Sanssouci Park is a large park surrounding Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany, built under Frederick the Great in the mid-18th centurys. Following the terracing of the vineyard and the completion of the palace, the surroundings were included in the structure. A Baroque flower garden with lawns, flower beds, hedges and trees was created. In the hedge quarter 3,000 fruit trees were planted. The greenhouses of the numerous nurseries contained oranges, melons, peaches and bananas. The goddesses Flora and Pomona, who decorate the entrance obelisk at the eastern park exit, were placed there to highlight the connection of a flower, fruit and vegetable garden. Along with the Sanssouci Palace and other nearby palaces and parks, Sanssouci Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990 for its unique architectural unity and testimony to 18th and 19th century landscaping in Europe.
New Palace (in front), Orangery Palace (background, center) and Sanssouci (background right)
Clipped hedges and clipped trees keep the allées open
The mosque-like Pumping Station
Sanssouci
Sanssouci is a historical building in Potsdam, near Berlin. Built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace, it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it, too, is notable for the numerous temples and follies in the surrounding park. The palace was designed and built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to meet Frederick's need for a private residence where he could escape the pomp and ceremony of the royal court. The palace's name is a French phrase meaning "without worries" or "carefree", emphasising that the palace was meant as a place of relaxation rather than a seat of power.
The south façade of Sanssouci
Sanssouci Palace and its reflection in the pond at Sanssouci Park
Architectural detail from the central bow of the garden façade: Atlantes and Caryatids.
The East Wing. The two service wings, virtually hidden from sight by foliage in the time of Frederick the Great, were remodelled in the 19th century by Frederick William IV, who transformed the palace into a more conventional royal residence for family and court use.