Berlin
The golden girl of Charlottenburg Schloss
Even though the Charlottenburg Schloss is one of Berlin's top visitor attractions, a little-known feature is likely to surprise: look carefully at the gilded female figure atop the baroque palace's central dome and you might just see her move.
Despite seeming as if she's firmly fixed in place, the golden girl - a representation of the goddess Fortuna - uses her outstretched cloak to rotate in the breeze.
Symbolising life's ever-changing nature, she's loosely based on a famous 17th century weather vane that sits atop the Dogana customs building in Venice.
Charlottenburg's own figure of Fortuna can, of course, also be used to work out the wind's direction, but one of the palace's best-kept secrets provides a far better way to discover which way the breezes are blowing.
Intrigued? Find out more...
See also:
A weather vane fit for a king
Charlottenburg's hidden village
Charlottenburg Schloss: Spandauer Damm 20-24, 14059 Berlin
