New Chambers, Potsdam

The New Chambers, or Neue Kammern in German, is a building in Sanssouci Park. It sits west of Sanssouci Palace to balance the Bildergalerie on the east. It was built as a guesthouse on the order of Frederick the Great in 1775.

Just as the Bildergalerie was constructed on the site of a greenhouse, the New Chambers building was constructed on what was once an orangery. The original building was designed in 1747 by George Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff. The reconstruction was managed by Georg Christian Unger in the Frederican Rococo architectural style.

Though the building was reconstructed, much of the original construction were left in place. This included the french doors and the ramps that were used to move potted plants in and out of the orangery. The cupola was added during the rebuild. Seven guests rooms and two ballrooms were created from a design by Johann Christian Hoppenhaupt. The largest of the ballrooms, the Jasper Room, lies directly under the cupola.

Along with Sanssouci Palace and its garden, the New Chambers was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.