Germany · Brandenburg, Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam

Sanssouci is located in Potsdam, the state capital of Brandenburg. Friedrich II of Prussia had the palace built between 1745 and 1747 based on designs by the architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff. The king’s sketches and ideas were also incorporated into the planning. The French name “Sanssouci” means “without worries” and refers to the building’s function as a private retreat away from formal court life.

The single-storey palace was built above terraced vineyards. Its comparatively modest dimensions distinguish it from large-scale European residences. Friedrich II used Sanssouci primarily during the warmer months. There, he devoted himself to music, literature and philosophy and received selected guests. The complex thus also represents courtly culture and the concept of rule associated with enlightened absolutism: The monarch regarded himself as the rationally governing “first servant of the state”, while nevertheless maintaining largely unrestricted royal rule.

The park was later supplemented by further buildings, including Neues Palais, Bildergalerie and Chinesisches Haus. Over several generations, this created an extensive residential landscape. The Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (Schlösser und Parks von Potsdam und Berlin) have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. In accordance with his wishes, Friedrich II was buried on the uppermost terrace of Sanssouci in 1991.

The German Federal States series successively presented all the states of the Federal Republic with a building or landmark selected for each of them. The order was generally based on the rotating presidency of the Bundesrat. Brandenburg assumed this presidency for the period 2019/2020. Sanssouci was a suitable motif because the palace is closely associated with Potsdam, Brandenburg-Prussian history and the state’s present-day cultural identity. The issue thus marked less an anniversary of the palace than the rotating recognition of Brandenburg within the series.