Thursday, September 26, 2013

Palaces of Potsdam

Potsdam is best known for the magnificent palaces and parks that date back to its time as the former royal seat of Prussia.It would be a shame to visit Potsdam without checking out one of her many beautiful palaces. Here are some of the top palaces to visit while in Potsdam, Germany:



Babelsberg Palace, Babelsberg Park
Babelsberg Palace lies in the eponymous park and quarter of Potsdam, the capital of the German state of Brandenburg. For over 50 years it was the summer residence of Prince William, later Emperor William I and his wife, Augusta of the House of Saxe-Weimar. The building, designed in the English Gothic style, was built in two phases over the period 1835–1849.




Cecilienhof Palace, New Garden
This historic country house is the site where Truman, Churchill and Stalin met at the famous Potsdam Conference following World War II.


Marble Palace, New Garden
The Marmorpalais (marble palace) was a royal residence in Potsdam, eastern Germany, built on the grounds of the extensive Neuer Garten on the shores of Lake Heiliger See. The palace was commissioned by Frederick William II of Prussia and designed in the early classicist style by the architects Carl von Gontard and (from 1789) Carl Gotthard Langhans, designer of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

Marquardt Palace
This Baroque Castle slumbers in a fairytale park in prestigious Potsdam. The castle has an exceptional and beautiful location in a nature park in an area of lakes and forests.

Little Palace in Babelsberg Park
Little Babelsberg Palace, also known as Kleines Schloss, is located in the most picturesque part of the park on the banks of the Havel River. It began as a simple structure and was later transformed into a palace. It was rebuilt in two stages, first in 1834 and then in 1842, by architect Ludwig Persius. The English Tudor-Gothic style of the building was requested by Princess Augusta. This beautiful white palace still retains it grandeur.
   


New Palace, Sanssouci Park
The New Palace is a palace situated on the western side of the Sanssouci royal park in Potsdam, Germany. The building was begun in 1763, after the end of the Seven Years' War, under Frederick the Great and was completed in 1769. It is considered to be the last great Prussian baroque palace.
  


Sacrow Palace
Frederick William IV acquired the Sacrow estate shortly after his accession to the throne in 1840, so that he might further beautify the Potsdam garden landscape. At the same time the king had the Church of the Savior, designed by Ludwig Persius in the shape of an early Christian basilica, built very nearby. Peter Joseph LennĂ© took over the scenic design of this outstanding, royal park complex.    
   
Sanssouci Palace, Sanssouci Park
Sanssouci is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. 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 park. The palace was designed/built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court.
   
Orangery Palace, Sanssouci Park
The Orangery in Sanssouci Park is an impressive example of the buildings created by Frederick William IV, who was known as the "Romantic on the throne." The imposing building complex - including greenhouses and the central Orangery Palace, sculptures, fountains, arcades and terraces - brings a bit of the Mediterranean sun to Potsdam, while graphically documenting Frederick William IV's ardent admiration for Italy. Italian Renaissance villas served as its models.
  

Satzkorn Manor House
A lineage of knights ruled the village of Satzkorn for many centuries. In 1731, the bourgeois private physician of Frederick William I was able to purchase a manor in Satzkorn with the help of the king, and bit-by-bit enlarge it with the inclusion of all the former knights' domiciles. In 1739, Friedrich Brandhorst ordered the construction of the manor house which still exists today. The manor dominated the village for a long period of time - until its political and legal independence came to an end in 1928.
   


Charlottenhof Palace, Sanssouci Park
Charlottenhof Palace or Charlottenhof Manor is located southwest of Sanssouci Palace in Sanssouci Park at Potsdam, Germany. It is most famous as the summer residence of Crown Prince Frederick William (later King Frederick William IV of Prussia). 

Visit the Palaces of Potsdam on your next self-drive tour of Germany with Celtic Tours World Vacations

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