Flowers of ClassicismSpecial presentation on the occasion of the new acquisition of a dinner service by King Frederick William II.
The Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG) invites you to “dine” in the Marble House in the New Garden and presents a newly acquired dinner service from the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (Royal Porcelain Manufactury, KPM) at a laid table!
In summer 2022, the SPSG was able to acquire 37 pieces of a service that KPM produced for Frederick William II from 1795. It was used in the Berlin Palace and, as the considerable number of later additions and replacements shows, was still very popular at court in the late 19th century.
In the Marble House, the early classicist summer palace of Frederick William II (1744-1797) on the shores of the Heiliger See, visitors can look forward to a lunch table set according to contemporary models, where they can marvel at a large number of the new acquisitions as if they were guests of the king himself. Other porcelain artefacts from the time of Frederick William II provide information about the fascinating history of the service's creation and use. Among other things, visitors can find out what the service has to do with the military conflicts between Prussia and revolutionary France, which were officially ended by the Peace of Basel in 1795.
The eye-catching floral decoration of the service, which is still considered one of the highlights of KPM's flower painting today under the name “fleurs en terrasse”, also represented a veritable revolution in taste. For the first time, artificial bouquets or scattered flowers were no longer depicted, as had previously been customary on Berlin porcelain, but flowers growing naturally from a meadow. The service thus marked an impressive transition from Rococo to the simple elegance of Classicism. In the Marble House, visitors can learn more about the creation of the special floral decoration in the early 1790s – including, for example, how Frederick William II's wife Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt (1751-1805) popularised the "fleurs en terrasse".
With its charming flower painting, the service conjured up coveted ornamental flowers of the time, including auriculas, ranunculus, carnations and anemones, as well as sentimental varieties such as forget-me-nots and pansies (French “pensée”, the thought) from the garden to the table, so to speak. In order to re-establish this direct link to the historical garden world, information plinths with flower pots will be set up at three locations in the New Garden, which the Foundation's gardeners have planted with the corresponding flower varieties from the table service.
The exhibition texts are in German and English. Please note that guided tours of the Marble House are only available in German.
Marble House
Im Neuen Garten 10
14469 Potsdam
Public Transportation
Stop "Potsdam, Birkenstr./Alleestr." + about 700m walk
vbb-online | Timetable information
Traffic information
Parking
Paid parking spaces for cars and buses near the palace.
Can only be viewed with a guided tour, last admission 30 minutes before closing.
For organisational reasons, there may be waiting times. We ask for your understanding.
On public holidays, weekend opening hours apply unless otherwise stated.
Tour as part of the regular palace visit
Valid for one day, May to October
Valid for a single visit to all the SPSG palaces in Potsdam open to the public on one day (not valid for Sacrow House and Stern Hunting Lodge; not valid for special exhibitions; in the Belvedere Pfingstberg, ticket owners are granted the reduced rate).
Sold at all palace registers, in the visitor centres and online. A fixed admission time slot at Sanssouci Palace is included with purchase, and a guided tour time must be booked for the New Palace. Guided tours for the New Palace can only be booked on a daily basis at the visitor centres.
book your ticketValid for up to 2 adults and up to 4 children.
Valid for a single visit to all the SPSG palaces in Potsdam open to the public on one day (not valid for Sacrow House and Stern Hunting Lodge, not valid for special exhibitions), in the Belvedere Pfingstberg ticket owners are granted the reduced rate.
Sold at all palace registers, in the visitor centres and online. A fixed admission time slot at Sanssouci Palace is included with purchase, and a guided tour time must be booked for the New Palace. Guided tours for the New Palace can only be booked on a daily basis at the visitor centres.
book your ticketValid for a single visit to all the SPSG palaces in Potsdam open to the public on one day, except Sanssouci Palace (not valid for the Belvedere on Potsdam’s Pfingstberg, Sacrow House and Stern Hunting Lodge).
Valid for up to 2 adults and up to 4 children (aged 18 or younger). On sale at all palace registers and at the visitor centers.
for annual ticket holders
- conditionally barrier-free
The ground floor can be visited with a wheelchair; a lifting platform provides access to the entrance to the palace.
A wheelchair is available in the palace.
For conservation reasons, it is unfortunately not possible to use prams / baby strollers in the exhibition rooms.