The Hohenzollerns are a dynasty of former princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire and Romania, says Wikipedia. Charlottenburg Palace and its extensive garden were built for Queen Sophie Charlotte of the Hohenzollerns. Its oldest section dates to 1695. Frederick the Great updated it in the 1740s. It is the most important Hohenzollern residence left in Berlin.
sitesinsights.com 
Just noting that Frederick the Great predates the American Civil War by a century.
LikeLike
Indeed. Right Frederick, wrong century. He built the east wing in the 1740s. Thanks, Ken.
LikeLike
There’s an old Jewish-American saying: “Rich or poor, it’s nice to have money.” But the comment on the gilding reminds me of a point that Thomas More makes in Utopia, to the effect that gold is assigned value only because we choose to do so. It’s not a metal that has much practical use.
(from Richard)
LikeLike