Germany: Potsdam
Potsdam was a residence of the Prussian kings and the German Kaiser until 1918. Around the city there are a series of interconnected lakes and cultural landmarks, in particular the parks and palaces of Sanssouci, the largest World Heritage Site in Germany. More than enough, that it caught our attention, so we decided to explore it along with the city itself.
Historic Mill of Sanssouci (Historische Mühle von Sanssouci) is the reconstruction of the mill built between 1787 and 1791, and New Chambers (Neue Kammern), constructed for King Frederick the Great of Prussia from 1771 to 1775.
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| If you look up the name "Müller" in the Berlin telephone book, you will find an astonishing 7938 records. This unusually high number shows that Berlin and its surroundings were once dominated by mills. Data from - click. |
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| Thanks to the legend of The Miller of Sanssouci (Der Müller von Sanssouci), the Historic Mill became a famous well beyond the boundary of Potsdam and associated especially with Frederick the Great and his summer palace of Sanssouci. |
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| Sanssouci was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. |
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| Nada and Tuši |
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| The palace was designed/built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. The palace's name emphasises this; it is a French phrase (sans souci), which translates as "without concerns", meaning "without worries" or "carefree", symbolising that the palace was a place for relaxation rather than a seat of power. |
In the Baroque tradition, the principal rooms (including the bedrooms) are all on the piano nobile, which at Sanssouci was the ground floor by Frederick's choice.
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. These "self-compositions" in Rococo art led to the term "Frederician Rococo".
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| 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. |
More details from the interior
Every room was unique
Outside details
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| From 1750, marble statues were placed around the basin of the fountain. This again was a feature copied from Versailles. |
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| The panoramic vista of the garden of Sanssouci is the result of Frederick the Great's decision to create a terraced vineyard on the south slope of the hills of Bornstedt. |
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| The Great Fountain was built at the centre of this garden in 1748. |
Following the terracing of the vineyard and the completion of the palace, Frederick turned his attention to the landscaping of the greater vicinity of the palace and thus began the creation of Sanssouci Park.
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| Orangery was built on behest of the "Romantic on the Throne", King Friedrich Wilhelm IV from 1851 to 1864. |
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| View over lake Bornstedter See |
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| The building that is today the Potsdam Town Hall is located in the center of the city. This impressive complex was built at the end of the 18th century in the Rococo style. |
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| Along the Friedrich-Ebert-Straße in the city centre |
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| Nauener Tor (Nauen Gate) is one of the three preserved gates of Potsdam. It was built in 1755 and is the first example of the influence of English Gothic Revival architecture in Continental Europe. |
After lunch we past by Peter and Paul Church
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben monument and the old city kanal
Left: The original Neustadt Gate was built in 1753 under the supervision of Georg von Knobelsdorff. It consisted of two obelisks, adorned with Egyptian looking hieroglyphs. Since original hieroglyphs were not deciphered until the 1820s, the "writing" on the obelisks was pure fiction. The gate was severely damaged in World War II. Only one obelisk survived intact. In 1969, when one of Potsdam's main streets was extended further west, the remains were completely demolished. The one surviving obelisk, however, was restored in 1981 and was placed near the original location of the gate.
Right: The Brandenburg Gate on the Luisenplatz in Potsdam, was built in 1770/71 by Carl von Gontard and Georg Christian Unger by order of Frederick II of Prussia. It stands at the western end of Brandenburger Straße, which runs in a straight line up to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.
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| Walking on Brandenburger Strasse |
Peter and Paul Church in the center of Potsdam and Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus), built in the baroque style in 1753.
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