Description
The Potsdam City Palace was a historical building in Potsdam, Germany. It was the second official residence (the winter residence) of the margraves and electors of Brandenburg, later kings in Prussia, kings of Prussia and German emperors. The original building stood on the Old Market in Potsdam, next to the Church of St. Nicholas (Nikolaikirche) and the Old Townhall.The partial reconstruction with a historic facade including numerous original components and a modern interior was completed in late 2013. The building serves as the new parliament house of the federal state of Brandenburg since.HistoryThe baroque palace was constructed on the site of an earlier fortification from 1662 to 1669 under Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, and was rebuilt by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff under Friedrich II from 1744 to 1752, who performed additional interior decoration. It stood as one of the most important examples of Frederician Rococo.During an allied bombing attack on 14 April 1945 the City Palace was bombed and burned out, some parts of the main walls remained. The communist party (official name: Socialist Unity Party of Germany, SED) decided to remove the ruin in 1960. The formerly cohesive New Market lost its face. The only building of the castle that was left standing was the stables, in which today the Potsdam Museum of Film can be found. In 1991 it was attempted to build a new theatre on the site of the City Palace, but this failed as it would have obstructed the view of the Church of St Nikolai. Only the skeleton of the building had gone up before it was torn down.
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