihne, Wilhelm created a Weisser Saal strikingly modern in its purity of volume and its conceptual use of architecture-as-lamp, critical aspects obscured by the hall's neo-baroque decorative programme. This analysis examines the political, architectural and topographical contexts in which the Kaiser conceived this space, a project that he initiated shortly after assuming the throne. The room's transformation lasted over half his reign and was one of Wilhelm's most expensive building projects. In conjunction with this endeavour, Wilhelm also fashioned a peculiar Doppelthron or double throne for the room, another attempt to express his dual titles. Designed to impart both dynastic and national legitimacy, Wilhelm's Weisser Saal and its double throne were however undermined by subtexts of impermanence, an irony that calls into question their ultimate efficacy as political acts.