GERMANY 



The Palace of Sans Souci ^ Potsdam 



EVERYONE HAS HEARD of Sans Souci, 

 the " Country Cottage" which Frederick the 

 Great built near Potsdam as a refuge to which 

 he could retire from the restraint of official life, 

 and enjoy unfettered intercourse with his friends. 

 It is a one-storied building designed by the archi- 

 tect Knobelsdorf, and it stands on an eminence 

 in what is now the Park of Sans Souci. The 

 hill below it is cut into terraces which are reached 

 by flights of steps. The foundation stone of 

 the palace was laid on April 14, 1745, and 

 Frederick the Great gave a "House-warming" 

 to^celebrate its completion on May Day, 1747. 

 The name, Sans Souci, came by accident. 

 Frederick had prepared his tomb in the neigh- 

 bourhood of this new country-house, and one day, 

 when he was watching the construction of it, he 



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