Sanssouci Park was originally nothing more than a terraced garden which Frederick the Great had planted in 1744 to cultivate plums, figs and vines on a hill just outside the gates of Potsdam. Because the view was so beautiful, the King had a summer residence built above the terraces just one year later. In the following years, more palace buildings were blended into the gentle hill landscape, while the slopes were used for ornamental and vegetable gardens. On a hill to the north of the palace, artificial ruins were grouped to form a mock-antique staffage which simultaneously camouflaged the water tank designed to feed the fountains in the park. The King was only able to enjoy his fountains once, however; they did not become fully operational until the steam engine-house was built in the 19th century.

The baroque garden was no longer in fashion during the reigns of Frederick the Great's successors; it was redesigned in the style of a landscaped park and extended by Frederick William IV, who added elements that reflected his longing for Italy.

The New Chambers
From the Orangery to the Guest Palace

Steam-engine House (Mosque)
81,4 hp for Sanssouci Palace`s fountain

Schlosspark Charlottenhof
arkadisch-idyllisches Gartenkunstwerk

Sanssouci Palace
A 12 room Palace

Ruinenberg, Nordischer und Sizilianischer Garten, Potentestück
Erweiterungen im Park unter den Nachfolgern Friedrichs des Großen

Roman Baths
Picturesque romanticism

Picture Gallery
Frederick the Great's collection of paintings

Orangery
Potted plants and italian masters

Normannischer Turm
Ein einzigartiger Ausblick

New Palace
The last 18th century building in Sanssouci Park

Marlygarten und Friedensgarten
Eine Perle der Gartenkunst

Historische Mühle im Park von Sanssouci
Galerien-Windmühle nach niederländischem Vorbild

Friedenskirche
Romantisch geprägte Religiösität

Friderizianischer Garten einschließlich Hopfenkrug
Weinbergterrassen, barockes Parterre und Landschaftsgarten

Chinese House
Chinese fashion in the 18th century

Charlottenhof Palace
Frederick William's (IV) private life

Belvedere auf dem Klausberg
Das letzte Bauwerk Friedrichs des Großen in Sanssouci