Potsdam City Palace

City Palace, Potsdam
Potsdamer Stadtschloss
The Potsdam City Palace in 2013 with St. Nicholas' Church in the background
Location in Germany
General information
Type	Palace
Architectural style	Baroque, Rococo
Town or city	Potsdam
Country	Germany
Coordinates	52°23′38″N 13°03′36″E / 52.394°N 13.060°E / 52.394; 13.060
Construction started	1662
Completed	1669
Renovated	1744-52, 2006-13 (rebuild)
Client	Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg Frederick II of Prussia State of Brandenburg
Design and construction
Architect	Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff

The Potsdam City Palace (German: Potsdamer Stadtschloss) was a historical building in Potsdam, Germany. It was the second official residence (the winter residence) of the margraves and electors of Brandenburg, later kings in Prussia, kings of Prussia and German emperors. The original building stood on the Old Market Square in Potsdam, next to the Church of St. Nicholas (Nikolaikirche) and the Old Townhall.

A partial reconstruction with a historic facade including numerous original components and a modern interior was completed in late 2013. The building has since served to house the parliament of the federal state of Brandenburg.

The Baroque palace was constructed on the site of an earlier fortification from 1662 to 1669 under Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, and was rebuilt from 1744 to 1752 by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff under Friedrich II, who performed additional interior decoration. It stood as one of the most important examples of Frederician Rococo.

During an Allied bombing attack on 14 April 1945 the City Palace was bombed and burned out, although 83 per cent of the building structure survived. However, the ruling communist party (official name: Socialist Unity Party of Germany, SED) demolished the ruin in 1960 for ideological reasons. The formerly cohesive Old Market lost its face. The only portion of the palace left standing was the stables, which today houses the Potsdam Museum of Film.