Where is sanssouci palace

However, Frederick wanted an intimate palace for living: for example, rather than scaling a large number of steps, he wanted to enter the palace immediately from the garden. He insisted on a building on the ground level, of which the pedestal was the hill: in short, this was to be a private pleasure house.

His recurring theme and requirement was for a house with close connections between its style and free nature. It stands on the site of a former greenhouse, where Frederick raised tropical fruit. The Picture Gallery is the oldest extant museum built for a ruler in Germany.

Like the palace itself, it is a long, low building, dominated by a central domed bow of three bays. Following the death of Frederick a new era began, a visible sign of which was the change in architectural styles.

He ordered the construction of a new palace in the new more fashionable style, and stayed at Sanssouci only occasionally. Frederick William von Erdmannsdorff received the commission for the refurbishment. As a result of his influence, Sanssouci became the first of the palaces in Potsdam and Berlin to be remodelled with a neo-classical interior. Architecture It was no coincidence that Frederick selected the Rococo style of architecture for Sanssouci.

The light, almost whimsical style then in vogue exactly suited the light-hearted uses for which he required this retreat. The Rococo style of art emerged in France in the early 18th century as a continuation of the Baroque style, but in contrast with the heavier themes and darker colours of the Baroque, the Rococo was characterized by an opulence, grace, playfulness, and lightness.

Rococo motifs focused on the carefree aristocratic life and on light-hearted romance, rather than on heroic battles and religious figures. The palace was completed much as Frederick had envisaged in his preliminary sketches see illustration above. The palace has a single-storey principal block with two flanking side wings.

The building occupies almost the entire upper terrace. The secondary side wings on the garden front are screened by two symmetrical rows of trees each terminating in free-standing trellised gazebos, richly decorated with gilded ornaments. The garden front of the palace is decorated by carved figures of Atlas and Caryatids; grouped in pairs between the windows, these appear to support the balustrade above.

Executed in sandstone, these figures of both sexes represent Bacchants, the companions of the wine god Bacchus, and originate from the workshop of the sculptor Friedrich Christian Glume.

The same workshop created the vases on the balustrade, and the groups of cherubs above the windows of the dome. As on the south side, a balustrade with sandstone vases decorates the roof of the main corps de logis. Flanking the corps de logis are two secondary wings, providing the large service accommodation and domestic offices necessary to serve an 18th-century monarch, even when in retreat from the world.

Frederick regularly occupied the palace each summer throughout his lifetime, but after his death in it remained mostly unoccupied and neglected until the midth century. The room in which Frederick had died was intended to be restored to its original state, but this plan was never executed because of a lack of authentic documents and plans.

However, the armchair in which Frederick had died was returned to the palace in Frederick William IV, a draftsman interested in both architecture and landscape gardening, transformed the palace from the retreat of his reclusive great uncle into a fully functioning and fashionable country house.

The small service wings were enlarged between and This was necessary because, while Frederick philosophised and played music at Sanssouci, he liked to live modestly without splendour. As he aged, his modesty developed into miserliness. This was ascribed to his wish that Sanssouci should only last his lifetime.

The additions included a mezzanine floor to both wings. The kitchen was moved into the east wing. The rooms were decorated with intricate boiseries, panelling and tapestries. This new accommodation for ladies was vital: entertaining at Sanssouci was minimal during the reign of Frederick the Great, and it is known that women were never entertained there, so there were no facilities for them.

Frederick had married Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern in , but separated from his wife after his accession to the throne in While the secondary wings have upper floors, the corps de logis occupied by the King occupies the full height of the structure. Comfort was also a priority in the layout of the rooms. The palace expresses contemporary French architectural theory in its apartement double ideals of courtly comfort, comprising two rows of rooms, one behind the other.

Doors connect the apartments with each other. Frederick sketched his requirements for decoration and layout, and these sketches were interpreted by artists such as Johann August Nahl, the Hoppenhaupt brothers, the Spindler brothers and Johann Melchior Kambly, who all not only created works of art, but decorated the rooms in the Rococo style.

While Frederick cared little about etiquette and fashion, he also wanted to be surrounded by beautiful objects and works of art. He arranged his private apartments according to his personal taste and needs, often ignoring the current trends and fashions. There is a water pumping station, cleverly and beautifully disguised as a Turkish mosque with a minaret.

Roman baths and the Temple of Friendship are some other highlights. The signature feature of Sanssouci Palace is the lovely terraced gardens that stand in front of its royal rococo facade. And as you walk around, you can check out all the superb, elegant marble sculptures of Grecian gods. Sanssouci Palace is found in the city of Potsdam , which is just 36 km 22 mi southwest of Berlin. You can drive here using your on-board navigation system, simply plug in the address of Maulbeerallee for the street and Potsdam for the city.

Use the Autobahns A or A to get here from the capital city. You can also access Potsdam and Sanssouci easily by using public transportation. Hop on S-Bahn number 7 to reach Sanssouci. A double row of eighty-eight Corinthian columns forms two colonnades in quarter-circle segments enclosing a semicircular cour d'honneur. The Ruins Hill is aligned with this axis to the north. On the pile of ruins to the north of the palace, artificial ruins from the ancient world concealed a water basin.

The king was most attached to the lavish waterworks, which only worked properly after the construction of the steam engine building in the 19th century. They were meant to bring part of Italy to his native country. Today, Sanssouci Park provides a breathtaking backdrop for events such as the Potsdam Court concerts and musical festivals.

It was Frederick the Great's favourite place serving him as summer residence, sanctuary in difficult times and pleasure palace in which he wanted to enjoy his private life. The name Sanssouci — without a care — should be understood as both the primary wish and leitmotif of the king, because this was the place where he most preferred to retreat in the company of his dogs.

Frederick the Great wanted to grow plums, figs and wine at the gates of Potsdam.