New Palace, Potsdam

New Palace
Neues Palais
The New Palace in Sanssouci Park
General information
Type	Palace
Architectural style	Baroque, Rococo
Town or city	Potsdam
Country	Germany
Coordinates	52.40°N 13.01°E/52.40; 13.01
Construction started	1763
Completed	1769
Client	Frederick the Great
Owner	Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Johann Gottfried Büring, Heinrich Ludwig Manger, Carl von Gontard
Website
www.spsg.de/en/palaces-gardens/object/new-palace/
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Cultural
Criteria	I, ii, iv
Designated	1990(14thsession)
Reference no.	532
Region	Europe and North America

TheNew Palace(German:Neues Palais) is a palace situated on the western side of theSanssouci parkinPotsdam,Germany.The building was begun in 1763, after the end of theSeven Years' War,under KingFriedrich II(Frederick the Great) and was completed in 1769. It is considered to be the last greatPrussianBaroquepalace.

History

New Palace with the Communs

The building of the palace commenced at the end of theSeven Years' War,to celebrate Prussia's success. The war is also variably referred to as theThird Silesian War,owing to the dispute overSilesia.In anarchitectural form,Frederick the Great sought to demonstrate the power and glories of Prussia attributing it asfanfaronade,an excess of splendor in marble, stone and gilt.

For the King, the New Palace was not a principal residence, but a display for the reception of important royals and dignitaries. Of the over 200 rooms, four principal gathering rooms and a theater were available for royal functions, balls and state occasions. During his occasional stays at the palace, Frederick occupied a suite of rooms at the southern end of the building, composed of two antechambers, a study, a concert room, a dining salon and a bedroom, among others.WhileFrederician Rococowas established atSanssouci,Frederick the Great had the New Palace built in varying forms ofBaroque architectureand decoration, with some deviations. The King preferred Rococo and Baroque to theNeoclassical stylethat was already taking hold of Europe at the time as the preference of many monarchs. ArchitectJohann Gottfried Büring,with the aid ofHeinrich Ludwig Manger (de),was assigned with the task of planning the New Palace and had already demonstrated success with the completion of theChinese Teahouseand the Picture Gallery in the Sanssouci royal park.After disagreements over the design of the palace, in 1764 the design of the palace was totally vested in the architectCarl von Gontard.The three-story façade had already begun to rise around unfinished interiors, as construction had steadily been underway, with 220 metre east and west façades. Between the pilasters, what appears to be brick is actually a painted effect, leaving only the King's south wing with exposed brick. Repointing the mortar of the joints proved to be an arduous and expensive task, therefore Frederick had the brick covered in stucco and painted in such a way that even tourists today are fooled by the deceptive finish. Over 400 sandstone statues and figures adorn the palace and auxiliary buildings, created by many notable sculptors, namelyJohann Peter Benckert,Johann Matthias Gottlieb Heymüller,the brothersJohann DavidandJohann Lorenz Räntzand others.

After the death of Frederick the Great in 1786, the New Palace fell into disuse and was rarely occupied as a residence or entertainment venue. However, starting in 1859 it became the summer residence of the German Crown Prince, Frederick William, laterGerman Emperor Frederick III.The palace was the preferred residence of Frederick and his empress,Victoria,throughout the 99 Days’ Reign. During the short reign of Frederick III, the palace was renamed "Friedrichskron Palace" (Schloss Friedrichskron) and a moat was dug around the palace. The accession ofWilhelm IIsaw renovation and restoration within the palace being carried out with the installation of steam heating, bathrooms in state apartments and electrification of the chandeliers which Frederick the Great had collected from across Europe. In 1890 the so called "Tip ofMount Kilimanjaro"was installed in the Grotto Room, after German geographerHans Meyergifted it to Kaiser Wilhelm II. Until 1918, the palace remained the preferred residence of Wilhelm II and theEmpress Augusta Viktoria.

After theNovember Revolutionand the abdication of Wilhelm II, the New Palace became a museum and remained such until theSecond World War.Some of the palace's treasures were looted by theSoviet Armyat the end of the war. Much of its furniture had been removed and taken to the residence of the exiled Wilhelm II atHuis Doornin the Netherlands. The majority of the furnishings were discovered by the Dutch in the 1970s, still in their original packing crates, and returned to Potsdam. Because of this, and because it escaped bombing in the Second World War, the palace today looks much as it did in 1918.

Architecture

New Palace, from the west side.

The New Palace was built as a summer residence for the royal family between 1763 and 1769 using four architects: Johann Gottfried Büring, Heinrich Ludwig Manger, Carl von Gontard, andJean-Laurent Legeay.Using a Baroque symmetrical layout, the three-wing palace, with side extensions, faces the Communs service wing, consisting of two wings connected by a colonnade. The Communs act as a counterpart to the New Palace, acting as a stage set with double flights of steps, though it containsdomestic quartersand the kitchens. The main palace building is crowned by a dome with theThree Gracesholding the crown of Prussia. The adjoining wings have matching gilded eagle crownedcupolas.At the center of the building are two banqueting halls on the ground floor and another two on the first, with royal apartments adjoining, including anteroom painting galleries. Instead of a main staircase, four small staircases give access to the apartments. A vestibule serves as the central entrance from the courtyard, with a ceiling painting ofApolloby Johann Christoph Frisch.

On the ground floor behind the vestibule is the Grotto Hall, attributed to Carl von Gontard, with walls encrusted with shells, stones,marble,quartzand semi-precious stones, which were enriched in the 19th century. Part of the design of the Groto Hall is a marble floor depicting marine animals and plants and an 1806 ceiling painting,Venus and Amor, the Three Graces and Putti.Attributed toJohann Gottfried Niedlich,the painting has replaced an earlier work. Niches around the room contain statuary and fountains, with cut crystal chandeliers hung in the arches.

The Marmorgalerie adjoins the Grotto Room, containing redjasperand whitemarblefromCarrara.Large mirrors face the windows, while the three-part ceiling painting byChristian Bernhard Rodedepicts morning, noon, and night.

Situated directly over the Grotto Hall is the Marble Hall, the largest of the festival halls, which was used variously as aballroomand as a banqueting hall. Rising over two floors, the hall overlooks the eastern parterres and the axial vista leading to Sanssouci. The richly gilt, curved ceiling rises into the attic area under the great copper dome. The painting in the center of this ceiling,The Induction ofGanymedein Olympus,was created in 1769 byCharles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo.With a surface of 240 square meters, it is the largest canvas ceiling painting north of the Alps. Four enormous paintings commissioned before the Seven Years' War adorn the marble walls of the hall. Positioned at the pilasters are twelve statues, depicting eightBrandenburgPrince-electorsand four famous "emperors":Julius Caesar,Constantine,CharlemagneandRudolph II.A balcony with an intricate gilt iron railing overlooks the hall from the third floor.

The Upper Gallery within the palace is situated to the south of the Marble Hall and is directly above the Marble Gallery on the ground floor. The ceiling is painted in hues of rose, antique yellow and white, accented with heavy gilt ornamentation. The ever-popular Neoclassicism of Europe at the time can be seen in the roundels positioned above and on the doors. Six large Italian Baroque paintings hang opposite the windows of the gallery. All that remains of the original furnishings are three marblemosaicconsole tables and upholstered settees.

The theatre located in the south wing was designed by Johann Christian Hoppenhaupt. The stage is framed by gilt palm trees, withThaliaandMelpomeneabove, holding a plaque with Frederick's initials. The theatre lacks a royal box in which a king may view a performance. Instead, Frederick would sit among his guests in the third row of seating from the stage. The semi-circular seat rows ascend as in a classicalamphitheatre.The theatre opened on 18 July 1768 with anoratoriobyJohann Adolf Hasse.The theatre remains in current use.

After the revolution of 1918, which overthrew the monarchy, theWeimar Republicallowed 34 train wagons of furniture from the palace to be sent to the exiled Wilhelm II atHuis Doornin the Netherlands. This is the reason why the furniture in the upper rooms formerly lived in by Wilhelm II and his consort Empress Augusta Viktoria comes from elsewhere.

Theatre

The Communs

Park

The New Palace, lying at the western end of the Sanssouci royal park, is located on a main axial avenue. At the time of its construction, the palace was located in an expansive baroque park area. Today, the area of the palace park within proximity to the New Palace is laid out simply with pathways, statuary, fountains and greenery.

Nearby are theTemple of Friendshipand theAntique Temple,which like the New Palace were designed by Carl von Gontard and built shortly after its completion.

World Heritage Site

Since 1990, the New Palace has been part of the UNESCOWorld Heritage Site"Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin".The palace is administered by theStiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg.

See also

• List of castles in Berlin and Brandenburg
• Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin
• List of Baroque residences
• List of sights of Potsdam

Further reading

• Henriette Graf:Das Neue Palais König Friedrichs des Großen. Funktion, Nutzung, Raumdisposition und Möblierung, 1763–1784.In:Wie friderizianisch war das friderizianische Zeremoniell? Raumdisposition und Möblierung ausgewählter europäischer Schlösser am Ende des Ancien Régime.Paper presented at an international conference on 2 June 2012, ed. by Henriette Graf and Nadja Geißler (Friedrich300 – Colloquien, 6)
• Paul Sigel, Silke Dähmlow, Frank Seehausen und Lucas Elmenhorst, Architekturführer Potsdam - Architectural Guide, Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 2006,ISBN3-496-01325-7
• Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten:Das Neue Palais von Sanssouci,first edition, Potsdam 2001
• Gert Streidt, Klaus Frahm:Potsdam. Die Schlösser und Gärten der Hohenzollern.Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Cologne 1996.ISBN3-89508-238-4
• Karoline Zielosko:Verwandtenbesuch. Das Neue Palais als Bühne dynastischer Selbstinszenierung.In:Friedrich der Große und die Dynastie der Hohenzollern.Beiträge des fünften Colloquiums in der Reihe "Friedrich300", 30 September to 1 October 2011, ed. by Michael Kaiser andJürgen Luh