Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
allee 5; adult/concession €3/2; 10am-6pm daily Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov & Jan-Mar;
650, 695)
is a functioning replica of the palace's original Dutch-style 18th-century windmill.
Admission buys access to three floors of exhibits on mill technology, a close-up of the
grinding mechanism and a top-floor viewing platform.
Neues Palais
The final palace commissioned by Frederick the Great, the
Neues Palais
(New Palace;
GOOGLE MAP
; 0331-969 4200;
www.spsg.de
;
Am Neuen Palais; adult/concession with audio-guide
€8/6; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon Apr-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Mar; 605 or 606 to Neues Palais, Potsdam
Charlottenhof)
has made-to-impress dimensions, a central dome and a lavish exterior capped
with a parade of sandstone figures. The interior attests to the high level of artistry and crafts-
manship of the time. It's an opulent symphony of ceiling frescoes, gilded stucco ornamenta-
tion, ornately carved wainscoting and fanciful wall coverings alongside paintings (by An-
toine Pesne, for example) and richly crafted furniture.
The palace was built in only six years, largely to demonstrate the undiminished power of
the Prussian state following the bloody Seven Years War (1756-63). The king himself rarely
camped out here, preferring the intimacy of Schloss Sanssouci and using it for representa-
tional purposes only. Only the last German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, used it as a residence until
1918.
The massive structure has been undergoing gradual restoration for years. Closed until at
least late 2015 are two of its most memorable rooms, the rococo
Grottensaal
(Grotto Hall)
and the
Marmorsaal
(Marble Hall). Already completed is the
Unteres Fürstenquartier
(Lower Royal Suite), which consists of a concert room, an oval-shaped chamber, an ante-
chamber and, most impressively, a dining room with walls sheathed in red silk damask with
gold-braided trim.
The pair of lavish buildings behind the Schloss is called the
Communs
. It originally
housed the palace servants and kitchens and is now part of Potsdam University.
