Portal:Germany/Selected article/2006/May

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Sanssouci, the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia at Potsdam just outside Berlin in Germany, 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, Frederick's palace is notable for the numerous temples and follies in Sanssouci Park. Designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfil Frederick the Great's need for a private residence where he could relax away from pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court, the palace is in fact little more than a large villa: its true French counterpart is Marly. Containing just ten principal rooms, the single-storey structure is sited on the brow of a terraced hill at the centre of its own park. So great was the influence of the King's personal taste in the design and decoration of the palace that it is characterized as "Frederician Rococo". So personal and unique to himself did Frederick the Great regard the palace that he conceived it as "a place that would die with him". More...