Dragon House (Sanssouci)

The Dragon House on the Bornstedter ridge, on the northern edge of the Potsdam Sanssouci park, was built from 1770 to 1772 in the style of a Chinese pagoda. Built in the contemporary taste for Chinoiserie building was designed by Carl von Gontard according to the specifications of Frederick II. The pagoda was named by the dragon figures at the tips of curved roofs.

History

Six years after the completion of the Chinese House Frederick II with the Dragon House, another building constructed in the chinoiserie style. He received suggestions by the London- published works of the British architect Sir William Chambers ' Designs of Chinese buildings, [ ... ] " ( German: Designs of Chinese buildings ) from 1757 and" plan, elevation, sections and perspective views of the gardens and buildings at Kew in Surry " ( German: Plans, elevations, section and perspective views of the gardens and buildings at Kew ). of 1763 as a model for the Potsdam Dragon House served the multi-storey Ta -Ho Pagoda near the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and the eponymous Dragon designed by Chambers pagoda in Kew Gardens.

The resting on an octagonal floor plan Drachenhaus reduced Gontard on four floors that taper upwards. In the wider bearing ground floor, with concave -settling walls, a corridor, two rooms and a kitchen were housed. The three upper floors remained open and could not be used for residential purposes. The tips of the concave curved roofs were adorned with sixteen gilded dragons and tassels. The original dragon sculptor Nathaniel Eppen ( † before 1786) and Gerhard Buschmann ( † 1783) had to be in 1904 during restoration work replaced by copies. The building received a green paint. On the ocher pilasters wavebands were painted with small flower bouquets and on the window arches Chinese heads.

The Dragon House was not only decorative architecture, but also as a residence for the winemaker of the vineyard there in 1769 applied thought of but not moved into the building. To protect the empty house from decay, it had to be restored in 1787. Then it inhabited the overseer of a few meters west in the Belvedere. The constant use of required renovations and additions, resulting from a plan of 1884. He shows another room, a laundry room and three stables. Since 1934, the Dragon House is used as a restaurant.