Roman Baths in Sanssouci Park

Italy in Potsdam

closed due to restoration work

The Roman Baths are closed due to restoration work performed as part of the "Prussian Palaces and Gardens Master Plan". Thank you for your understanding.

The Romantic ensemble of the Roman Baths forms a picturesque counterpart to the severity of Charlottenhof Villa. It transports us to the estate of an Italian villa, where herms of Dionysus, Pompeiian column fragments, an ancient Centaur Sarcophagus and plots of southern vegetables and lush decorative plants awaken associations of an ideal Italy.

The crown prince, later King Frederick William IV, who was quite talented as a draftsman, delivered countless sketches laying out his ideas for this ensemble. Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Ludwig Persius turned the royal visions into reality, and as of 1829, a series of structures was erected: the Court Gardener’s House, the adjacent pavilion in the design of a Roman podium temple with a pillared portico, the Gardener’s Assistant’s House, the Large Arbor, the Arcade Hall and ultimately the Roman Baths.

However, the Roman Baths are neither intended as the imitation of Roman thermal springs, nor as an ancient villa. Instead, the crown prince had a new architectural creation erected that drew on an Italian country house in a 15th century style. Even the newly acquired knowledge about building construction in antiquity won through excavations in Herculaneum and Pompeii at the time was playfully and colorfully put into practice, in the informal series of the Atrium, Impluvium, Caldarium, Apodyterium, Viridarium and Billiard Room.

Flat, saddleback roofs, a tower, asymmetrically connected architectural components, pergolas entwined with vine leaves, a terrace with a view across a pond to Charlottenhof Palace, and the landscaped park created by Peter Joseph Lenné, all help to shape the unmistakable character of Frederick William (IV)’s retreat. Alexander von Humboldt resided here during his stays in Potsdam.

Address

Roman Baths in Sanssouci Park
Park Sanssouci
14471 Potsdam

How to get there

Public Transportation

Stop "Potsdam, Schloss Charlottenhof" + about 1000m walk

vbb-online | Timetable information »

Parking

Only public parking at the Lennéstraße, Geschwister-Scholl-Straße

Contact

SPSG | Visitor Information
Visitor Centre Historic Windmill in Sanssouci Park
An der Orangerie 1
14469 Potsdam
Closed Mondays

Visitor Centre New Palace in Sanssouci Park
Am Neuen Palais 3
14469 Potsdam
Closed Tuedays
info@spsg.de
Phone: +49 (0) 331.96 94-200
SPSG | Gruppenservice
contact form for booking requests
gruppenservice@spsg.de
Phone: 0331.96 94-222
Fax: 0331.96 94-107

Accessibility

  • not wheelchair accessible

Unfortunately, exhibition spaces are not wheelchair accessible.

Unfortunately, for conservation reasons the use of baby carriages and strollers is not permitted in exhibition spaces.

Luggage storage

Please note: No luggage or baggage may be left in the entrance area of the palace for security and safety reasons.
Unfortunately, there are no facilities for storing larger pieces of luggage or similar baggage on the premises of this historical site. We appreciate your understanding.

Dining

In the surroundings you will find the following dining options:

Café Caroline
at the Visitor Centre at the New Palace (South Gate Building / "Südtorgebäude")

Theaterklause
near the entrance "Grünes Gitter"

Augustiner im Bürgerbahnhof
next to the station "Park Sanssouci"

Café Repin
near Picture Gallery and Sanssouci Palace

Drachenhaus Restaurant & Cafe im Park Sanssouci
between "Paradiesgarten" and Belvedere Klausberg

Lottenhof / Bill's Kitchen
near Charlottenhof Villa

Mövenpick Zur Historischen Mühle
near Sanssouci Palace

Impressions