Schloss Rheinsberg is a graceful Baroque palace set on the shore of the Grienericksee, framed by a park of mature linden trees. The young Frederick the Great lived here from 1736 to 1740 before ascending the Prussian throne, and it was the period he later recalled as the happiest of his life — filled with music, philosophy, and correspondence with the leading minds of Europe.
The palace today houses a music academy and two museums. The Tucholsky Literaturmuseum commemorates the writer Kurt Tucholsky, who immortalised the town in his 1912 novella Rheinsberg: A Picture Book for Lovers and later requested that his ashes be scattered on the Grienericksee. The other permanent exhibition covers the history of the palace and its Prussian occupants. Guided tours run through the state rooms, which retain their 18th-century proportions and some original furnishings.
The park behind the palace extends to the lakeshore and is free to enter. In summer, the palace courtyard hosts open-air concerts as part of the Rheinsberg Chamber Opera Festival.