EUROPE - GERMANY : A GERMAN TREASURE EMERGES
by Julie Rekai Rickerd



When King Frederick II of Prussia wanted to leave the cares and woes of ruling his empire from Berlin, he would head to Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam.

The first of many palaces in the city, the summer castle designed by the king was built between 1745 – 47 in the rococo style. Frederick the Great, as the king was known, was far more interested in natural and intellectual pursuits than the military, which was somewhat evident in the cozy, 12-room building and its spectacular park. (Frederick disdained having guests, hence only 12 rooms.)

Large floor to ceiling windows and glass doors were installed to afford him a better view and a group of "classical ruins" was fabricated to remind him that nothing earthly was everlasting.

A cedar-lined library contains vast bookcases filled with leather-bound books. Beautiful wall coverings and a rich inlaid wood and marble floor frames the room. The wall, curtain and upholstery fabrics match, in typical rococo fashion.

In the music room where chamber concerts were held, Frederick often joined in, playing the flute.

The study, decorated with large portraits of the king and his parents, was one of his favorite rooms. It is here he died in his often-used green chair.

Some design touches are both innovative and practical – a chest of drawers serves as a repository for wood for the fireplace, and copulas and skylights brighten the rooms. Guest suites borrow much from the Chinese. In the Voltaire room, the walls are covered with painted wood carvings of parrots, monkeys, fruits and vegetables.

Frederick’s fascination with viticulture and "growing things" manifests itself in the palace’s two square kilometers of parkland. Terraces of fig trees and grapevines lead up to the entrance of Sanssouci and, even today, the grapes are harvested and made into wine. Palms, orange and banana trees were cultivated alongside less exotic fruits and vegetables, protected during the winter months in the palace’s Orangerie.

The king and his 11 beloved greyhounds are buried on these splendid grounds.

The Bildgalerie, a picture gallery, was built adjacent to Sanssouci in 1755. It consists of a long, single room with an ornate gold ceiling from which crystal chandeliers hang. A soaring wall is crammed with works by Dutch and Italian masters. Windows along the opposite wall illuminate the Rubenses, van Dycks, Tintorettos and Caravaggios.

So intimate and personal was Sanssouci Palace that in 1763, after the Seven Years’ War, the huge 200-room Neues Palais was built as a guest house for visiting dignitaries.

It is as formal and grand as Sanssouci is carefree and comfortable. The Neues boasts 428 statues on its roof and facade, and a large dome over which the three Graces raise the crown of Prussia. Halls and reception rooms are grandiose.

Its Great Hall, however, is surprisingly low-ceilinged with curved arches, supported by chunky, square columns. These are decorated with mussel shells, crystals and imitation stalagmites. Even the white marbled walls and magnificent chandeliers do not dispel a dungeon-like atmosphere.

In contrast, the second floor Marble Hall has high ceilings with reliefs – wall and ceiling paintings depicting mythological scenes – and an altogether brighter and friendlier appearance.

Red damask covers the walls of the opulent gentlemen’s bedrooms; silk brocade the ladies’. Huge mirrors hang over the mantles and an eclectic art and porcelain collection complete the formality of the surroundings.

The Schlosstheater (Palace Theatre) is a delightful example of 18th century design. Lush red velvet seats and curtains, boxes and richly painted walls and ceiling epitomize the elegance of the times. Concerts, ballet and theatre performances are still held in this splendid venue year-round.

Two other palaces in Potsdam, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, are notable for their designs and history.

The Marmorpalais is idyllically situated on the city’s Heiligen See. This exquisite, small marble structure, built in 1787, was the summer residence of Frederick Wilhelm II. Its facade is early Prussian classic and its grand hall has a magnificent mantle adorned with Wedgwood vases.

Cecilienhof, the last castle of the Hohenzollerns, was built and decorated as an English Tudor manor for Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie in 1913. It played a role in modern history as the meeting place of Harry Truman, Winston Churchill (and Clement Atlee after Churchill’s government fell) and Josef Stalin for the Potsdam Conference in the summer of 1945. Here they carved up Europe and divided the world. Since the 1960s, the castle has been a hotel and museum. The reception rooms and studies of each of the allies and his delegation are well-preserved. The huge conference room has a magnificent carved staircase and specially-built conference table. The delegations sat around it in armchairs. The three occupied by the heads of state are higher backed that the others.

There are other noteworthy venues in Potsdam. The Royal Stables, the city's oldest building, is now a film museum. The Nikolai Church, built by renowned Berlin architect Carl Friedrich Schinkel, was named after the patron saint of tradesmen.

Also of interest is the French Church that was erected by the Huguenots who fled France following the Edict of Potsdam in 1685, which guaranteed freedom of religion.

There is also a colourful Dutch quarter, the largest outside the Netherlands, built in anticipation of the arrival of skilled Dutch craftsmen and their families.

Two Russian quarters, old and recent, were occupied first by Prussian prisoners who later became allies against Napoleon, and then by the Communists who occupied the city until reunification in 1990.

Potsdam is a treasure trove of history, art, architecture and nature – an exciting foray into the old and more recent past. For years a Russian Communist administration outpost, Potsdam has finally been allowed out of its shell.


Photo: courtesy Astrid Schwarz
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