Sanssouci Park and Palaces, Potsdam

Sanssouci Park in Potsdam is a palace and garden complex covering nearly 740 acres (300 hectares). Its name derives from the French sans souci, meaning “without a care,” and reflects Frederick II of Prussia’s intention to create a private summer retreat.

Sanssouci Palace was built from 1745 to 1747 under the supervision of architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, following ideas developed by Frederick II. The single-storey palace, set above terraced vineyards, is a major example of German Rococo architecture. Later expansion under Frederick William IV combined Frederick’s formal pleasure garden with a 19th-century landscape park. Axial avenues, fountains, formal plantings, sculptures and additional palaces form a unified architectural and garden ensemble.

At the western end of the park’s main avenue, the New Palace was constructed from 1763 to 1769 as a demonstration of Prussia’s continued power following the Seven Years’ War. The nearby Temple of Friendship, designed by Carl von Gontard and built from 1768 to 1770, commemorates Frederick’s sister Wilhelmine, Margravine of Bayreuth, who died in 1758.

Sanssouci Park forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage property Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin, first inscribed in 1990. The wider property preserves an interconnected landscape of palaces, gardens and designed spaces developed during the 18th and 19th centuries.