Sanssouci Palace

History

Sanssouci Palace arose from Frederick the Great’s personal wish for a modest summer retreat — a place of rest and leisure away from the formalities of court protocol. The name, from the French for “without care”, was its very programme. The Prussian king conceived the basic idea himself: a single-storey residence on the six vineyard terraces he had laid out as early as 1744 in order to cultivate figs and grapes on the gently sloping ground south of Potsdam. The court architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff realised the plans in stone between 1745 and 1747 — in just two years, one of the most important Rococo buildings in the German-speaking world came into being.

Frederick resided at Sanssouci every year from May to October and received Voltaire here, who stayed as a guest at the Prussian court from 1750 to 1753. The palace was no ceremonial building but a personal refuge: the king lived, wrote and made music here, and he expressly wished to be buried after his death on the terrace beside his Italian Greyhound dogs — a wish that was not fulfilled until 1991.

Architecture & Setting

The elongated, single-storey palace with its mezzanine level is a masterpiece of Frederician Rococo. The garden façade is framed by 36 life-size herms — half human, half pillar — which lend the building its unmistakable character. The curved central dome above the Marble Hall, adorned with gilded ornaments, defines the silhouette. Inside, the palace impresses with a succession of Rococo apartments: the oval Marble Hall as the ceremonial centrepiece, the Concert Room, the library with its collection of more than 2,000 volumes, and the king’s personal bedchamber.

The six vineyard terraces on which the palace stands are a unique feat of garden architecture: some 900 fan-trained fig trees grow in the niches of the balustrade walls, supplied by a sophisticated irrigation system. The park of Sanssouci, covering 287 hectares in its original extent and nearly 700 hectares within its present boundaries, houses dozens of further structures — the Chinese Teahouse, the Picture Gallery, the New Palace, the Orangery and the Belvedere on the Klausberg, to name but a few.

Visiting & Tips

A visit to Sanssouci Palace requires advance planning. The Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation (SPSG) strictly rations entry tickets, and in summer online tickets are often sold out weeks ahead. Those with flexibility have the best chance of finding last-minute tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings. The stroll through the park from the main gate at the obelisk up to the palace terrace takes about 20 minutes and is already rewarding in itself for the gradually unfolding perspective of the façade.

For a thorough visit of the entire ensemble, allow at least four to five hours. Those wishing to include the outbuildings such as the Chinese Teahouse and the Picture Gallery would do well to set aside a full day. Bicycles are permitted on the main paths of the park — a pleasant way to explore the extensive grounds. The park is freely accessible all year round, which makes Sanssouci a worthwhile destination even in winter, when the terraces can be enjoyed without the summer crowds.

Potsdam is reachable from Berlin by S-Bahn (line S7) in around 40 minutes. Those wishing to stay overnight will find a range of hotels and guest houses in Potsdam’s city centre and around the Dutch Quarter.