The palace of Sanssouci (French "without cares") is one of the most famous castles in Germany. It is often regarded as a German rival to Versailles though it is a lot smaller. Actually, it is little more than a large single-storey villa, built for Frederick the Great as a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. Frederick the Great, the philosopher amongst the German kings spent a lot of time in solitude here, accompanied only by his beloved dogs.
Frederick said about the place: "Quand je suis là, je suis sans souci" (Once I am here I am without cares).
The castle was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 but Fredericks personal influence in the design and decoration was so huge that this style of architecture was later called Frederician Rococo.
The castle later became the residence of Frederick William IV. The building survived World War II unharmed and later became a museum that is now part of the Sanssouci World Heritage site.
If you only have one day to explore everything Sanssouci Park has to offer, we strongly recommend skipping the two hour waiting line at Sanssouci Castle and head right to the New Palace.
There are no waiting lines at the New Palace, and the tour is self-guided, more extensive and a lot cheaper than the tour at Sanssouci.
Taking pictures inside is not permitted but we were able to scan two postcards:
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