Sanssouci Palace

Potsdam, Germany

The Park Sanssouci was originally an orchard near Potsdam. This was the favorite retreat of King Frederick II - later known as Frederick the Great. Here he could stay without worries (hence the name sans souci, French for "without worries"). No women were allowed in Sanssouci, not even the king"s wife.

In 1744 the king commissioned architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff to build a summer palace, the Schloss Sanssouci. Here he could leave all the formalities of the royal court behind and spend time on his hobbies like music and philosophy. In the central room, the Marmorsaal which was loosely based on the Pantheon in Rome, he would invite famous philosophers like Voltaire.

The design of the Sanssouci Palace was based on sketches made by Frederick the Great himself. The relatively small palace with only twelve rooms was completed in 1747. It is located on top of a terraced vineyard, known as the Weinberg (wine mountain). The palace is only one storey high, but beautifully decorated in rococo style. Over the years, several other buildings were added to the grounds of the Sanssouci park.

The most impressive of all is the Neues Palais, a large Baroque palace. It was commissioned by King Frederick the Great in 1750 but construction only started in 1763 after the Seven Years" War, which solidified Prussia"s status as a powerful nation. The Neues Palais is one of Germany"s most impressive palaces; in contrast to the Sanssouci Palace, which is rather modest, the imposing sumptuous palace contains more than two hundred lavishly decorated rooms spread over two storeys. The central ballroom is topped by a large dome. Another noteworthy building in the Sanssouci Park is the Chinesisches Teehaus, an oriental style teahouse constructed in 1756. It currently houses a collection of porcelain.

The 700-acre / 287-hectare large park around the palace consists of several different gardens, all with their own character. The park contains many statues and fountains, the largest of them, the Große Fontäne (Great Fountain) in front of the Neues Palais.

The Friedenskirche (church of peace) was built by King Frederick William IV between 1845 and 1854. It was based on the Santa Maria Clemente church in Rome.

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Details

Founded: 1744
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Germany
Historical period: Emerging States (Germany)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Robert Raback (5 years ago)
Nice place during the summer season... should also have a look for the swans near the lake... but be careful... they probably bite when you get too close ;)
Surarak Wichupankul (5 years ago)
Free admission to see grand architecture from outside and you can also enjoy strolling through shady garden. Good to visit even it is a touristy attraction
Jonathan Kaleb Jalpa (5 years ago)
A great place with a lot of history, it is better to visit it on spring or summer in order to really appreciate it, this is also because the sculptures are covered during fall and winder. I would really recommend to go they in a tour to get all thw information from the place and enjoy it more. The place is huge and it is very easy to spend the whole day there enjoying and taking pictures.
Zack VM (5 years ago)
We were here in the off season - so that probably colored our impressions. The grounds are impressive but would probably be far lovelier in the Spring/Summer and Fall than in the dead of Winter. If you are a history fan (like us), anytime of the year is good but if you are going to see it for views of great palace of the 18th century stick to the warmer months
Michael Stuke (5 years ago)
Exceptionally exciting impressive world famous panoramic view. The castle “sits” on top of the hill, majestic: wonderful, in particular when seen from the bottom!
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