New Chambers (Sanssouci)

The New Chambers in Sanssouci Park, Potsdam were built for Frederick the Great 1771-1775. The west next to Sanssouci Palace standing building is the counterpart to the east lying Gallery. Both buildings flank the summer palace.

History

An orangery was the predecessor of the new chambers. It was built in 1745 according to plans by Georg Wenceslaus Knobelsdorffs and housed in the winter months, the potted plants of the terraces of the castle. Ramps, over which the heavy vessels were out or wheeled in, remind of the original use of the building. With the task of reconstruction to a guest house of the architect Georg Christian Unger was commissioned. The major components of the outer building were preserved, such as the size of the elongated, single-storey building and reaching down to the bottom windows. The most striking change was the placement of a dome on the middle part. Such a symmetry about the architecture of the Gallery was created so that both see similar buildings.

The New Chambers inside

The actual conversion took place mainly in the interior. Seven guest quarters and two ballrooms were created. The late Rococo style of Frederick the Great was here again his grandiose climax, although the classicism already largely determined the contemporary taste.

The guest rooms were different than paint, images or inlaid cabinets decorated, decorate their precious inlaid native timbers, the walls from the ceiling to the floor. For painting facilities in the guest rooms include views of Potsdam, which document the design of the Great City of Frederick and were given specifically for the guest house by the king.

The Jaspissaal

In the middle of the building under the dome is the largest room, the Jaspissaal. The walls of the banquet hall are beautifully decorated with red jasper, a semi precious stone, and gray Silesian marble. The same colors are found in the design of the floor again. The ceiling picture Venus, with their train designed in 1774 Johann Christoph Frisch. Against the background of red jasper consoles were attached to the walls, decorated with busts of ancient and 18th century.

The Ovid Gallery

The second largest ballroom in the eastern part of New Chambers is the Ovid Gallery, equipped modeled after French mirrored halls. On one long side almost to -ceiling mirror opposite them on the garden side high windows.

Frederick II wished as a wall decoration gilded reliefs of the amours of ancient gods, the Roman poet Ovid had sung in his Metamorphoses. The rich ornamentation of the room comes from the workshop of posts originating from Bayreuth sculptor brothers Johann David Räntz and Johann Lorentz Wilhelm Räntz.

The Great inlaid cabinet ( 2nd guest apartment)

The living room of the second guest apartment is named after the design of the wall panel with inlay work by the brothers Heinrich Wilhelm Spindler and Spindler as Johann Friedrich the Great inlaid cabinet. The elaborate woodwork of this room alone are said to have claimed four years. Their production was started in 1772. In the copy of various tropical and native woods, such as amaranth, ebony, rosewood, mulberry and maple have been processed. The inlaid wood pieces were in part by the short-term immersion in burning sand at the edge of dark discolorations, whereby the inlaid obtain a three-dimensional effect. Different shades of color was achieved not only by the natural colors of woods by applying wax to the surface. Details and textures are carved with hot needles into the wood surface. It is presented plants, fruits, birds, hunting tools and musical instruments.

The living room of the third guest apartment is based on the design of this room. It is sometimes called for this reason " Small inlaid cabinet". However, the types of wood used are less precious.