18.01.2012
Sanssouci, New Palace

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In 2007, the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG) could begin restoration of the Unteres Fürstenquartier (Lower Royal Suite) in the Neues Palais at Sanssouci thanks to a German-American collaboration. The restoration of this especially luxurious guest apartment was made possible through the support of the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung, together with the Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse, in cooperation with the US-American partner organization, the World Monuments Fund (WMF), New York.

For this purpose, the WMF drew on its Wilson Challenge Program (Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage). A partnership agreement between the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung and the WMF exists, which makes restoration measures possible for particularly select monuments of international importance in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.

The restoration work can now be completed in time for the 300th birthday of Frederick the Great. The Unteres Fürstenquartier will be accessible to the public for the first time as part of the SPSG exhibition "FRIEDERISIKO – Friedrich der Große” (FRIEDERISIKO – Frederick the Great) beginning on April 28, 2012.

The Neues Palais is the largest palace building in the region. Due to its preserved original historic structure and interior decoration, it may be counted among the most valuable palace complexes in the world, both in cultural terms and within the history of civilization. Built after the end of the Seven Years' War, from 1763–69, the palace stands for the politically successful Prussian king, who demonstrated Prussia's role as a major power with this "Fanfaronnade” or boast. The Neues Palais was conceived as a summer residence, which Frederick had designed with suites for relatives and guests, as well as an apartment for himself.

The sequence of rooms of the Unteres Fürstenquartier consists of the Tressenzimmer (Braided Room), the Concert Room, the Oval Chamber and an anteroom. The interior decoration is among the most luxurious in the palace and it is originally preserved to a large extent.

 

Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung
The Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung is a joint venture of all the Sparkasse savings banks in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, the Free State of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Since its establishment in 1995, the foundation, together with its savings banks on location, has supported more than 1,500 projects with total funding amounting to approximately 54 million euros. A total of about 12.7 million euros was provided for 394 projects in Brandenburg alone. The financial resources required for the projects are raised from the yields on the foundation's assets, the superregional special-purpose revenue of the Sparkasse bank lottery "PS-Lotterie-Sparen” and project-related additional donations from the savings banks. In this way, the Sparkasse organization underscores its role as the largest non-governmental, cultural sponsor in Germany.

World Monuments Fund
A partnership between the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung and the World Monuments Fund (WMF) has existed since 2002, and it has already benefited Schloss Hartenfels in Torgau, the Fasanenschlösschen in Moritzburg, as well as the Burgkapelle Ziesar, the chapel at the site of a former bishop's residence in Brandenburg. The WMF is a non-profit, non-governmental organization with headquarters in New York, which devotes itself to the preservation of mankind's important monuments worldwide. The coordination of European projects is carried out by the World Monuments Fund Europe. It was founded in 2003 and maintains its headquarters in the Hôtel de Talleyrand in Paris on the Place de la Concorde. Since its establishment in 1965, the engagement of the WMF has contributed to the preservation of more than 500 irreplaceable structures in 90 countries, including the Tempel Synagogue in Kraków, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse
The Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse (MBS) is the largest savings bank of Brandenburg, with a balance of 9.1 billion euros, and has one of the largest business divisions of all the German Sparkasse banks. It encompasses the administrative districts of Havelland, Oberhavel, Potsdam-Mittelmark, Teltow-Fläming and Dahme-Spreewald, as well as the autonomous cities of Brandenburg an der Havel and the provincial capital of Potsdam. The MBS serves over 700,000 customers and is the partner of private customers, commerce, skilled trades and the small firm sector in their region. Their high standards for quality of service in Potsdam and Brandenburg have been distinguished by awards such as the "Sieger Bankentest 2011." Traditionally, the MBS strongly commits itself to art & culture, sports, the environment and social concerns in its area of operation.