page_title: Frederick II of Prussia
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Frederick II of Prussia / Reign (1740–1786) / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Potsdam – Schloss Sanssouci English: Potsdam (Germany) - Sanssouci Castle Nederlands: Potsdam – De Orangerie van het Schloss Sanssouci Català: Castell de Sanssouci a Potsdam
context_page_description: Frederick II was a King in Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. As a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was Frederick IV Margrave of Brandenburg. He was also the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel. Victorious in war, he became known as Frederick the Great and was nicknamed der alte Fritz.
  When he was young, Frederick was mostly interested in music and philosophy and not military affairs. Frederick tried to escape from his strict father, Frederick William I, with childhood friend, Hans Hermann von Katte. When they were captured Frederick was forced to watch von Kattel's execution. Many historians consider him to be bisexual and perhaps possibly celibate in his later life. After the death of Frederick William I in 1740, Frederick the Great only attended his wife with formal visits once a year.
  Shortly after becoming King in Prussia, he attacked Austria and claimed Silesia during the Silesian Wars. Near the end of his life, Frederick united most of his separated parts of his kingdom through the First Partition of Poland.
  For years Frederick exchanged letters with Voltaire.
context_section_description: Frederick had famous buildings constructed in his capital, Berlin, most of which still exist today, such as the Berlin State Opera, the Royal Library (today the State Library Berlin), St. Hedwig's Cathedral, and Prince Henry's Palace (now the site of Humboldt University). However, the king preferred spending his time in his summer residence Potsdam, where he built the palace of Sanssouci, the most important work of Northern German rococo.  Sanssouci, which translates from French as "carefree" or "without worry", was a refuge for Frederick. "Frederician Rococo" developed under Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff.
caption: South or garden facade and corps de logis of Sanssouci.
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