Sanssouci Park, Potsdam

The Park Sanssouci was originally an orchard near Potsdam. This was the favorite retreat of King Friedrich II - later known as Friedrich the Great. Here he could stay without worries (hence the name sans souci, which means without worry in French).

In 1744 the King commissioned architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff to build a summer palace, the Schloss Sanssouci (Sanssouci Palace). 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 Friedrich the Great himself. The relatively small palace with only 12 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.

The 700acres/287ha 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 Sanssouci Palace is 18 meter high.

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 7 Year's 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 200 lavishly decorated rooms spread over two storeys. The central ballroom is topped by a large dome.

Next to the Neues Palais is the Communs building. This building contained the servants' quarters and the palace kitchens, but the outside is decorated as if it were a palace itself.

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

Park Sanssouci borders the city center of Potsdam, which can be reached from Berlin via S-Bahn nr 7.